For the first time in his career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t driving for his dad or the race team his famous father founded.
Junior’s countless diehard fans might not appreciate that he’s now a Hendrick Motorsports teammate with Jeff Gordon, considered by some a spoiled Californian, but Earnhardt likes having conversations with regard to his true talent behind the wheel.
“There’s no favoritism,” Earnhardt said last month during a test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “So those things just aren’t a factor anymore — those kind of concerns or curiosities about what kind of perks come along with being the son of the boss.”
It took one race to prove that Earnhardt and Hendrick combined for a partnership made in speedway heaven, a place where Earnhardt’s late father might be looking down proudly.
Earnhardt captured Saturday’s Bud Shootout in his new No. 88 Chevrolet, and on Sunday NASCAR’s most popular driver will officially begin his first season with Hendrick at the 50th Daytona 500.
Junior spent his first nine years in Cup racing with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team his stepmother inherited after Dale Sr.’s death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
A year ago, Dale Jr. revealed that his relationship with Teresa Earnhardt had soured, and he was denied majority ownership in DEI. He ultimately agreed to drive for Rick Hendrick, who has claimed seven championships with three drivers since 1995.
Hendrick once hired Dale Sr. to drive a car in what was then the Busch Series, and Dale Jr. said Hendrick and Gordon were two men Dale Sr. respected most in racing.
Dale Jr. remembers his father introducing him to Gordon about 20 years ago at a defunct track in North Carolina. Junior thinks his dad would support his move to Hendrick and becoming teammates with Gordon, who was Dale Sr.’s primary rival in the late 1990s.
“He never introduced me to people, so for him to be doing that, I figured there was something important going on — some reason I needed to know this guy,” Earnhardt said.
Gordon and Earnhardt have been close friends since Dale Sr.’s death, although most of Earnhardt’s fans don’t support Gordon, a four-time champion.
Gordon is thrilled to have Dale Jr. on his team, which also features two-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.
“I really applaud the move that he made because, you know, he could have been just kind of sitting comfy at DEI and just have his normal pressure of stepping it up,” Gordon said.
“Now he goes to a team that’s won a lot of championships, won back-to-back championships, and so now it’s like, ‘OK, this is the true test for Junior.’ And I don’t think that’s necessarily fair, in a way because, you know, it still takes time for the team to gel.”
Not necessarily. A day after Earnhardt won the Bud Shootout, the first unofficial race of the year, Johnson captured the pole for Sunday’s season opener.
Adding Earnhardt makes Hendrick the 1927 Yankees of NASCAR. Hendrick Motorsports has the top drivers in Johnson and Gordon, who finished first and second in the 2007 standings, and arguably the best owner, crews and resources.
And with Earnhardt, it has a humble superstar who is easy to work with and eager to prove he can win a championship.
“He’s very humble, and would give you the shirt off his back. And it’s kind of overwhelming, just seeing the amount of fans he has,” said Rick Pigeon, a mechanic and jack man for Earnhardt’s car. “We have some pretty good drivers, but they don’t have the fan base he does. Nobody does. So drawing that kind of crowd, not to mention the type of racer, is awesome.”
During the Las Vegas test, Pigeon was shocked to find Earnhardt under the car.
“I was thrashing underneath the car and all of a sudden I saw his head down there, asking what he can do,” Pigeon said. “You don’t see that much from guys with credentials that he has.”
Doug Duchardt is the vice president for Hendrick Motorsports, overseeing all four teams. He said Earnhardt is the one driver that could take Hendrick to another level.
“It’s early so far, but Junior is very engaged,” Duchardt said. “He’s very detailed and focused. He makes it very easy for everyone to transition together.
“He’s humble, but he knows what he wants out of the race car. The big thing is, he’s very respectful of the people he works with.”
The unassuming Earnhardt said last week he would like to join his father as one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, admitting he wasn’t in position to do that with DEI.
And he knows he can’t do it with Hendrick unless he has a good relationship with his co-workers.
“It’s nice being on the same playing field (as the best), but I have to take it from there,” he said. “You just got to really mind your own business, do your best job you can do, try to keep the people you’re working with happy, try to keep the complaints about you or anything you’ve done to a minimum and just do your job and do it as well as you can.
“I was doing that before. There wasn’t any problem. I didn’t really have a complex about it before, but it’s just different. It’s a different feeling.”
The starting lineup for the dominant force in NASCAR
Hendrick Motorsports, the new home of Dale Earnhardt Jr., is formidable, going four cars deep. The drivers:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Has a Daytona 500 win on his resume and 76 top-five NASCAR finishes. Finished third in the Cup in 2003.
Jeff Gordon
The four-time Cup champion still is the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 (he was 25 when he reigned in 1997).
Jimmie Johnson
The two-time defending Cup champ joined Gordon with Hendrick in 2001 when he made his Cup debut.
Casey Mears
First in his legendary family to join the stock-car circuit (in 2001) and still trying to break into NASCAR’s elite.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Get to know Junior
Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
Lives: Mooresville, N.C.
Born: Oct. 10, 1974
Hobbies: Computers and computer online gaming, music
Vehicles: 2001 Corvette C5-R with LeMans wing, 1968 Camaro, 2001 Intimidator SS Camaro, 1996 Hummer, 2001 Escalade, 2002 Mini Cooper, 1971 Chevy Impala, 1972 Camaro
Music: Matthew Good Band, Third Eye Blind, Elvis, Ludacris
Favorite movies: “Cast Away,” “Saving Private Ryan”
Sports favorites: Washington Redskins, Arturo Gatti, Formula One
dalejrpitstop.com
Top five things to watch
1. Car of today
It used to be called the Car of Tomorrow. Now it’s the only thing available, and the NASCAR-produced spec car is a handful. It’s boxier than the previously available Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota models and harder to drive — but more fun to watch. It requires more RPMs and horsepower at bigger tracks like Daytona, which could culminate in more blown engines. Bottom line: The new car is deemed safer and easier to catch cheaters, but more stressful on drivers, which could lead to more drama and excitement.
2. Accomplished newcomers
The rookie of the year battle typically is among little-known drivers, although last year former Indianapolis 500 winner, and former CART and Formula One champion Juan Montoya took top honors. Montoya created a path — and this year it’s full with former open-wheelers. Dario Franchitti (Champ Car, Indy Racing League), Sam Hornish Jr. (IRL), Patrick Carpentier (Champ Car, IRL) and Jacques Villenueve (CART, Formula One) head the list of NASCAR rookies.
3. Toyota
Four engine manufactures remain, including second-year Toyota. The foreign automaker was down on power in its first season, but things are looking up. In Sunday’s time trials, Toyota drivers produced three of the top-five laps, including Michael Waltrip’s No. 2 effort, and new Toyota client Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing was second in Saturday’s Bud Shootout. Toyota has been a major player in every series it has raced, and winning its first NASCAR event might not take long.
4. Heated rivalries
Temperamental drivers Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch already have been reprimanded for continuing their feud, and the Roush Racing riff between Carl Edwards and his teammates likely will again surface. Stewart and Busch have been put on probation for the first six races this season. Competing for huge money and pride virtually every week against the same guys can be agitating, and although NASCAR is quick to put out the fires with penalties and fines, fans like the flames to be fanned, because, after all, that’s racin’.
5. Furniture Row Racing
OK, people outside Colorado might laugh, but this Denver-based team is turning some significant heads. Using Hendrick Motorsports engines, veteran Joe Nemechek nearly gave FRR the Daytona 500 pole last week — out of 53 entries — and Kenny Wallace, who might drive FRR’s second car most of the season, will start 27th. NASCAR’s only Western-based team begins its third year with a good engine and solid working relationship with Hendrick, the best in the business, and a new pit-crew trainer. We’re not expecting Nemechek to make the Chase, but don’t be surprised if he gets some television time running up front.
Mike Chambers
Top 10 drivers to watch
1. Jimmie Johnson. The two-time defending champion is off to another terrific start. Sunday’s polesitter hasn’t finished outside the top five in the final point standings since 2001, when he ran just three races as an unofficial rookie. He has finished fifth, second, second, fifth, first and first. Nobody has been better during that span, so he’s the guy to beat.
2. Jeff Gordon. The four-time champion is coming off his best year since winning his most recent title in 2001. He won six times last year and had an average finish of 7.3, with a series-most 30 top-10s. Gordon, 36, is relatively young and still in his prime.
3. Denny Hamlin. The third-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver doesn’t know what it’s like to race outside of the Chase, so how can you exclude him? He finished third in the standings as a rookie in 2006 and 12th last season. The 27-year-old is one of the top young talents.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Same good guy, different team, new pressure. The former two-time Busch Series champion has been a top-12 driver during his career with his late father’s team. Now he wants to be considered one of the best in the business, and he has surrounded himself with the tools to do that.
5. Matt Kenseth. He finished fourth last year, two spots below 2006. Mr. Consistent captured the title in 2003 and has not finished outside the top eight since. He led 351 laps in last year’s final three events.
6. Tony Stewart. You either like him or lapse into road rage when his name surfaces, but nobody can argue that the two-time series champion can drive a race car. He’s in position to win virtually every race — unless his temper gets the best of him.
7. Kyle Busch. Entering his fourth full season at age 22, Busch is with a new team. He went from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing, teaming up with Tony Stewart. Busch is close to his older brother, Penske’s Kurt Busch, who is Stewart’s “Enemy No. 1.” This should be interesting.
8. Kevin Harvick. He won just one race last year, four fewer than in 2006, but made the Chase for the second consecutive year, finishing 10th. Harvick is deemed a natural. And like a handful of others, when he has the best car, he’s going to win.
9. Juan Montoya. The Colombian had a solid rookie year, winning a race and finishing 20th in the standings. He’ll garner more on-track respect this season, and his statistics should improve. The only thing holding him back is his team. The No. 42 Dodge crew is better than average but not elite.
10. Kurt Busch. He became Penske Racing’s top driver last year, winning two races, qualifying for the Chase and finishing seventh on the strength of 11 top-10 finishes (and both wins) in the final 19 events.
Mike Chambers
