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VENUE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE TRI-OVAL) CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 9 OF 36) DATE: APRIL 27, 2008 (188 LAPS, 500 MILES) ***** 300TH START: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 300th career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. In 10 years at NASCAR's elite level, Earnhardt has recorded 17 wins, eight pole positions, 79 top-five finishes and 127 top-10s. He has completed 85,378 laps, and his 5,842 laps led is fourth among all drivers since 1999. HIGH MILEAGE: Earnhardt would need to make approximately 23 roundtrips from Talladega Superspeedway to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. -- a roughly 2,416-mile one-way drive -- to match the mileage he's racked up in 10 years of Cup racing. Earnhardt has put 112,459.8 miles on his Chevrolets in 299 starts. TALLADEGA TRIUMPH: In 16 starts at Talladega, Earnhardt has five wins, seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He has led 21.23 percent of the laps he's run on the 2.66-mile superspeedway (570 of 2,684 laps). HENDRICK AT TALLADEGA: Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon won both races at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007. In 146 starts, Hendrick has recorded 10 wins, 40 top-five finishes and 55 top-10s. Additionally, Hendrick's all-time drivers have combined to lead 1,794 laps at Talladega. That's 304 laps more than the all-time drivers of Richard Childress Racing who combined for the second-highest total with 1,490 laps. DOUBLE DUTY WEEKEND: Earnhardt also will participate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend at Talladega. In five Nationwide Series starts at the superspeedway, he has recorded one win, two top-five finishes and three top-10s. This season, Earnhardt has led 68 laps in Nationwide Series competition and will pilot the No. 5 Delphi Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. CHASSIS FOR TALLADEGA: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard engineers chose Chassis No. 88-478 for the Aaron's 499 this weekend. This is the same car Earnhardt used in February when he led 70 laps and won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. TIRE TESTING AT INDIANAPOLIS: The No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team was chosen to participate in a Goodyear tire test at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 22-23. The two-day test, which is closed to the public and media, will help Goodyear engineers know what to expect from the new Chevrolet Impala SS when the teams compete at the Brickyard on July 27. BUY AN AMP, 'RIDE WITH DALE JR.': If Earnhardt goes to Victory Lane in the Oct. 5 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, he will bring the names of more than 70,000 members of JR Nation with him. Beginning April 22, Earnhardt fans can simply take the code found on the bottom of any AMP Energy can, log onto www.AMPEnergy.com and register. The first 70,000 will have their names featured on the special No. 88 AMP Energy "Ride with Dale Jr."/National Guard Chevrolet paint scheme. AMP Energy also will include each and every person who signs up to "Ride with Dale Jr." by the July 1 deadline by featuring additional names on Earnhardt's pit wall banner, car cover and other areas around Talladega Superspeedway during the AMP Energy 500 weekend. DALE JR., REPORTING: In an effort to enlighten himself and his fans, Earnhardt has decided to forego the role of interviewee to play reporter for his official Web site. The interviews will be conducted monthly and featured exclusively on www.dalejr.comwww.dalejr.com. Earnhardt's first interview was with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and is available now. Look for his next installment -- an interview with Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick -- to be posted next month. A DIFFERENT KIND OF AMP: Earnhardt and his No. 88 Chevrolet currently are featured on cans of AMP Energy, which is launching three new types of energy drinks this month. The line will include AMP Energy Elevate (mixed berry flavor), AMP Energy Relaunch (citrus flavor) and AMP Energy Traction (grape flavor). Visit www.AMPEnergy.com for more information. 'WHISKY RIVER' OPEN FOR BUSINESS: The public grand opening for Earnhardt's newest business venture -- a nightclub -- was held April 18. The club is located at 210 East Trade Street in Charlotte's EpiCenter. Patrons can listen to a mixture of rock and country music, ride a mechanical bull and indulge in their favorite beverages while taking in the nightclub atmosphere in the heart of Charlotte's Uptown district. Log onto www.whiskyrivercharlotte.com for more information. ***** DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET IMPALA SS (ON HIS 300TH START.): "Wow, is 300 a lot? (LAUGHS) Well, I have to say it's a very fitting racetrack to have my 300th start. I love going to Talladega because I like superspeedways and have done pretty well on them, but also mainly because of my fan base there. All weekend long, there are so many people telling you good things and helping you stay pumped up. We try to run up front as much as possible at that track because the fans just go wild when I take the lead. It's amazing to see as a driver so I find myself being a little more pesky at that track as far as give and take because I want to lead as much as possible and stay up front to bring my fans to their feet. Three hundred starts -- wow. Well, hopefully I can triple that or quadruple that before my career is through. That would be cool." EARNHARDT (ON AMP ENERGY'S "RIDE WITH DALE JR." PROGRAM.): "My fan base at Talladega is incredible, so it's a fitting place for this program. I'm proud of my sponsor, AMP Energy, for giving my fans an opportunity to ride along with me and my team for the AMP Energy 500 in October. It's a great promotion, and I can't wait to see how many people sign up to ride along with us." RALPH SANTANA, VICE PRESIDENT OF SPORTS, MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE MARKETING, PEPSI-COLA NORTH AMERICA (ON AMP ENERGY'S "RIDE WITH DALE JR." PROGRAM.): "We want every member of JR Nation to be there with Dale Jr. as he goes for victory in the very first AMP Energy 500 race. To have Dale compete with this special AMP Energy paint scheme, surrounded by his fans, will be the ideal way for us to launch our title sponsorship at Talladega." TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET IMPALA SS (ON THE TRACK AT TALLADEGA.): "Talladega is a really cool race track. The racing is basically just a lot of drafting, but there's not a whole lot you can do to the cars setup-wise to make it any faster. A lot of times we say whatever you show up with is what you've got because we're so locked into springs, and handling doesn't seem to be a big issue at Talladega. The drivers are wide-open. The new asphalt there has got tons of grip, and you really don't have to turn the wheel all that much. The banking turns the car, and the drivers pretty much hold the wheel straight. It's unique. In order to not lose the draft, you've got to have a lot of friends because the field will be a lot tighter there than at Daytona, because handling is not a factor. You can put whatever four springs in it you want and go run. It takes a lot out of our hands and puts it into the motor shop and the drivers to make things happen." TIM PETCHAK, AERODYNAMIC FABRICATOR FOR THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET IMPALA SS (ON TALLADEGA VERSUS DAYTONA.): "The characteristics of Talladega and Daytona are very different. Talladega is bigger, smoother and has newer pavement. It is an awesome place to do your speedway testing now. Daytona, on the other hand, is bumpier. The surface is worn and aged, and the corners are tighter so the driver has to put more wheel in the car to go left. This can slow the car down and wears the tires more." PETCHAK (ON STRATEGIES A TEAM CAN EMPLOY TO IMPROVE ITS POSITION WHILE DRAFTING.): "Well, you just try to stay together the whole race. You pit together for fuel and tires so everyone gets back up to speed quicker than if you were to pit alone or try to run alone on the track. A driver looks for his select few drafting partners and tries to stay with them. The ultimate goal is to put yourself in a position to win at the end of the race. These drivers are incredible, and they use their God-given talent and their racer instinct to make split-second decisions to improve their position." ***** Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race recap. Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports. Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing  |
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