| |
 |
 |
PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR.
(NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
|
 |
VENUE: LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE QUAD-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 31 OF 36)
DATE: OCT. 11, 2008 (334 LAPS, 501 MILES)
*****
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, will celebrate his 34th birthday on Friday. Since making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at age 24, Earnhardt has recorded 18 wins, 85 top-five finishes, 135 top-10s and eight pole positions. He has logged 91,292 laps and led 6,381. Earnhardt made his first Cup start at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 30, 1999, and finished 16th.
AT LOWE'S: In 18 Sprint Cup starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has scored five top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He has led 312 laps and started from the pole position once, on May 28, 2000.
RELAUNCH AT LOWE'S: This weekend, the No. 88 Chevy will change to Earnhardt's favorite color, orange, to showcase AMP Energy Relaunch for the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. AMP Energy Relaunch revives and hydrates with a burst of orange citrus and an intense surge of energy to get up and get moving again.
SHOOTING A COVER: Earnhardt will participate in a photo shoot on Friday for the 2009 Daytona 500 USA Weekend cover. Earnhardt and two other Sprint Cup drivers will join Sports Illustrated swim suit models Brooklyn Decker and Julie Henderson. The cover should hit shelves in February 2009.
JOIN THE CREW: Earnhardt will visit with a small group of JR Nation Crew members at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday in the Bank of America Champions Club. By becoming a member, fans receive a Crew Kit, which grants access to behind-the scenes photos and discounts at www.shopjrnation.com. Visit www.jrnation.com to join the club.
CHASSIS FOR LOWE'S: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-521 for this weekend's race at Lowe's. The car, which the team tested last month at Lowe's Motor Speedway, has never been raced.
DOWN, SET, HUT: Eury and other members of the No. 88 team aren't just competitive in racing. They go head-to-head each week in their fantasy football league, "Road Dogs 88." For Eury, a Dallas Cowboys fan, it's just one of two leagues that he competes in. He also is involved in the "Hendrick Honchos."
AUCTION FOR A GOOD CAUSE: The Dale Jr. Celebrity Sports Auction is scheduled for Oct. 13 at the Concord (N.C.) Convention Center/Embassy Suites. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Dale Jr. Foundation, Make-A-Wish and Victory Junction Gang Camp. There also will be a charity concert, featuring country artist Gary Allan and a special performance by Kyle Petty, at Whisky River in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 12. Visit www.thedalejrfoundation.org for more information.
WARRIOR VIDEO: Fans can visit www.NationalGuardWarrior.com to see Kid Rock's new "Warrior" music video and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage featuring Earnhardt, National Guard citizen soldiers and the No. 88 team. The two-minute video is now airing before movies in select AMC Theatres and includes the song "Warrior," which Kid Rock wrote specifically for the Army National Guard. During the next two months, the video will appear in more than 3,000 theaters and on more than 27,000 movie screens around the country.
NEW LOOK: The Hendrick Motorsports museum will have a different look this month. With Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway approaching, the Hendrick Motorsports museum has new Chevrolets, trophies and other memorabilia on display to chronicle the team's success at the 1.5-mile racetrack. In 49 races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has posted 15 wins, 45 top-five finishes and 67 top-10s.
*****
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS: (ON THIS WEEKEND'S CAR COLOR.): "Orange is just my favorite color. I don't know why I prefer it, I just do. That's like asking someone why their vision is 20/30 or whatever. It just is what it is. I sort of gravitate towards anything orange whether it is food or drink or clothes or whatever. As soon as I got a hold of some of the different flavors of AMP, I tried the orange hoping I would like it, and I really did. I'm really excited. I think it's a good looking car."
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS: (ON WHAT THE TEAM LEARNED FROM RUNNING AT LOWE'S IN MAY.): "That was a good two weeks for us at Lowe's. We had trouble in the all-star race, but we came back for the 600 and had a really dominant car before we blew the right-rear (tire) out getting into the fence. At the recent test we tried some things we learned over the summer. You're there for eight days total in May, and there wasn't a whole lot we could do with the car. The car was pretty good the whole time we were there. We're going to compare some stuff from what we had over the summer to what we learned there in May."
EURY (ON THE PRIDE ASSOCIATED WITH RUNNING WELL AT LOWE'S.): "Being one of the primary sponsors for Hendrick Motorsports, there's a lot of pride going over there and running real well. You've got all the guys from the shop that are capable of coming over there. There's a lot of pride on the line from all teams' standpoints. We're all right here within 30 miles of Charlotte. To be able to win in your hometown is very, very special."
EURY (ON HIS FANTASY FOOTBALL SEASONS.): "It's going good. I've got two teams. I didn't get (Dallas quarterback Tony) Romo. That's who I wanted for a quarterback. I had to go with the old veteran (Brett) Farve. I got Farve in one and Peyton (Manning, Indianapolis quarterback) in one. Doug (Duchardt, Hendrick vice president of development) got me in on that deal, and I had never done it before till I got over here. They showed me one draft and I did it and I didn't do so well. The second one I did real well. My second team is a whole lot better than my first."
EURY (ON WHY HE WANTED ROMO.): "I'm a big Cowboys fan so I got my Jason Witten jersey. On Sunday nights I put my jersey on and sit on the couch. I have a good time. We got one league called the Hendrick Honchos and one that's called Road Dogs 88. It's a lot of fun. The guys on the team, it's something they look forward to on Sunday night, flying home from these tracks. Everybody's got their phones out looking to see who's beating who. It just breaks up the monotony of the same thing week in, week out. It gives us something to talk about and share over dinner."
*****
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com
Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race reports and recaps.
Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports.
Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing
|
| |
|
|