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PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR.
(NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
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VENUE: RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (.75-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 10 OF 36)
DATE: MAY 3, 2008 (400 LAPS, 300 MILES)
*****
FIRST WIN, LAST WIN: In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded three wins. The 33-year-old driver scored his first and most recent RIR victories exactly six years apart -- on May 6, 2000 and May 6, 2006, respectively. Earnhardt has led 322 laps around the track and recorded seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s.
SOLID START: Earnhardt's 10th-place finish Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway marked his series-leading seventh top-10 result in nine races this season. He was two spots shy of having eight top-10s when he finished 12th at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6. In 2008, Earnhardt has an average start of 9.4 and an average finish of 10.4.
KICKING IT OLD SCHOOL: This month, the No. 88 Chevrolet will sport two popular paint schemes that ran in the early 1980s. At Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the car will run the retro Mountain Dew paint scheme, which is similar to the one Darrell Waltrip drove to win 24 races and two championships (1981 and 1982). At the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevy will resemble the "Gray Ghost" that Buddy Baker drove to win the 1980 Daytona 500.
CHATTING WITH DANICA: Earnhardt will interview popular Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick this week during his XM radio show, "Dale Jr. Unrestricted." The interview with Patrick, who won the Indy Japan 300 in April, will air nationwide on the XM Sports Nation Channel 144 this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Encore broadcasts will air at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday and 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. All times are Eastern.
TESTING AT NASHVILLE: The No. 88 team is participating in a test session along with the entire Hendrick Motorsports stable this week at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. The test is closed to the public and media.
HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: In 48 races at Richmond, Rick Hendrick's teams have combined all-time for nine wins, 40 top-five finishes and 70 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, swept the track in 2007. He also claimed the fall pole position, while teammate Jeff Gordon took the May pole at Richmond. Hendrick drivers have finished outside of the top-10 just four times in the 48 events that have been held at the short track since 1984.
CLOSER TO HOME: Jim Jenkins, a mechanic on the No. 88 team, grew up in Hampton, Va. Jenkins is responsible for the interiors of the cars as well as driver comfort. Born in Charleston, S.C., Jenkins grew up in a military family that moved around often. When his dad retired, the family was in Hampton, where father and son began going to Langley Speedway. Jenkins eventually started to help at the track and worked his way up to the Late Model Division. Several jobs in the commercial art industry brought him to Concord, N.C. Jenkins joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 after Lewis Motorsports shut down its operation.
CHASSIS FOR RICHMOND: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet engineers chose Chassis No. 88-490 for Saturday's event at Richmond. It's the same chassis that Earnhardt drove to a seventh-place finish on April 12 at Phoenix International Raceway.
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.
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.
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.com. Earnhardt's initial interview with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. is posted online.
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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON HIS FIRST WIN AT RICHMOND.): "That was a great night. You always remember your first win and hope it's not your last. The last time I won was at Richmond seems like forever ago, but I try not to think about it. I don't want to be thinking of how long it's been since a win. Knowing we have a shot at it every week and something or another happens can make it frustrating. We couldn't be doing anything different to prepare -- the team and everyone at Hendrick has been working so hard. It will happen."
EARNHARDT (ON SHORT TRACK RACING AT RICHMOND.): "There is no reason why we shouldn't show up at Richmond this week and run awesome. Short tracks like Richmond fit my driving style. I was used to running at places like Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, and I've learned how to get around short tracks."
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON RACING AT RICHMOND.): "Richmond is a lot of fun. It's my favorite place to go because it's a short track but it's multi-grooved. Your driver can do a lot to help you out as far as the setup changing. You don't just have to ride behind a guy. You can go to the upper groove, the middle or bottom; you can go three-wide. It's whatever your car will let you do. It's unique. It's a driver's racetrack, and if anybody ever wants to see a great race, that's the place to go. I look forward to going there more than anywhere."
*****
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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