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PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR. (NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET) VENUE: DARLINGTON RACEWAY (1.366-MILE EGG-SHAPED OVAL) CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 11 OF 36) DATE: MAY 9, 2009 (367 LAPS, 501.3 MILES) ***** AT DARLINGTON: In 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded three top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He has completed 98 percent of all laps he's attempted at the short track (4,635 laps of 4,732). The 34-year-old driver has an average starting position of 15.1 and an average finish of 14.2 at the historic track. NEW DEW: Earnhardt will drive a special No. 88 Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet this weekend. The No. 88 machine will display on its hood the new Mountain Dew logo unveiled earlier this year. The car will be painted in a metallic silver, black and "Mountain Dew" green. MOUNTAIN DEW HERITAGE: Mountain Dew has been a part of the sport since 1981, when Darrell Waltrip won his first of two championships in the Dew car. Last year's paint scheme had an "old school" retro feel, and this weekend's car will have a "new school" look. LAST TIME OUT: In his first Darlington start with Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt lined up from the outside pole position, led 35 laps and went on to claim a top-five finish. His fourth-place result matched his career-best finish at the track, which he recorded in 2002. POINTS AFTER RICHMOND: After finishing 27th last week at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Earnhardt now sits 18th in the championship standings, just 87 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth. ALL-STAR PREVIEW: Later this month, Earnhardt's No. 88 machine will have a different look at the May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The 34-year-old driver chose white as the primary color for his Chevrolet, which will sport a paint scheme showcasing the Dale Jr. Foundation that weekend. DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt is fifth in the driver rating category at Darlington with a score of 104.2. The driver rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-526. This chassis last ran March 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where Earnhardt rallied from the back of the pack to finish 14th. HENDRICK AT DARLINGTON: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has 12 wins, 35 top-five finishes and 58 top-10s in 48 events (137 starts) at Darlington Raceway. Hendrick's drivers have led 2,781 laps at the racetrack. 700 CLUB: Hendrick Motorsports' next top-five finish will be the organization's 700th in Sprint Cup competition. Since 1984, Hendrick drivers have sco red 178 wins, 699 top-five finishes and 1,154 top-10s. Hendrick has the most top-five finishes among active teams. TRADIN' PAINT: AMP Energy has announced the launch of Tradin' Paint, a new limited time only, Dale Earnhardt Jr.-themed energy drink. The beverage is a collision of three flavors -- orange, lime and berry -- with all the energy ingredients and great taste that consumers expect from AMP. Featuring the same paint scheme as Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, Tradin' Paint also includes all the marks, dings and paint streaks that can show up on cars during a hotly contested race. SUITE DEAL: Tickets still are available for the Dale Jr. suite during the all-star event at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 16. The package includes a reserved seat in a luxury suite overlooking the 1.5-mile speedway, complimentary food and drink throughout the race, a souvenir gift bag and more. Prior to the start of the 100-lap race, ticket holders can participate in a pre-race tour of pit road and a question-and-answer session with Earnhardt and NASCAR legend Richard Petty in the suite. Tickets are $288, and all proceeds benefit the Dale Jr. Foundation and Speedway Children's Charities. Visit www.dalejr.com for more information. ***** DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON WHAT A WIN AT DARLINGTON WOULD MEAN.): "I'd love to win because the track has a lot of history. A lot of great names have been in Victory Lane there. It's so tough to win. It's such a tough racetrack. And when you've won there, you're considered one of the tougher guys in the sport because you can conquer this race and conquer what this track throws at you. It's a new ballgame with the pavement, but you'd still take just as much pride in winning at Darlington." TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON FAVORITE DARLINGTON MEMORY.): "Darlington has a lot of history behind it. There have been a lot of cool things happen at Darlington. It was probably one of the first tracks I got to go to when I was growing up. I remember Geoff Bodine winning there many a times when we were going there. I went to Victory Lane with Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. there. It's just a driver's track. That's what's neat about Darlington." EURY (ON KEYS TO GETTING AROUND DARLINGTON.): "The keys to getting around Darlington are just being able to go into (Turn) 1 and hold it wide open to the exit off (Turn) 2 and have good bite off of (Turn) 2.That will set up all your momentum up for passing in (Turns) 3 and 4. Pretty much, you've got two unique corners, and you've kind of got to compromise on one end or the other. The challenge is getting both corners wrapped up so your driver can maintain his speed all night." EURY (ON EARNHARDT AND DARLINGTON.): "It takes us a little bit into the race to really get going because it takes that long for the track to get rubbered up and for the real groove to come in. It's running up against the wall, which Dale Jr. doesn't mind. It kind of fits his style, where some guys don't like a track where you have to run up against the wall." EURY (ON THE NEW MOUNTAIN DEW PAINT SCHEME.): "It's pretty cool, the way they shortened up Mountain with 'MTN.' It's something kind of unique. To go down there with a black car and with a different paint scheme is pretty cool. It's one of those races that you look forward to going to with as much history that's going on there. It's fun to bring special cars out to those events." ***** Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports. Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing ***** Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com |
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