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No. 8 Budweiser Team
2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Media Tour Notebook
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Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the No. Budweiser Chevrolet, will be the subject of a news conference this afternoon (Tuesday, January 20) as a part of the 2004 Lowe's Motor Speedway media tour. Here are some notes and figures prior to this afternoon's news conference...
Storylines:
A SCHEDULE THAT BEGS FOR MUSIC
If there is ever a time that Dale Earnhardt Jr. might lobby for stereo systems and CD changers in race cars, it will come during the 2004 Daytona Speedweeks. Scheduled to drive in five races in 17 days -- more than any other driver this season -- Dale Jr.’s thirst for music could be knocked into overdrive. On his Speedweeks plate is the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Budweiser Shootout, the Twin-125s, the NASCAR Busch Series Hershey’s Kisses 300, and the Daytona 500. Figure in practices and time trials, and he will participate in at least 23 on-track sessions. Junior took on a similar slate last year, racing in four Speedweeks events and winning three of them. In doing so, he joined his father, Dale Earnhardt, and racing legend Glenn “Fireball” Roberts as the only drivers to win three races in a single Daytona Speedweeks.
BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT
Nextel will make its debut as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series when the green flag drops for the Budweiser Shootout on Sat., Feb. 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, will try for his second straight win in the all-star event. Should he do it, he’ll become only the third driver to earn repeat Shootout victories.
PIT CREW ADDITIONS
The Bud crew will feature two new faces in 2004, both from inside the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. family. Shannon Myers, formerly of the No. 1 DEI team, will be the rear-tire changer, and Craig Lund, a part-time Bud crew member last year, will take over catch-can duties. Bill Snyder will handle the gas can and work alongside Phil Drye (front-tire changer), Danny Earnhardt (front-tire carrier), Kevin Pennell (jack man), Troy Prince (rear-tire carrier) and Barry “B” Hoover (windshield/driver comfort). The Bud crew, which won the 2003 McDonald’s Pit Crew Drive-Thru Award, are led by crew chief Tony Eury and car chief Tony Eury Jr.
JUNIOR ON MTV
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be featured on an episode of “MTV Diary” beginning Sunday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m. (Eastern Time). The diary will include behind-the-scenes footage of the No. 8 driver at the track and at his newly built Mooresville, N.C. house.
DID YOU KNOW
… Dale Jr. scored more points on short tracks (less than 1-mile in length) than any other driver in 2002 and 2003. He has eight top-five finishes in the last 12 short track races.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Heading into the 2004 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team have recorded nine victories and more than $20.6 million in prize money in 147 career starts in NASCAR’s top division…
Career-bests in 2003:
Finished 3rd in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
Earned $6,880,807 in prize earnings.
Was in the top three in points for 29 weeks.
Awarded the prestigious National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver Award.
Tied the record for most victories in a single Daytona Speedweeks with three (Budweiser Shootout, Twin-125, and Busch Series race.)
Won his record-setting fourth straight race at Talladega
Earned his ninth career victory and second of the season with a win at Phoenix.
Landed a permanent spot in the Talladega, Alabama Walk of Fame
Earned wins in each of his three Busch Series starts with the Chance 2 team he co-owns.
Voted by fans on NASCAR.com as the “Most Popular Driver” and “The Driver You’d Most Want Your Daughter To Marry.”
Finished in the top-three 10 times.
Finished in the top-five 13 times.
Recorded 21 top-10 finishes.
Led the circuit in races led (24) and leader bonus points for the second year in a row.
Won the MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award five times and the Goodyear Fastest Lap Award a series-leading eight times.
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The NASCAR Nextel Cup era begins with the 2004 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, under the lights Saturday night, February 7. See if Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team can defend their crown in a special paint scheme featuring Bud’s “Born On Date” icon for the ultimate in freshness. Think Fresh. Drink Fresh. Budweiser. Budweiser, the King of Beers, has been brewed since 1876. Anheuser-Busch brands account for nearly one out of every two beers sold in the United States, or more than 100 million barrels annually. Check it out at www.Budweiser.com.
Thanks to Jade Gurss for this Budweiser Race Preview!
Jade Gurss
-- fingerprint inc.
-- sports publicity/media relations
-- Anheuser-Busch NASCAR program / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
www.Budweiser.com |
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