Blog of dalejr on Infield Parking

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is “Keeping the Dream Alive”

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:19:48 PST

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is “Keeping the Dream Alive” at Victory Junction
Founder, Family Weekend Sponsor & donor of The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre

RANDLEMAN, N.C. (March 1, 2010) – Victory Junction kicked off their “Keeping the Dream Alive” campaign today by announcing that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the elite list of Victory Junction Founders, as he commits to donate $1 million to build and maintain The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre at the Randleman, N.C. camp for children with serious illnesses.

Victory Junction began with a dream, Adam Petty’s dream. His passion for helping children drove him to think of new ways to directly change the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. During a Nationwide Series practice session in 2000, tragically, Adam lost his life…but not his dream. Adam’s dream now lives on in the lives of over 13,000 children and families that have suffered from over two dozen diseases such as cancer, hemophilia, spina bifida, physical disabilities and sickle cell.

Earnhardt Jr. is keeping Adam’s dream alive. On March 27, 2010, during The Dale Jr. Foundation Physical Disabilities Weekend at Victory Junction, Earnhardt Jr. will join the Victory Junction family as a Founder and will break ground on a one-of-a-kind project, The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre. Eighty-eight members of The JR Nation Crew, The Official Fan Club of Earnhardt Jr., will be randomly selected to be special guests for this private ground breaking ceremony. To become a part of the FREE JR Nation Crew fan club and be eligible to attend, go to www.dalejr.com/jrnation.

“There are many reasons why we wanted to get involved with Victory Junction and build this amphitheatre, and it starts with the tremendous impact the camp has on these kids. It’s incredible how one week changes lives,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Just as important to me is my friendship with Kyle and Pattie Petty, and the memory of my buddy, Adam Petty. Adam and I met each other at an early age, and from that point on our lives and careers were virtually parallel. He was as genuine as they get and a great friend. If I can play a small part in helping Kyle and Pattie keep his dream alive, it doesn’t require a second thought.”

This unique, interactive & accessible outdoor amphitheatre will provide campers, the opportunity to sing a song, act in a play, tell a joke, play an instrument, watch a movie or even get their face pictured on an old, western “Wanted” poster along with the infamous outlaw, “Junior.”

“Pattie and I are extremely humbled by Junior’s kindness and generosity. We’ve known Junior since he was a kid and it means the world to us that he is honoring our son, Adam, by helping change the lives of these kids,” said Kyle Petty. “Adam is definitely smiling.”

Victory Junction is extremely proud and humbled by the generosity and hard work of all of the individuals who not only believed in Adam’s dream, but helped make it a reality. Now it is time to keep that dream alive. You, too, can join Earnhardt Jr. and Victory Junction in their mission to help this very deserving group of children.

Go to www.victoryjunction.org to donate toward the project and to learn about Victory Junction’s new Dream Team Challenge. Sign up as a crew chief, start your own Dream Team and join us in honoring the young man who had the vision to make us all feel our hearts race!

About The Dale Jr. Foundation The Dale Jr. Foundation is a charity dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence and education, and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals. For more information, visit www.thedalejrfoundation.org.

About Victory Junction Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children, ages six to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, N.C. with a second location opening soon in Kansas City, Kan. Victory Junction offers programs for 24 disease groups and maintains strong relationships with 30 partner hospitals. Victory Junction’s mission is to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment. As a not-for-profit organization, the camp operates solely through the support of generous donors to provide this experience at no charge to children and their families. For more information, visit www.victoryjunction.org.

The Dale Jr. Foundation Announces “Rockin’ The River” Concert Series

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:02:47 PDT

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 11, 2009) – A hard-hitting lineup of top musical artists, including Gavin DeGraw and Blake Shelton, will convene on Charlotte’s Whisky River in a month-long series of concerts appropriately entitled “Rockin’ The River” Concert Series. Five weekly concerts during the month of October will make up the series, with all proceeds benefitting The Dale Jr. Foundation and its associated charities, including Make-A-Wish Foundation and Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Concert tickets will be sold for each individual event as well as a limited number of ‘Super Tickets’ that include all five events for only $75. Fans can go to http://whiskyriver.tickets.musictoday.com to purchase tickets.

Jessie James and The Carter Twins will kick off the five-part series on Oct. 1. Neither act is a stranger to Whisky River, as both performed for crowds there earlier this year. Jessie James is riding the success of her self-titled debut album featuring the hit “Wanted”. The Carter Twins will return to Whisky River following their performance at the one-year anniversary party earlier this summer.

Rehab will be the headlining act on Oct. 8. The band is enjoying the momentum of their hit “Bartender Song” and their latest single “1980”. The Atlanta-based group will make their debut at Whisky River in Charlotte.

Gavin DeGraw will hit the stage on Oct. 15 in a Charlotte race week performance that is sure to be a popular draw for local Charlotte music lovers, as well as visiting race fans. DeGraw, whose current album “Free” hit the shelves earlier this year, is best known for his debut album, CHARIOT, which was certified platinum and yielded three gold singles.

The Oct. 22nd evening will begin with a live taping of QVC’s For Race Fans Only, a home-shopping program featuring NASCAR merchandise. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will appear live on the show, which will promptly be followed by a live concert by Blake Shelton. Shelton has five previous number one hits and has had four of his first five albums certified gold.

The “Rockin’ the River” Concert Series will conclude with an Oct. 29 performance by country singer Phil Vassar. Vassar, a multi-talented artist as both a singer and songwriter, will perform a combination of songs from his six previous albums in his first trip to Whisky River.

“We are always looking for new ways to help raise money for my foundation, and this concert series is something the fans and I can really get excited about,” said Earnhardt Jr. “We’ve got some really good acts coming in, and I appreciate them joining our effort to help those less fortunate. The Dale Jr. Foundation contributes to a number of charities, including Make-A-Wish Foundation and Victory Junction Gang. We want to make a difference, and by purchasing a ticket and joining us at the Rockin’ The River Concert Series in October, you can, too.”

How’s it going?

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:37:02 PDT

I hope everyone enjoyed the last off weekend of the season. For me, it was nice to be able to relax one more time before the last 12 races of the season. As much I enjoyed the time off, I am excited to get back to racing. Hopefully Atlanta will be another good run because of the past success I’ve had on that track. This weekend should be really cool for the drivers, teams, and fans to have the Atlanta race under the lights.

This weekend in Atlanta will be my last double-duty weekend of the season. Our sponsor, Degree V12, is sponsoring both the Nationwide race and our No. 5 car, so this weekend is pretty big for JR Motorsports. I think Saturday may be my busiest day in a racecar ever! I’ve got two Nationwide practices, two Sprint Cup practices, Nationwide and Sprint Cup qualifying, and the Nationwide race crammed into one day. It’s going to be crazy.

Thanks for checking out GoDaddy.com and have a great weekend!

Dale Jr.

'TOGETHER: THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS STORY' TO AIR OCT. 11 ON ABC

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:49:23 PDT

'TOGETHER: THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS STORY' TO AIR OCT. 11 ON ABC

THREE-TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE TOM CRUISE TO NARRATE DOCUMENTARY FILM;
PORTION OF DVD & BLU-RAY PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE LEVINE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2009) – "TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story," NASCAR Media Group's documentary-style film chronicling the history of the eight-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship team, will air Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m. ET on ABC prior to the network's Pepsi 500 race coverage from Fontana, Calif.

Narrated by three-time Academy Award nominee Tom Cruise and presented by Pepsi, "TOGETHER" employs exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archival footage, thrilling racing sequences and rare family photography to detail the personal relationships and emotional events that have shaped one of NASCAR's most decorated organizations.

The official "TOGETHER" trailer is available at www.refresheverything.com/hendrick. The Web site will feature regular updates of content from the film and provide fans the opportunity to upload video messages about their favorite Hendrick Motorsports moments. Select fan-generated clips will be shown during the Oct. 11 broadcast on ABC.

"NASCAR Media Group is honored to tell the story of one of the most successful teams in our sport's history," said Jay Abraham, chief operating officer of NASCAR Media Group. "The cooperation, access and openness of Hendrick Motorsports and the entire Hendrick family have enabled us to tell a compelling, emotional and comprehensive story that will give fans fresh insight into one of NASCAR's legendary operations. It has a powerful message that will resonate with people."

The full-length version of "TOGETHER" with bonus material will be released Oct. 31 on DVD, and it will become NASCAR Media Group's first officially licensed title available on Blu-ray Disc. A portion of Hendrick Motorsports' proceeds from those sales will benefit the Levine Children's Hospital (www.levinechildrenshospital.org) in Charlotte, N.C.

"When we started the team back in 1984, our pie in the sky was to eventually, someday win a race," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "Any success beyond that has been because of the folks who have worked so hard and supported us over our 25 years.

We've been extremely fortunate, and I hope the film is something they will be proud of."
Cruise, an auto racing enthusiast who starred in the 1990 NASCAR-themed motion picture "Days of Thunder," completed the narration work for "TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story" in Los Angeles last month. The script was co-written by Emmy Award winners Shawn Truax and Ray Didinger.

Film director Rory Karpf has spearheaded such projects as the Dale Earnhardt biopic "DALE," now the best-selling sports DVD in history, and the critically acclaimed "Ride of Their Lives." The NASCAR Media Group production team responsible for "TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story" earned back-to-back Sports Emmy Awards in 2006 and 2007 for "Beyond the Wheel" and "Quest for the Cup."

ABOUT NASCAR MEDIA GROUP:
NASCAR Media Group (NMG) is NASCAR's media, marketing, and entertainment company that creates and produces programming related to the sport, manages its media partnerships, and forges relationships to integrate NASCAR into mainstream entertainment. Projects developed by NMG include award-winning television programs and theatrical releases, such as the acclaimed biopic "DALE," which aired on Country Music Television (CMT) following a theatrical release in NASCAR race markets; "Quest for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup," an Emmy Award-winning television series offering a fast-paced, up-close HD look at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's playoffs; "NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience"; and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Earlier this year, in partnership with BET, NASCAR Media Group announced the development of a new program, "Changing Lanes," which will spotlight up and coming drivers and those supporting them behind the scenes.

ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Since 1984 Hendrick Motorsports has earned 12 championships in NASCAR's top three divisions and 183 victories in the sanctioning body's premier series, the Sprint Cup. The organization, which currently is celebrating its 25th anniversary season, fields four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Sprint Cup Series circuit with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Hendrick Motorsports employs more than 500 people.
For more information about Hendrick Motorsports, please visit

www.HendrickMotorsports.com

www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports

www.twitter.com/HendrickInfo.

The Dale Jr. Foundation Kicks off Fall Fundraisers

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:46:29 PDT

The Dale Jr. Foundation announced today the continuation of its 2009 fundraising efforts, with a two-month-long series of eBay auctions featuring 22 pieces of rare sports and music memorabilia.

The first round of online auctions begins on Sept. 6, with new items posted every Sunday through Sept. 27. A total of 10 sports items will be up for auction, including a Peyton Manning autographed football, a Derek Jeter signed photo, and a Dwight Howard autographed basketball.

“We’re very excited to offer these unique auctions to sports and music fans alike,” said Kelley Earnhardt, vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports. “We had a number of items donated on behalf of some wonderful people who believe in what The Dale Jr. Foundation is doing. This is a chance for fans to get some memorable items and know it’s all for a great cause.”

The sports fundraiser culminates when a rare, autographed Dallas Cowboys helmet is put up for bid. The helmet is signed by 20 Cowboys players, past and present, including Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, and Tony Dorsett, all Pro Football Hall of Fame members.

The helmet was donated to The Dale Jr. Foundation by Tori Lewis, whose father, D.D. Lewis won two championships with the Dallas Cowboys from 1968 to 1982, and is one of only eight NFL players to play in five Super Bowls.

“When I came across The Dale Jr. Foundation, I found his vision for helping others and honesty about himself to be humble on his part, and a noble cause,” Lewis said.

The second month of auctions runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 25. It features 12 different collectible items from the music industry, including an autographed guitar from the band 3 Doors Down, hand-written lyrics to Tim McGraw’s “If You’re Reading This”, and a race helmet signed by 49 country artists at this year’s CMA Awards. Rodney Atkins, Charlie Daniels, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride and Richard Petty are just a few of the 49 artists to sign the helmet.

For a full list of items available, including a detailed listing of the autographs on the helmets, go to: http://www.thedalejrfoundation.org/auctions.html

To bid on any of these items, visit The Dale Jr. Foundation eBay store

All the proceeds from the auctions will benefit The Dale Jr. Foundation and the charities it supports such as Make-A-Wish, Victory Junction Gang Camp and more.

The Dale Jr. Foundation is a charity dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence, education and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals. To learn more about how you can help Dale Jr. make a difference, go to www.thedalejrfoundation.org.

The line-up of weekly prizes is as follows:

Sports Auctions

Sept. 6 - Peyton Manning autographed football, LaDanian Tomlinson autographed photo.

Sept. 13 – Morgan Pressel autographed photo, Boo Weekley autographed golf hat, Ryan Sheckler framed, autographed poster.

Sept. 20 – Dwight Howard autographed basketball, Derek Jeter autographed picture.

Sept. 27 – Terrance Newman autographed Dallas Cowboys jersey, Emmitt Smith autographed book, Dallas Cowboys autographed helmet with 20 signatures.

Music Auctions

Oct. 4 – 3 Doors Down autographed guitar, Brad Paisley autographed cowboy hat, Kenny Rogers Gift Set: featuring autographed book “This is My Country”, “21 Number 1’s” CD and an autographed photo.

Oct. 11 – Hand-written lyrics from “If You’re Reading This”, by Tim McGraw, Keith Urban autographed hoodie, hand-written lyrics from “She’ll Leave You with a Smile”, by George Strait.

Oct. 18 – Hand-written lyrics from “Baby Blue”, by George Strait, autographed Martina McBride jeans, Trace Adkins autographed cowboy hat.

Oct. 25 – Race helmet autographed by 49 country artists from CMA Awards, Randy Owen autographed Alabama Bear with hand-written lyrics from “Born Country” by Alabama, 3 Doors Down gift basket.

50 Days of NASCAR RacePoints Countdown Starting Soon; Sign Up for Great Opportunities with Dale Jr.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:33:20 PDT

Hey Race Fans!

The battle for the final spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup is really heating up and Bank of America wants you to get in on all of the race action! In honor of 50 years of racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, Bank of America has created “50 Days of RacePoints” where unique NASCAR experiences and merchandise are available for you to redeem at one-time-only, deeply discounted point values!

Get closer than you ever have before with NASCAR prizes and everyday items like the opportunity to stand alongside your favorite driver during driver introductions at the NASCAR Banking 500 or actually presenting the trophy to the race winner in Victory Lane!

All you have to do is be a member of the RacePoints program, and the fastest way to earn points is by visiting bankofamerica.com/racepoints to sign up for NASCAR Banking and RacePoints if you’re not a member already. The promotion starts on August 28th so enroll now! You can be one step closer to your favorite driver just through your everyday purchases!

Don’t forget to check our fan pages and Twitter feeds for all the latest info on what prizes are available during the 50 day countdown.

This is a promotional email from FIA Card Services, NA. If you prefer not to receive emails that primarily contain marketing offers from FIA Card Services, NA, go here and follow the online instructions. Please note that you will continue to receive service related emails regarding your account.

Please do not reply to this email. If you have inquiries or comments, please write to us at FIA Card Services, NA, 1100 North King Street, P.O. Box 15266, Wilmington, DE 19850-5266 or call the phone number on the back of your credit card or on your account statement. For information about how we manage customer information, read our Privacy Policy. To Opt Out go here.

FIA Card Services, NA, 1100 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19850-5266

Vote for Dale Jr.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:07:32 PDT

Vote for Dale Jr. in the latest ESPN Sports Nation Poll “Who is the better Wrangler jeans spokesperson?” You can cast your vote here . Scroll to the bottom of the page.

New Rally Pack Available for Crew Members

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:59:17 PDT

As the racing season starts winding down, it's time to expand the JR Nation Crew and rally around our favorite driver! We've received feedback from fans that they want to be a part of the Crew, but the economy is putting a strain on their wallets. So...we've created a special Rally Pack to help fans show their JR Nation Pride and help Dale Jr. finish up the season strong. This special Rally Pack includes the Drawstring Backpack Bag, Letter from Dale Jr, JR Nation Crew Decal and Membership through the end of 2009 (which includes discounts on merchandise at shopjrnation.com, JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports in North Carolina and the JR Nation Trackside Trailer at the races)... All for only 15.88 (FREE SHIPPING)! Click here to get yours today.

Behind-the-scenes at JRM 7/13/09

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:35:12 PDT

Remember the line that Clint Eastwood made famous in the 1971 movie, “Dirty Harry”?

It went something like this: “Are you feeling lucky, punk?”

Then, it was used as an intimidation tool, but that infamous line is actually quite relative to this week’s blog – in a non-intimidating way of course.

Because if you are feeling lucky, then you need to check out www.DaleJrsGreatGiveaway.com for your chance to win one of 60 different prizes courtesy of JR Motorsports and its sponsor partners. The variety of prizes includes gift certificates, product packages, autographed merchandise, race-weekend giveaways, and a chance to meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski.

Here is how the process works. Fans can log on to www.DaleJrsGreatGiveaway.com and register from Aug. 7th through Sept. 18th. The first week’s winners will be announced this Friday, Aug. 14th, and continue each week for the next six weeks. Registration is free. All fans have to do is log on and enter their name, address, and e-mail.

Once “Dale Jr.’s Great Giveaway” begins, prizes will be awarded each week for five weeks by random drawing. These aren’t your normal gifts that you can just get anywhere either. Some of them offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Like the five grand prizes that are offered during the sixth and final week of the giveaway. They include a GPS Spotter System featuring Earnhardt Jr., an honorary RCCA Platinum Member experience at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Motorsports Authentics), a home leather recliner (Wrangler), and a set of Dale Jr.’s signature wheels (American Racing). The ultimate grand-prize winner and a guest will be treated to behind-the-scenes tours of JR Motorsports and Whisky River as well as credentials for the October 15-17 race weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, plus meet-n-greets with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski.

Excited yet? You certainly would be the envy of all your NASCAR friends if you win.

Well, hurry up and enter. Time is limited.

The prizes come courtesy of AMP Energy, National Guard, GoDaddy.com, adidas, Nationwide Insurance, Fastenal, Wrangler, American Racing, VooDoo Ride, Motorsports Authentics, ShopJRNation.com, and Whisky River.

For a complete list of each week’s prizes log on to www.DaleJrsGreatGiveaway.com.

JRM’s No. 5 and 88 teams are packed up and headed to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway this weekend. Brad Keselowski is driving the GoDaddy.com Chevy at his home track. Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., located about 100 miles from the track. He will be pulling double duty this weekend, racing in both the NNS and the NSCS races for GoDaddy.com. Ryan Newman prepares for his third race with JRM in the Fastenal Chevrolet. Newman’s stats are impressive at MIS. In only two Nationwide Series starts there, he has two wins, and an average finish of 1.0. Hopefully, Newman can make it three for three at MIS this weekend!

How’s it going everybody?

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:04:52 PDT

I’m doing fine although it’s been a short week for me after staying in Pocono an extra day. But enough of that. How awesome was it to see Brad and the No. 88 GoDaddy.com team win at Iowa! It was our company’s sixth Nationwide Series win, and second this year. It was also the second time this year GoDaddy.com has visited victory lane with us, so congrats to all you GoDaddy fans. We had our company-wide celebration lunch on Tuesday. Those are always fun, because we get to talk about the win, and the employees don’t have to pay for lunch! As he has done all year, Brad did a great job driving, and Pops showed everyone why he is the man when it comes to calling a race from the pit box. He made probably the gutsiest call I’ve ever seen, and it worked.

Well, I hope y’all have a great weekend and thanks for checking out GoDaddy.com!

Dale Jr.

Read all of Dale Jr's blogs archives from GoDaddy.com

Dale Jr's Great Giveaway

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:09:03 PDT

Dale Jr's Great Giveaway starts today!

Prizes drawn every Friday between Aug 14th and Sept 18th.

Enter to win one of 60 great prizes including a chance to meet Brad Keselowski and Dale Jr.

Click www.dalejrsgreatgiveaway.com to enter.

NSCS Watkins Glen Preview: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:19:58 PDT

LAST TIME AT THE GLEN: In his Hendrick Motorsports debut at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last August, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a career-high 33 laps at the 2.45-mile road course. He also posted his best qualifying effort of second at the track before finishing 22nd.

AT THE GLEN: In nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen, Earnhardt has recorded two top-five finishes and three top-10s. He has led 46 laps and completed 92.2 percent of all laps he's attempted (749 laps of 812) at the New York racetrack.

WATKINS GLEN CHASSIS: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-514, which Earnhardt last raced at Infineon Raceway in June. Earnhardt was running in the top 10 with 10 laps remaining at the California road course when another competitor sent him spinning. He was scored with a 26th-place finish.

NEW YORK NATIVES: Three members of the No. 88 team hail from the Empire State. Mechanic Gene Pasquale calls Rochester, N.Y., which is 81 miles northwest of Watkins Glen, his hometown. Truck driver Rich Pickrell hails from Perth, roughly 201 miles northeast of the road course. Scorer Karen Belden is from Schenectady, situated almost 207 miles east of Watkins Glen.

LAPS IN THE TOP 15: According to NASCAR's Loop Data statistics, Earnhardt is ninth among drivers in laps in the top 15 at Watkins Glen during the past four races. The 34-year-old driver has spent 57.5 percent of his time, or 208 laps, in the top 15.

SWITCHING UP THE PIT STOPS: During Sunday's race, the No. 88 pit crew will work on the car from the opposite side. To address this change, McGrew will move his front-tire changer and carrier to the rear of the car and vice versa. The No. 88 team has devoted practice time during the last several weeks to prepare for the 220-mile event.

HENDRICK AT THE GLEN: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has scored six wins, 17 top-five finishes and 30 top-10s in 24 Cup events at Watkins Glen. Tim Richmond forecast success for Hendrick Motorsports by winning the organization's first WGI event on Aug. 10, 1986.

GET ON THE 88: Members of JR Nation have until Aug. 15 to "Get on the 88" pit wall banner at this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Race fans can enter by logging onto www.AMPEnergy.com. More than 73,000 fans already have claimed the spots on Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet, and participants will be notified by the Nov. 1 race where their name landed.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON WATKINS GLEN.): "It's more time on the racetrack with Lance (McGrew, crew chief) that will make this team better. Watkins Glen is a decent track, but we won't learn like we need to at the ovals. I've had a couple of good runs at the track, and it was good to run well at Sonoma earlier this year. But I prefer racing on ovals."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON IF RUNNING WELL AT SONOMA GIVES THE TEAM CONFIDENCE FOR WATKINS GLEN.): "I think it does somewhat. It's definitely a different racetrack so you have to approach it differently from my standpoint, and I think from driver's standpoint, too. There's just not that many slow corners so you have to take a lot more into consideration. You just fight an entirely different list of things at Sonoma than you do at the Glen. I like to go road racing because it's such an 'out of my element' kind of thing. So I feel like it makes me a little more well-rounded."

McGREW (ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SONOMA AND WATKINS GLEN.): "Generally Sonoma with the lower-speed corners, these cars make so much horsepower that you are always fighting wheel spin and just forward bite off the corner. And you just don't seem to fight that as much at the Glen. Aero becomes way, way more important. If you don't get through the esses good, you don't get down the back-straight good. If you don't get down the back-straight good, they pass you getting into the chicane at the end. So there's definitely two really good positions you could put yourself in to pass at the Glen, which is probably about the same as Sonoma as far as that's concerned. It's still hard to pass on road courses unless you beat your way through there. But if your car's really good, you can maneuver and manipulate and pass people."

McGREW (ON PLANNING FOR THE REVERSE PIT STOPS AT WATKINS GLEN.): "There's two schools of thought on it. The driver just has to understand that he's got to turn in the pit box from a different direction. The crew is where the changes come into play. Some people believe they move their front guy to stay at the front; other people swap tire changers so their position when they run around the car is similar, and they discard the tire in the same way. I think I've found that it seems to be easier for us to swap the tire changers and have them run around their natural direction versus trying to keep your front guy in the front of the car and back guy at the back of the car. But it throws a wrinkle to it, and it definitely slows down the pit stops because your guys are just not in tune to running that direction or doing everything so differently.

Behind-the-scenes at JRM 7/31/09

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:54:00 PDT

A lot of you probably didn’t realize that Dale Jr. owns his own production company, but you’ve undoubtedly seen its work.

It’s called Hammerhead Entertainment, and as the brainchild of Dale Jr., it has created everything from major television commercials to national broadcast programming. Some of its work includes “Dale Jr.'s Unrestricted”, which aired on XM Radio, “Shifting Gears”, and “Back in the Day”. ABC, Direct TV, ESPN, FOX, NBC and SPEED are just some of the stations that have displayed its handiwork.

One of the unique things about Hammerhead Entertainment is its name. Hang on. I know what you’re probably thinking. Rest assured, in no way does its name involve a shark, a terrifying dorsal fin, the classic “Jaws” trilogy (technically that movie stars a great white shark, but you get the point), or any of the nine known species of hammerheads.

But seriously, here is the real story behind the name.

When Dale was contemplating names for his entertainment company, he remembered the nickname his father used to call him when he was young - hammerhead. He thought it was the perfect fit and his company quickly became known as Hammerhead Entertainment. There is even a picture of Dale Jr. in the second grade in Hammerhead’s company logo. Go to www.hammerheadent.com to check it out.

Dale Jr. spent this past Tuesday taking part in a National Guard production with Hammerhead in Mooresville, N.C. He spent three hours reading scripts into a teleprompter that the National Guard will use in many of its promotional materials.

Since its conception in 2006, Hammerhead has worked with over a dozen clients. Many of them are familiar to our race fans and include companies like AMP Energy, Motorsports Authentics, Pepsi, Polaris, Sharpie, and more.

As with most seasons, the late summer and early fall months tend to be busy not just on the racetrack, but off it too. It’s the time that sponsors try to get a head start on its 2010 plans. There will be a lot of upcoming photo shoots, production shoots, voice-overs for audio commercials and many other agendas for sponsors’ 2010 plans.

Speaking of being busy, our Nationwide teams are in the long summer stretch. The Nationwide Series won’t have a week off until mid-September, so know is the time to shine. Scott Wimmer and the Fastenal team put on quite a show last week. The team led a season-high 39 laps at ORP.

The JRM teams race at the new Iowa Speedway this week. Brad Keselowski and the GoDaddy.com team are looking especially strong. In 20 races this season, Keselowski has 14 top-10 finishes. He also will serve as the ESPN In-Race Reporter, so don’t miss the race broadcast. Scott Wimmer will again be behind the wheel of the Fastenal Chevy. Wimmer has two top-10 finishes in three races with JRM this year.

Pocono Preview

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:20:45 PDT

AT POCONO: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, has recorded five top-five finishes and six top-10s in 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. He has led 98 laps and completed 96.4 percent of all laps he's attempted (3,553 laps of 3,685) at the Pennsylvania racetrack.

A FAMILIAR SITE: This weekend's race will be the first repeat track for crew chief Lance McGrew atop the No. 88 pit box. McGrew spent his first full weekend as the crew chief for the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team at Pocono Raceway in June. .

POCONO POLE POSITION: Earnhardt earned his only Pocono pole position in August 2007 and led eight laps before finishing second. The runner-up effort matched his career-best performance at the Long Pond, Pa., track, which came in July 2001 when he led 31 laps. .

LOGGING MILES: At Pocono Raceway, Earnhardt has raced 8,882.5 miles, which is the third-highest total for the 34-year-old driver at any track. For perspective, Earnhardt could make almost eight roundtrips from the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Concord, N.C., to the 2.5-mile triangular track. He has logged more mileage only at Lowe's Motor Speedway (10,042.5) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (9,842.1). .

POCONO CHASSIS: McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-556 this weekend at Pocono. It is the first chassis McGrew has built from scratch for Earnhardt and was fielded last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt raced inside the top 10 for a majority of the Brickyard 400, but his strong run was cut short when engine woes sidelined the team 33 laps shy of the checkered flag. .

PENNSYLVANIA NATIVES: Four members of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet team consider the Keystone State home. Spotter T.J. Majors grew up racing dirt tracks in western Pennsylvania and hails from Wampum. Gas man Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre), rear-tire carrier Matt Myers (Ford City) and transporter driver Dave Radney (Canton) also are from Pennsylvania. .

HENDRICK AT POCONO: In 50 Cup events (161 starts) at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has scored 11 wins, 48 top-five finishes and 82 top-10s. Hendrick drivers have led 2,510 laps during that time. .

ONE-TWO FINISH(ES): Out of Hendrick Motorsports' eight Cup wins this season, five have involved one-two finishes with its drivers. Hendrick's drivers have scored the first and second spots at Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 27 one-two finishes since first fielding a multi-car team in 1986. .

JUST DOWN THE ROAD: PepsiCo's Purchase, N.Y., headquarters is located 125 miles east of Pocono Raceway. The company, which sponsors Earnhardt's car with its AMP Energy brand, has been headquartered in Purchase since 1970. .

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion. Race fans can enter by logging onto www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program. .

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON POCONO.): "Trying to get through the tunnel turn (Turn 2) is about the hardest corner in the whole season. All three corners are really different so getting your car to handle good in all of them is tough to do. But you just focus on trying to get it off the last corner because the straightaway is so long. That basically covers half the racetrack, if you can get around that corner and down the next straightaway." .

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON RETURNING TO POCONO WITH THE NO. 88 TEAM.): "I hate the fact that we had a mechanical issue the first time there because I felt like we had a pretty decent race car but we weren't able to show it. Because we found the problem after the race, unfortunately, we are going back still with a question mark. If we hadn't had the problem, I would say, 'This is a real solid setup and here is where we finished but let's make tweaks here.' Well, now I still have questions with our first setup. But I definitely think it's a plus to go back to somewhere the second time. I just wish I had more answers and less questions." .

McGREW (ON THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AT POCONO.): "Usually in the second race the track loses a lot of grip just because it's been so hot. It's not like that track's not challenging enough as it is with its three different corners, and there's multiple problems that you can encounter there. During the second race of the season, you really fight grip, and since we fought grip the first time, that's an added challenge." .

McGREW (ON THE GROWTH OF THE NO. 88 TEAM.): "I think that we've managed to put together pieces and parts at races where our car was really good. We ran three-quarters of the race at Chicago really well; we just have got to figure out a way to close. And that's happened to us a couple times already this year. I think we've put together a string of top-10 cars; we just have not had the string of top-10 finishes." .

Post-Race Recap - Indy

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:56:17 PDT

Dale Earnhardt Jr. kept his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet inside the top nine during Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but his strong run was cut short when engine woes sidelined the team 33 laps shy of the checkered flag. Earnhardt finished 36th.

Earnhardt opened the weekend on a promising note. During Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, Earnhardt circled the famed 2.5-mile oval in 49.843 seconds (180.567 mph), posting his best qualifying effort of the season and earning the third starting spot for the 400-mile event.

Earnhardt took the green flag behind pole sitter and teammate Mark Martin and quickly moved into the second spot on Lap 5.The following lap Earnhardt notified interim crew chief Lance McGrew that the green-and-white Chevy needed an adjustment to help it turn better through the corners.

Green-flag pit stops began on Lap 29, and two laps later Earnhardt came to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments. Once the field cycled through on Lap 34, Earnhardt was scored sixth on the scoring pylon.

McGrew and Earnhardt continued to work to get the No. 88 Chevy dialed in throughout the middle stages of the race.

The final round of green-flag pit stops began on Lap 123, with Earnhardt running ninth and posting some of the fastest lap times in the field. McGrew called his driver down pit road for a final round of adjustments on Lap 125. The crew quickly added four fresh tires, fuel and made air pressure and chassis adjustments. As Earnhardt exited his pit stall, he radioed that something was wrong with the motor.

The crew hoped the No. 88 Chevy would hold out and Earnhardt would take the checkered flag. But on Lap 127, the engine expired and McGrew told his driver to coast the AMP Energy/National Guard Chevy back to the garage. He finished 36th.

Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin crossed the finish line first and second, respectively.

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
EARNHARDT (ON HIS RACE.): "The AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet was competitive today, and we were making some gains and kind of adjusting back and forth trying to get the thing right; getting it too tight and getting it too loose. I was pretty happy with it at the end of that last run. We were just in our window to make it to the end. We felt like we were in good shape to get a good finish. I just hate it for my guys. They've been working really hard. This is a brand new car, and we're going to take it to Pocono and keep working at it."

What’s up everyone.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:57:50 PDT

I’m doing good… back from vacation and ready to get back to racing. I had a good time down at the beach just hanging out with my friends and relaxing, but I’m excited to head to Indianapolis this weekend. The place has so much history. I was there a few weeks ago helping the track promote the Brickyard 400, and they let me tour the museum. It was pretty cool.

While I’m racing at the big track, our No. 5 and No. 88 Nationwide Series cars will be over at O’Reilly Raceway Park across town. That’s a cool little short track that always produces some good racing. It’ll be fun to watch.

Hope y’all have a great weekend and thanks for checking out GoDaddy.com.

Dale Jr.

Read all of Dale Jr's blogs archives from GoDaddy.com

Pre Race Report - Indianapolis

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:23:09 PDT

AT INDY: In nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded two top-10 finishes and led 54 laps at the historic racetrack.

LEADING LAPS: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks fifth among all drivers in the laps led category at the Brickyard during the past four races. The 34-year-old driver has led 41 of the 640 laps run during the last year fours.

INDIANAPOLIS CHASSIS: Interim crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-556, which is the first car that McGrew has built from scratch for Earnhardt. This is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.

GOOD COMPANY: Earnhardt's eight wins at tracks greater than two miles in length rank him sixth overall among active drivers. He is joined in the top 10 by his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Jeff Gordon is first with 29 wins, Mark Martin is fourth with 12 and Jimmie Johnson is fifth with nine.

HENDRICK AT INDY: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has six wins, 15 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s in 15 races (53 starts) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A Hendrick driver has scored a top-10 or better in each of the last 15 Cup events at the racetrack.

ON TOP: Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins (six) of any Cup team at the Brickyard and has led the most laps (623) at the 2.5-mile speedway. Jeff Gordon, the winningest NASCAR driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with four victories, scored the inaugural win at the Brickyard in 1994. Jimmie Johnson won in 2007 and last year.

CHEVY STREAK: A Chevrolet has been to Victory Lance in the last six Cup events at the Brickyard 400. In the 15 NASCAR Cup Series races held at the Brickyard, the manufacturer has made 10 trips to Victory Lane. In addition, Chevrolet has started from the pole position six times.

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion. Race fans can enter by simply logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON THE CHALLENGES OF INDIANAPOLIS.): "Flat tracks are always the toughest for me. At the flat tracks, the middle is the toughest part. The corners at Indy are like 90-degree corners. We don't run on any other track that's like this, so it's a real challenge knowing what you need your car to be doing to go fast. It's fun. It's a great racetrack. I like it. I enjoy it. But it can be frustrating. It's really, really hard to pass."

EARNHARDT (ON HIS FAVORITE INDY MEMORY.): "Going there the first time (in 2000) and running up front. I started the race in the top 10 and was running with the leaders for a little bit. My dad had this old crazy setup from years ago in his car. I drove it some, and I was like, 'Man, this thing drives totally different than anything I ever drove before.' But I was going to stick with what I was driving because it was the talk of the garage -- the style, the setup we were running. About 100 laps into the race, we're running good, and Daddy's running like 10th. Then with 50 (laps) to go, he drove right past me as we got real tight. His old race car -- with the tiny sway bar and all these old-school springs -- was still turning and rolling through the corner. I thought that was pretty neat."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON THE CHALLENGES AT INDIANAPOLIS.): "I think the weather makes racing hard. As far as anything else, the track surface is seriously temperature-sensitive. And about halfway through the day, you look up and you've slowed down a second and a half, but the car still feels the same, so it's very difficult to understand how much you need to be working on the car because all of a sudden the time just goes away. So you're pulling your hair out the rest of the day trying to figure it out. And the qualifying deal was the most challenging place we qualify. Because instead of starting qualifying at noon where everybody has the same day, the same temperature, it starts at like 10 o'clock in the morning. So if you get an early draw, you're going to go so much faster than the guys that go late."

McGREW (ON HIS THOUGHTS REGARDING THE NEW TIRES THIS YEAR.): "I think Goodyear has gone to test there like six times or more since last season, and with the (No.) 24 going the last time, I believe Jeff (Gordon) was pretty happy. They were able to run 30 green-flag laps without issue, even with a smaller car count where they only take four or five cars to the track. So, hopefully all that tire stuff's over. It looks really good so far. Jeff doesn't seem to think there's going to be any kind of problem. So the more cars that are there, the better that will get."

McGREW (ON WHERE AN INDY WIN WOULD RANK FOR HIM.): "It would be pretty spectacular. There's so much history and excitement about that race. There always has been. It's a very hard racetrack to get around. It's difficult to set a car up there. The straightaways are so long, but the corners are relatively slow. Mile-per-hour-wise, you still fly around the place, but it's drastically different. It's one of those places you grow up as a kid and you watch races there and the Indy 500 with all the prestige and the history with the racetrack and the yard bricks and everything that goes with it. It would be pretty exciting to kind of break through everything else we've had going on and get a great finish like that. That would be spectacular."

McGREW (ON HIS FAVORITE ALL-TIME INDIANAPOLIS MEMORY.):"I've got a bunch of them. I remember Al Unser Jr. winning there, that's probably one of them. There's just so many of just the really close finishes. The one they had a couple years ago where, it might have been (Sam) Hornish (Jr.) drafted by to win at the end. There's so many good finishes

Behind-the-scenes at JRM 7/17/09

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:25:06 PDT

With the dog days of summer officially upon us, who better to write about this week than one of the most infamous members of the Earnhardt posse? Dale Jr.’s furry friend and lovable sidekick, his five-year-old boxer named Killer.

Dale named Killer after a black pit bull that his Dad owned when he was young, which proves that pets have always been an integral part of Dale and Kelley’s personal life. The business side at JR Motorsports is no exception. In the JRM offices, it isn’t uncommon to see animals roaming the halls. Killer can often be found napping on the couch in the JRM lobby. His squeaky toys scatter the hallway floors and he frequently cozies up to employees in search of his next snack.

Killer and Dale Jr. actually have a lot in common. They both come from racing families. Killer’s father is Foster, Greg and Nicole Biffle’s dog. Back in 2004, the Biffle’s brought Killer as a puppy to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coincidentally, Dale Jr. was looking for a dog right around that time. Dale Jr. fell in love with Killer right away and brought him home to Mooresville immediately following the race. The rest, as they say, is history. Now, the 70-pound Killer spends most of his days napping. He loves to ride in cars, especially in the front seat, and expects to go everywhere Dale Jr. goes.

Unfortunately, with Dale’s rigorous travel schedule, and Killer’s large size, it’s impossible to take him to the racetrack each week. So when Dale is busy traveling to the races, Killer spends a lot of time around the shop and with Dale’s sister, Kelley. Our lovely receptionist, Renee, spends a lot of time taking care of Killer while he is at JRM. Renee is the one you’ll see taking him out for walks, and making sure he has fresh food and water. She even lays a blanket on the couch for him to sleep on.

Killer has quickly become a minor celebrity in the racing world. He often receives gifts from Dale’s fans, including things like doggie beds, toys and treats. The treats are by far his favorite. Visitors to JRM are often thrilled to see him lounging in the lobby and he loves posing for pictures. If you stop by the JRM retail store, you can even buy a stuffed toy Killer that comes with its own doghouse.

When JRM hosted Fan Day in May, Killer went out to greet our fans that were in the autograph line. Too bad his idea of saying hello is a slobbery, wet kiss and an attempt to eat whatever snack you may have close by.

It’s good to be Killer.

Dale has a few other animals that call his property home. Here’s a rundown: two dogs named Killer and Stroker, two cats, three longhorn steers, and two buffalo named Laverne and Shirley.

Dale’s pets aren’t the only things creating a stir around JRM. Brad Keselowski is doing a good job of that himself, as he remains in third place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship hunt. The 1.25-mile oval of Gateway International Raceway awaits the JR Motorsports team this weekend. Keselowski is driving the second-consecutive race with the Degree V12 sponsorship. Keselowski has two starts at Gateway for JRM. He finished fifth in this race last year.

Pre Race Report - Chicago

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:56:34 PDT

AT CHICAGO: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, has recorded one win, two top-five finishes, three top-10s and has led 121 laps in eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway.

WINDY CITY WIN: Earnhardt reached Victory Lane at Chicago on July 10, 2005. The Kannapolis, N.C., native lined up 25th for the event and cracked the top 10 by Lap 100. He led the final 11 laps en route to securing the win.

BRICKYARD BOUND: Before heading to Chicago, Earnhardt will make a stop in Indianapolis on Thursday to promote this month's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt will join Dan Wheldon, a fellow National Guard driver and the 2005 winner of the Indianapolis 500, for a ride around the historic racetrack in an IndyCar two-seater. Earnhardt then will circle the 2.5-mile speedway in the car that won the 1941 Indianapolis 500.

INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 166 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, five pole positions, 37 top-five finishes and 67 top-10s. He has a 15.3 average starting position and an average finishing position of 16.9.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data, Earnhardt ranks eighth in the driver rating category in the last four races at Chicago with a score of 95. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, 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 a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

CHICAGO CHASSIS: Interim crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-490 this weekend. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a 27th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May.

HENDRICK AT CHICAGO: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has tallied one win, 12 top-five finishes, 15 top-10s and three pole positions in eight races (33 starts) at Chicagoland Speedway.

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion. Race fans can enter by simply logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON FACEBOOK: Become a fan of Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports for information on Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the organization.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON CHICAGO.): "It's going to be a good weekend hopefully. I like Chicago, and it is a good track for me. We went and tested there for Goodyear back in May. I really enjoyed that tire test. Then we've got a week off to work some more."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON WORKING WITH EARNHARDT FOR THE FIRST TIME AT CHICAGO.): "There's some basic principles that you can carry over from most intermediate racetracks to the next one. But with Dale, we're still trying to establish the communication, and I definitely think the trust level has come up immensely in the first couple of weeks. I hate that we hiccupped at Pocono because I felt like that set us back quite a bit. But the car has been really solid, and they did a tire test there this year, so he's had some laps around the racetrack recently. And he was very happy with how the car performed then, so we're going to throw a little spin on that and bring it to the racetrack. Every place you go, the first time is a challenge."

McGREW (ON HIS APPROACH TO CHICAGO.): "It's changed over the years. When we first started racing there, you just could not pass, ever. You ran the bottom of the racetrack, and that's it. As Cup guys go back there more and more and more, that groove tends to widen up a little bit where you have a couple lanes, so it's a lot better racing there than it used to be, but still ultimately you want your car to run good on the bottom of the racetrack, so that's how we normally practice. We're making a conscious effort to try some new things in qualifying because I feel like that's really hurt us. And we need to figure out how to be more consistent from practice to qualifying. So that's some of the things that we've tried to work on the last couple weeks ever since Pocono."

McGREW (ON HIS OUTLOOK FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON.): "It's good. Since we've teamed up here, we've had top-15 cars everywhere we've been. We legitimately had a top-10 car last weekend (at Daytona) and at Infineon before the accident with 10 laps to go. I see some things in the team that I really, really like. We're getting some more work done, getting some new cars and getting some things flipped around. I see a lot of momentum happening now that I don't think a lot of people see yet."

What's up guys!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:52:31 PDT

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. It was a busy weekend for all of us. In Daytona we ran a special paint scheme honoring the men and women who serve in the National Guard. It was pretty cool to be have the opportunity to call attention to them and all they do, and the black-and-camo paint scheme looked cool under the lights. But it ended up being a bad race. We got caught up in a wreck which ended our night early. Actually it happened twice, as I was in an accident in the Nationwide race as well. In all, it just wasn’t a good weekend at Daytona.

This week we’re off to Chicago for another Saturday night race, but first I’m stopping in Indianapolis for an appearance to promote the speedway and the upcoming Brickyard 400. I hear I’m driving in an old Indy car – the 1941 Noc-Out Hose Clamp Special. Oughtta be… interesting!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for checking out GoDaddy.com!

Dale Jr.

Dale Jr's blogs archives from GoDaddy.com

Post Race Recap Daytona

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:09:39 PDT

RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard “Serving America”/AMP Energy Chevrolet, was mounting a charge on the leaders during Saturday’s race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway when he was caught up in a multi-car incident. Earnhardt finished 39th.

Earnhardt lined up his camouflaged Chevy 19th for Saturday’s race. NASCAR officials canceled Friday’s qualifying session due to heavy rain showers, so the starting lineup was set according to the car owner standings.

After the green flag dropped, Earnhardt reported a tight-handling condition, which was causing the No. 88 Chevy to bounce on the right-front side. Interim crew chief Lance McGrew used the first caution period on Lap 14 to fine-tune the handling on the camouflaged No. 88 machine. The crew went to work, bolting on four fresh tires and making an air pressure adjustment. The team spent extra time on pit road removing a packer from the right-front shock. Earnhardt went back to green on Lap 17 scored in 31st position.

On Lap 50, Earnhardt radioed to his crew that the car still was suffering from a tight-handling condition. The evening’s third caution flag was displayed five laps later, and McGrew called his driver back down pit road for four tires, an air pressure adjustment and a pair of chassis adjustments.

The field went back to green-flag racing on Lap 61, with Earnhardt running 25th. McGrew gave his driver exactly what he needed, and the 34-year-old driver began his forward charge. On Lap 71, Earnhardt had moved to the 14th position and had his sights on the leaders.

Trouble struck on Lap 76, with Earnhardt running 17th. A pile-up occurred on the backstretch, with cars spinning in front of the No. 88 Chevy. Earnhardt stayed on the high side but was collected in the incident when another competitor was turned directly in the No. 88 Chevy’s path. McGrew told his driver to bring the battered machine to the garage to assess the damage. With irreparable damage, Earnhardt and the team were forced to retire early and settle with a 39th-place finish.

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:

"I just saw some guys getting together in front of me. The track's real slick. It's not wide enough for three-wide or two-wide racing sometimes; these cars are just sliding around and everybody had to be careful. I guess there were a couple of guys going for the same piece of real estate there, and I tried to stay high because I thought they would spin down off the wall and the No. 00 got crossed up trying to miss them, and we hit him. So the National Guard “Serving America”/AMP Energy Chevrolet was just getting going. We had just freed the car up enough and were moving toward the front and the car was driving good. I thought we had a shot of getting up there and mixing it up with the leaders."

Behind-the-scenes at JRM 7/1/09

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:05:47 PDT

This is the second of a bi-weekly blog designed to give you a behind-the-scenes look into the activities JR Motorsports. While many fans visit JRM to see how our racecars are assembled or shop in the JR Nation store, there is a lot going on that you don’t see. In this blog we hope to give you access to those stories and more.

Even from its pioneer days when the France family organized races on the sands of Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR racing has been a family affair. Now days, some race fans plan their entire family vacations around races. They all know family names like Allison, Earnhardt and Petty that are forever intertwined with racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley, have the same philosophy when it comes to running JR Motorsports. They want it to be a family business.

They work hard to make each employee feel like a member of the JR Motorsports family and they do a phenomenal job. Whether it’s the employee luncheons, or the victory celebration in the shop the Monday after a race win, employees are made to feel like key components of JRM’s successes.

JRM has just fewer than 100 employees, so it often feels like a large family. When you take a walk through the 66,000 square-foot facility, there is a familiar face around every corner to greet you. And that’s the atmosphere Dale and Kelley want. Plus, it makes coming to work, and enjoying your work, much easier.

Something that not every race fan may know, is that while JRM has a family atmosphere, it is also a family - literally. Dale hired 13 members of his own family to work at JRM. Over 10 percent of the employees at JRM are members of Dale’s family and they are involved in nearly every department.

The most recognizable of Dale’s family members at the shop is his sister Kelley. She serves as the vice president and business backbone of JRM. There isn’t a decision made around the shop that doesn’t have Kelley’s seal of approval.

Dale and Kelley’s mother, Brenda Jackson, works in the accounting department, while her husband is the team manager of the JRM Late Models. Dale’s uncle, “Pops” Eury, is the director of competition and crew chief of the No. 88 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Three more of Dale’s uncles work in the fabrication, body and suspension shop, along with his Uncle Mike, who drives his motorcoach to every race.

Two of his cousins work in the retail store at JRM, while another is as a mechanic in the shop, and another maintains the human resources department. Finally, Dale has a cousin-in-law that takes care of his property, Dirty Mo Acres, while he is on the road.

In a nutshell, it’s a lot like a family reunion every time you come to work.

This week JRM heads to Daytona International Speedway with Dale Jr. driving the Fastenal Chevy and Brad Keselowski in the Klondike Chevy. Last year the JRM team combined to lead 42 of 105 laps in the night race at Daytona. Let’s hope for more of the same on Friday night and a trip to victory lane.

Pre Race Report - Daytona

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:01:55 PDT

DALE AT DAYTONA: In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded two wins, six top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led 383 laps.

IN THE 400: Earnhardt has scored one win, three top-five finishes and six top-10s during nine appearances in the 400-mile July event at Daytona. Earnhardt, who will drive a No. 88 National Guard "Serving America"/AMP Energy Chevrolet, led 116 laps during his emotional July 7, 2001, victory. He has led a total of 245 laps during the summer classic.
WORK OF ART : To honor the National Guard and celebrate Independence Day, the No. 88 Chevrolet will run a special hand-painted camouflage ACU (Army Combat Uniform) scheme this weekend. The Hendrick Motorsports body shop needed two days and 14 coats of DuPont paint to finish the job. Earnhardt will unveil the paint scheme to National Guard soldiers and fans at Daytona's Bandshell on Wednesday.

A DAYTONA DOZEN: Earnhardt has 12 wins at Daytona International Speedway. He won the 2004 Daytona 500, the 2001 Pepsi 400, two Budweiser Shootouts (2003 and 2008) and five NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Earnhardt also won his Gatorade Duel qualifying races in 2003, 2004 and 2008.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks fifth in the driver rating category at Daytona with a score of 91.9. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, 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 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.

SERVING AMERICA: The No. 88 National Guard "Serving America"/AMP Energy Chevrolet is a special paint scheme to honor National Guard soldiers who dedicate a portion of their time to serving their nation, state and local communities. Since first muster in 1636, National Guard soldiers have brought glory and honor upon themselves and the Guard through quiet and selfless service. Approximately 363,000 soldiers strong, the Army National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and celebrated its 372nd birthday in December 2008. To learn more on how you can serve your country with the Guard, visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com.

DAYTONA CHASSIS: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-475 at Daytona. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a second-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April.

HENDRICK AT DAYTONA: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has tallied 10 wins, 39 top-five finishes, 72 top-10s and led 1,315 laps in 50 Cup events (158 starts) at Daytona International Speedway.

DAYTONA DOUBLE: In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 88 National Guard "Serving America"/National Guard Chevy, Earnhardt will pilot JR Motorsports' No. 5 Chevy in the Nationwide Series race on Friday. In 16 Nationwide starts at Daytona, he has five wins, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. This marks Earnhardt's sixth Nationwide Series start this season.

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion. Race fans can enter by simply logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program.

*****

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: Join Earnhardt and the National Guard on Wednesday for the 2009 Battle of the Bands at the Bandshell, located at 250 N. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach, Fla. Earnhardt will introduce the three band finalists, hold a question-and-answer session from the fans and unveil his Daytona paint scheme. The event begins at 5 p.m. local time and is open to the public.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD "SERVING AMERICA"/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON THE SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME FOR DAYTONA.): "Working with the military means a lot because they are a big part of our sport overall, and to carry them on my car every weekend makes you pretty proud."

EARNHARDT (ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DAYTONA IN FEBRUARY AND JULY.): "It's a little more laid back in July. In February, everybody is nervous because it's the beginning of the season. Everybody is wondering how their year is going to go, how their car is going to drive. Everybody knows by the time July rolls around."

EARNHARDT (ON WHY DAYTONA HAS BEEN A GOOD TRACK FOR HIM.): "I bring a lot of confidence there and always enjoyed going there when I was a kid. It's always been one of my favorite tracks."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD "SERVING AMERICA"/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON HIS FAVORITE DAYTONA MEMORY.): "February this year, winning the Nationwide Series race with Tony Stewart. It was just cool. Just the prestige with winning the event. It's probably the biggest race of the year even in the Nationwide Series, which I got the chance to do this past year. It was just fun. The best of the best show up at the superspeedway and all the Cup guys were there running the Nationwide race and we managed to win. It was really cool working with Tony. It was just fun."

McGREW (ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DAYTONA IN FEBRUARY AND JULY.): "The track is so slick in July. You go down there the first time and it's all about qualifying and then you worry about the race afterwards. Well, this is an impound race. You have to worry about the race first and qualifying second. So, build some more downforce into the cars. They don't qualify as fast but they drive a lot better in traffic. It's not like Daytona is ever easy to get around. It's way more difficult in July because the track is really hard to get a hold of."

McGREW (ON JULY'S RACE ATMOSPHERE.): "There's no difference to me. Every race pays the same amount of points so I put the same amount of pressure on myself everywhere we go, whether it's Sonoma or Daytona."

McGREW (ON THE CAMOUFLAGE PAINT SCHEME.): "I've seen the car, and it's really cool. All of us have an enormous amount of gratitude for what the armed services do for us. And it's cool that on the Independence Day of our nation we get to carry the National Guard on our car, or I guess a better way of putting it is that they are carrying us around. It definitely makes you reflect on the all the privileges and freedoms that you have living in the United States. The fact that we can represent the armed services in any way definitely brings a sense of pride to me and this race team."

Post Race Recap New Hampshire

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:19:16 PDT

RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet to notch a solid 13th-place finish in Sunday’s rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt, who improves to 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings, lined up his blue-and-white Chevy 20th for Sunday’s race. NASCAR officials canceled Friday’s qualifying session due to weather, so the starting lineup was set according to the car owner standings.

During the opening laps on Sunday, Earnhardt was having difficulty making forward progress and asked his No. 88 team to loosen up his Chevy so it would handle better in the corners. A scheduled competition caution flag was waved on Lap 45, and interim crew chief Lance McGrew called his driver down pit road. The No. 88 team gave the Chevy fuel and right-side tires and also made air pressure and wedge adjustments.

The crew picked up four positions during the pit stop, and Earnhardt restarted the event 14th on Lap 49. The adjustments did the trick, and Earnhardt cracked the top 10 on Lap 51. He was running seventh by Lap 60.

The caution flag was displayed at the halfway point, and Earnhardt was running sixth. McGrew once again called for fuel, right-side tires and air pressure and chassis adjustments. Quick work by the crew netted Earnhardt one position on pit road.

The 34-year-old driver went back to green-flag racing on Lap 158 running fifth, and by Lap 161, he had moved into the third position. Earnhardt maintained his footing inside the top 10 until the final round of green-flag pit stops began on Lap 233.

With rainy weather looming in the area, teams kept their eyes on the radar. Fuel strategy became critical and green-flag pit stops began. Earnhardt made his final trip to pit road on Lap 235 for fuel, four fresh tires and air pressure and wedge adjustments. Earnhardt merged back into traffic running 25th.

As rain approached, teams were slow to make their final round of pit stops and risked running out of fuel. Rain began to fall on Lap 273, with Earnhardt running 13th. A heavy rainfall settled into the area, and NASCAR called the race 28 laps shy of the scheduled end.

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:

EARNHARDT (ON SUNDAY’S RUN.): “We ran good today. I want to thank Lance (McGrew, crew chief) and the team, our National Guard and AMP Energy guys. They worked hard all weekend. They did a good job, man, giving me a good car. I had fun today. I hope we can keep this up. We are inching so slowly up back in to where we need to run. It is taking a while, but hopefully we keep moving forward.”

What's up guys!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:14:56 PDT

Alright, so if you’re a big race fan, you probably know of David Poole, the longtime writer for the Charlotte Observer and host of “The Morning Drive” on Sirius XM Radio. Poole died about two months ago. It was big news when he passed away, because Poole was the dean of motorsports journalists, and he was extremely influential in the garage. I don’t remember how long he had being covering NASCAR, but it certainly started well before I came into the sport. Anyway, I say all that for this: We got together with some people in the industry – as well as David’s wife – to establish a college fund account for Poole’s two-year-old grandson, Eli. It wasn’t until after Poole’s passing that I came to understand how close they were to each other. This college fund was an easy idea, and hopefully we can generate a lot of money to help Eli down the road. I wanted to put the info out there in case people felt inspired to make a small contribution.

Here it is:

Eli Samuel Ross

Bank of Stanly

Attn: Misty Nordan

P.O. Box 539

Oakboro, NC 28129

Phone: 704.485.3435

(Please make checks payable to “Eli Ross Account” at Bank of Stanly.)

Alright, so that’s that. I’m heading to Loudon, N.H. for this weekend’s race, but first I’m making a stop in Boston to see my buddies at iRacing. If you haven’t checked out iRacing.com, you’re missing out on fortune and riches and eternal youth… ya know, the same benefits you get when checking out GoDaddy.com. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend.

Dale Jr.

For more of Dale Jr's blogs or information about GoDaddy click here.

Pre Race Report - New Hampshire

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:04:32 PDT

EARNHARDT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has led 351 laps there.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks fourth in the driver rating category at New Hampshire with a score of 103.1. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, 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 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.

LAPS IN THE TOP 15: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt is third among drivers for laps run in the top 15 at New Hampshire. During the last eight races at the 1.058-mile oval, the Kannapolis, N.C., native has spent almost 80 percent of his laps (1,899 of 2,392) running in the top 15.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-541. Earnhardt debuted this chassis at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May and drove it to a 27th-place finish.

HENDRICK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 28 Cup events (98 starts) at New Hampshire, Hendrick Motorsports has scored six wins, 26 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s. The organization has recorded at least one top-five finish in 18 of these events and posted a top-10 result in all but two.

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt's No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion. Race fans can enter by simply logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program.

AMPENERGY.COM RELAUNCH: A brand new AMPEnergy.com Web site has been launched. The site features an online magazine with the latest content, events and experiences surrounding Earnhardt and AMP Energy Racing. Its dynamic content is constantly changing, and the integration of Twitter, YouTube and Flickr feeds provides up-to-the-second updates. Check out the new site, including the "Shotgun" video directed by Stacy Peralta, at www.AMPEnergy.com.

SERVING AMERICA: Next month at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Earnhardt will run the No. 88 National Guard "Serving America"/AMP Energy Chevrolet. It is a special paint scheme to honor National Guard soldiers who dedicate a portion of their time to serving their nation, state and local communities. Since first muster in 1636, National Guard soldiers ha ve brought glory and honor upon themselves and the Guard through quiet and selfless service. Approximately 363,000 soldiers strong, the Army National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and celebrated its 372nd birthday in December 2008. To learn more on how you can serve your country with the Guard, visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON GETTING AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE.): "We always seem to get tight in the center there, so we'll be trying to get down into the bottom of the corner and be able to turn to the center and not be real soft -- that's the best way to get around there. But there's all kinds of different grooves you can run. You can go low and high and move around trying to find different things to make the car better. The trick is getting the car to roll through the center of the turns. Whoever can get the car to turn in the middle the best, wins."

EARNHARDT (ON WHAT TRACKS REMIND YOU OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.): "New Hampshire is a lot like Phoenix and some other short tracks -- Milwaukee, places like that. It's not quite like Martinsville (Va.), but there are similar things that work."

EARNHARDT (ON WHAT HE LIKES ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE.): "I like New Hampshire because it's one of the smaller tracks. I love racing on the shorter, flatter tracks, and that's about as close as we get to it sometimes."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON THE CHALLENGES AT NEW HAMPSHIRE.): "It's just such a flat racetrack that the handling of the car is a premium. It's difficult to get the car where it rotates the center like you want and you still have enough forward to get off the corners and be happy. It's very difficult to pass there so track position again is at a premium as usual. It seems like the last several years it has been long green-flag runs and good fuel strategy won the race. You have to be very particular how you call the race and a little lucky to get everything exactly right because if you get caught back in the field, the chances of you passing your way to the front are slim."

McGREW (ON PREPARING THE NO. 88 TEAM FOR THE SUMMER STRETCH.): "I don't think it's any different. It's hotter, but if you're thirsty, drink water. If you're hot, cool off. It's not like it's a big secret. The whole idea of the series is you get in a rhythm. Once you get in that rhythm, it's normal. Being gone Thursday to Sunday is normal. Until you get used to it, it's a challenge. The temperature, where you go, how long you are on a plane -- it doesn't really matter once you get the rhythm."

Post Race Recap Infineon Raceway

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:34:51 PDT

RECAPPING THE RACE:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hopes for a career-best finish at Infineon Raceway were dashed with 10 laps remaining in Sunday’s Save Mart 350 after another competitor sent his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet spinning. After a day of solid pit calls and savvy driving, the No. 88 team settled for a 26th-place finish.

The Kannapolis, N.C., native lined up 35th for Sunday’s 113-lap event and started climbing through the field after the green flag dropped. By Lap 20, he had notched 14 positions when the day’s first caution flag waved. Crew chief Lance McGrew called his driver to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

Earnhardt went back to green-flag racing on Lap 24 running 23rd. Six laps later, McGrew called his driver back down pit road for fuel only in a predetermined strategy.

The day’s second caution flag was displayed on Lap 52 with Earnhardt running in 21st. Despite battling a slightly loose Chevy, McGrew told his driver to stay on the track. Many opted to pit, and Earnhardt improved five spots. He went back to green-flag racing on Lap 56 running 16th.

Within the next lap, Earnhardt had powered his way to 12th, and green-flag pit stops began eight laps later. In what had been planned as the final stop of the day, Earnhardt made his way down pit road on Lap 69. The crew went to work adding fuel, bolting on four fresh tires and making an air pressure adjustment.

With 30 laps remaining in the event, Earnhardt was running 14th and continuing his forward march. By Lap 94, he cracked the top 10.

The sixth caution flag of the day was waved on Lap 97 for debris. Once the track had been cleared, the field lined up for a double-file restart with 10 laps remaining. The field took the green flag, and Earnhardt quickly moved into the ninth position. He was making the pass on the outside for the eighth position, when another competitor made contact with the green-and-white Chevy and sent it spinning. Earnhardt let the field pass, then straightened up his Chevy and returned to the road course in 35th. He picked up nine positions to cross the finish line 26th.

Behind-the-scenes at JRM 6/19/09

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:16:24 PDT

This is the first of a bi-weekly blog designed to give you a behind-the-scenes look into the activities JR Motorsports. While many fans visit JRM to see how our racecars are assembled or shop in the JR Nation store, there is a lot going on that you don’t see. In this blog we hope to give you access to those stories and more.

Although the grind of a 35-race schedule is demanding, there are times when working here has its perks. At JRM, sometimes a simple trip down the hall for a cup of coffee could have you bumping into a major celebrity.

In fact, just a few weeks ago, we had a surprise visit from “Grey’s Anatomy” star and Rolex Sports Car Series racer, Patrick Dempsey, or as the ladies around the office call him, “McDreamy”. “McDreamy”, a true racer, toured the shop, talked with the group, and made the hearts of all female JRM employees beat that much faster.

Patrick stayed at JRM for some time. He gladly posed for pictures and signed autographs to the content of all the ladies.

A few weeks later, Dee Snider, the front man for the legendary rock band Twisted Sister, also swung by the shop. He sported his usual dark sunglasses, a leather biker’s vest and had his hair pulled back into a long, tight ponytail. Dee gave an instructional lesson to the No. 88 crew on how to successfully smash a guitar and then some much-needed pointers on the proper application of makeup.

Just kidding.

But seriously, Dee serves as the national spokesman for the Bikers for Babies Charity. He was gracious enough to assist The Dale Jr. Foundation and Bikers for Babies as they give away one of Dale Jr.’s custom built choppers (find out more at www.thedalejrfoundation.org). Dee took a picture with nearly everyone in the shop and although his visit was short, he was so impressed with the JRM facility that he promised to come back and visit us again.

The rock band Thriving Ivory (“Angels On The Moon”) and country singing sensations Gary Allan (“Watching Airplanes”), Randy Houser (“Anything Goes”) and the Jamey Johnson Band (“High Cost of Living”) have even toured our facility.

Some of the celebrity visits to JRM are announced to employees, while others are a complete surprise. But regardless, it keeps us on our toes and leads us to wonder who the next guest will be.

While the celebrity showings at JRM are a welcomed distraction from the daily grind, our focus remains on getting to victory lane as many times as possible and competing for our first Nationwide Series Championship.

This weekend JR Motorsports heads to the historic Milwaukee Mile, with Scott Wimmer driving the No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet and Brad Keselowski wheeling the No. 88 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. It has the potential to be a great point’s weekend for the No.88 crew. The team moved into third place in the championship standings after Kentucky and sits only 71 points behind second-place Carl Edwards.