Earnhardt Jr. Staying With His Dad's Company?

 

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
Earnhardt Jr. not likely to leave DEI
DALE JR.
By David Poole McClatchy Newspapers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Teresa Earnhardt said it's time for her stepson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to make an important decision.

"Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality," the CEO of Dale Earnhardt Inc. told the Wall Street Journal.

Teresa Earnhardt is absolutely right.

The ball is in Earnhardt Jr.'s court, because his contract to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet for DEI runs out after the 2007 Nextel Cup season. And should he go to another race team, the one Teresa Earnhardt runs would be in a world of hurt.

Let's be clear: There's no reason to believe Earnhardt Jr. is going anywhere.

I've always doubted he would leave DEI, at least not before winning a championship there. The family name means more to him than money or celebrity, and he wants DEI to succeed as much as his father did or stepmother ever has.

But if the sport's most popular and most marketable driver - and it isn't even close - did decide to fly the DEI coop, two things are certain. Any other car owner would love to have him.

more on Lil' E staying at DEI

Rudd Returns To RYR To Run In 2007 NEXTEL Cup

 

Lee Spencer - Sporting News

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Ricky Rudd's self-imposed vacation from racing is over.

After nearly a year off from NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, Rudd and Robert Yates have agreed to join forces once again in what will prove to be more than just a nostalgic joyride down memory lane. Rudd, 50, replaces Dale Jarrett, his former teammate at Robert Yates Racing for three seasons starting in 2000. Jarrett has since joined Michael Waltrip Racing. Butch Hylton will continue in his role as the Yates team's crew chief.

Yates introduced the No. 88 in 1995, but in what could be a strange, yet positive, turn of events, it's likely Rudd will be reviving his former car number -- the 28 -- one of the most popular numbers in NASCAR. RYR first carried the No. 28 when the team was purchased from Ranier Racing in 1988. Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Kenny Irwin drove the No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford, but after the sponsor moved to Ganassi Racing and Rudd left Yates at the end of 2002, the number hasn't been used.

The candy giant Mars, which already sponsors Yates' No. 38 M&M's Ford, also will back Rudd's effort.

During Rudd's earlier tenure at RYR, he scored three wins, 34 top fives, 53 top 10s and four poles. Rudd finished in the top five in the point standings the first two years and wound up in 10th place after a tumultuous 2002 season.

more on Ricky Rudd's return

Denny Hamlin Compared To Dale Earnhardt Sr!

 

Riding shotgun with a rising star
NASCAR Expert Lee Spencer

There never will be another Dale Earnhardt, but Denny Hamlin has the ability to pull off the Intimidator's never-duplicated feat of following his rookie of the year award with a NASCAR championship.

Hamlin's car control is nothing short of amazing. It's hard to believe that two years ago he was running late models at Southside Speedway near Richmond, Va. Last week he was in New York accepting the award as the sport's top rookie, no small feat considering this season's rookies had the credentials to make this the most competitive class since 2002, the year Ryan Newman nudged Jimmie Johnson for the award.

Instead, Hamlin blew 'em away. He swept the Pocono races, won three poles and finished 20 times in the top 10, including eight top fives. Then he won a bet with his teammate -- and two-time Nextel Cup champion -- Tony Stewart that he would top the fourth-place finish Stewart had during his rookie of the year season in 2000. Hamlin locked down third place, 12 points behind Matt Kenseth and 68 behind Johnson.

Now, flash back with me to last month at the Bondurant Racing School in Phoenix, as a dozen members of the media participated in a little learning and leisure exercise in driving. After warming up and destroying many neon cones in a parking lot, we moved to the real road course.

Initially, the media members were paired together in souped-up street cars following the instructor. During the first run, my husband, Reid, drove gingerly around the track and generally did best to certify his AARP membership. I sat in the passenger's seat and tried to get a feel for the course.

More on Denny Hamlin's Rise To Fame