OK, so Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a new number — 88.
And, a new sponsor — Pepsi Amp, Mountain Dew’s new energy drink.
That’s not all, either.
For the first time in his NASCAR Nextel Cup career, in 2008 Earnhardt will be driving for someone other than Dale Earnhardt, Inc. He’ll be in Chevrolets that belong to Hendrick Motorsports and become a teammate to Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.
There’s only one matter of concern I have about all this. How in the heck does Earnhardt expect to beat Johnson, Gordon and Mears when he can’t even come close to doing that right now?
And, as long as we’re on the subject, why is Earnhardt taking Tony Eury, Jr. along with him? Isn’t Eury the fault of Earnhardt’s demise of late?
Looks to me like Earnhardt would want to make a clean break as long as he’s headed over there to the Hendrick compound.
Reportedly, when Earnhardt was shopping around for a new ride — after experiencing the atmosphere at Hendrick Motorsports — he went back to the DEI shop and told Eury that every time DEI beat one of those Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets on the track, Eury should pat himself on the back. That’s because the Hendrick organization was so well-manned and up-to-date on the latest technology compared to DEI.
Well, Earnhardt’s going to have another rude awakening now that he’s leaving DEI.
I know figures indicate that Earnhardt’s the most popular driver among NASCAR fans and the sale of his souvenirs support that fact.
Now that Budweiser’s gone and the No. 8 is no longer associated with Earnhardt, I doubt he’ll sell as many souvenirs as Gordon or Johnson, who have six Nextel Cup titles between them.
Now, let’s see. How many titles does Earnhardt have?
He didn’t have to worry about that at DEI.
Earnhardt will learn, very abruptly, that a great majority of his souvenir success and popularity had more to do with his late father, Dale Earnhardt, than anything else.
That’s a cold, hard fact, folks.
I’ve always said fans were continuing to buy Earnhardt memorabilia out of respect for the elder Earnhardt.
Why do you think Teresa Earnhardt, Earnhardt, Jr.’s step mom, chose to retain the No. 8 and why won’t Richard Childress give up that No. 3?
It’s not because of Earnhardt, Jr., that’s for sure. She’s protecting the image of her late husband, the same way Childress is protecting the guy who won six championships for him.
Now, I like Earnhardt, Sr., I’ve always considered him among my top five drivers of all time. I just think it’s time for Earnhardt, Jr. to prove his worth by winning the Nextel Cup. His followers won’t stand for anything less.
So far, he’s been all hype, thanks to Budweiser’s build-up. You can change an image, but not old habits.