DALLAS — Just as the words, “Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the No. 88 Amp-Mountain Dew-National Guard Chevrolet,” were spoken, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge sighed with palpable relief.
“Finally,” she whispered.
And just that quickly, with more than a whisper than a roar, months of rampant speculation as to which sponsors and number would adorn the new Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Earnhardt, Jr. in the future was history.
Pepsi, the parent company of Amp energy drink and Mountain Dew, extended its association with Hendrick by joining the National Guard as primary sponsors of the No. 88 for next season and beyond. The National Guard moves over from the No. 25, which was vacated with Casey Mears’s move to the Kellogg’s-sponsored No. 5.
In 2008, Earnhardt, Jr. will carry the primary green and white paint scheme of Amp and Mountain Dew for 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, while the National Guard’s blue and white livery will appear in 16 races. The paint schemes, including the bright red No. 88, pay homage to the 1980s No. 11 Mountain Dew car driven for Hendrick by Darrell Waltrip, who also drove the DiGard No. 88. Both Earnhardt liveries also sport flat-black rear decks, which Earnhardt said is a nod to the Corvettes, which sported the same feature, he and his father, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., drove together in road races in 2001. Three additional paint schemes are planned for next year, Elledge said.
“I’m really happy with that,” said Earnhardt, thanking Robert and Doug Yates of Yates Racing, who agreed to give up its lease rights for the number. “This was the number we didn’t think we’d have a chance to get, but it all worked out perfectly.”

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Yates Racing still owns rights to the No. 38, driven by David Gilliland, and the currently vacant No. 28. With the retirement of Ricky Rudd, the No. 88 would have been available next year if, as expected, Travis Kvapil drives the No. 28.
Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports runs the No. 88 in the NASCAR Busch Series, and his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt also drove the Petty Enterprises No. 88 “Oldsmobile 88" in the 1957 Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway. JR Motorsports also held the trademark rights to the No. 88.
“Younger fans don’t realize I built cars and raced against Ralph,” Robert Yates said in a release. “I also had a very close relationship with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. I’m proud to transfer this number to Dale Jr. and let him know how much I appreciate the friendship and competitive racing I’ve always enjoyed with his family.”
Keeping negotiations with Pepsi and the National Guard — as well as the numbers game Hendrick Motorsports was playing to get Earnhardt’s number for next year — quiet had the plot twists and subterfuge of a Tom Clancy novel.
“It’s been extremely aggravating,” said Elledge of the reason behind her sigh of relief when the announcement was made. “I wish the media had treated this more as news reporting as opposed to who gets the story first — sometimes I felt like I was in the middle of a gossip ring, like I was part of the Hollywood scene.
“This has been a process. First, it was that we were leaving DEI. Then, it’s where are we going? Hendrick. Then, it’s is Budweiser going with you? No. Is the No. 8 going with you? No. Well, who is going with you? And the culmination of this today. It’s not been that long of a process — it’s been just four months...But it’s been a long, emotional process....Now, we can end it with excitement.”
As Elledge negotiated with the Yates brothers to gain rights to the No. 88, Hendrick set about putting together sponsor packages with the National Guard and Pepsi, even as a slew of other corporations anxious to be associated with NASCAR’s most popular and visible driver knocked on his door.
“I got phone calls from companies — some in the sport that I’ve never talked to and some from outside I never thought I’d see in the sport,” Hendrick said. “So, it’s been pretty phenomenal the amount of interest that was there.”
Pepsi, which had been associated with Jeff Gordon in the past, and the National Guard had right of first refusal, according to Hendrick.
But neither could refuse the marketing dynamo that Earnhardt has become. Pepsi North America was holding its annual meeting of bottlers in Dallas and used it as an opportunity to announce its newest pitchman to the some 1,500 in attendance.
“Dale, Jr. came out on stage and the room erupted,” said Pepsi North America President and CEO Dawn Hudson. “They were overwhelmed....People are thrilled with this partnership.”
Earnhardt said he, in some ways, wished the 2008 season-opening Daytona 500 was this week, but he still has work to do with his final nine races in the DEI Budweiser No. 8, and he is dedicated to that – for now.
Waltrip, who made the trip to Dallas for the press conference, boldly predicted that Earnhardt would win six races with Hendrick next season.
Earnhardt was more low-key, sipping occasionally from a can of Amp, but anxious for the new beginning that awaits him.
“I’m really excited that Mountain Dew and the National Guard have decided to partner with Rick to support my efforts as a NASCAR driver,” he said. “I can’t wait to get out on the race track and prove myself and prove that they made the right choice.”