Wednesday, March 12, 2008...6:23 pm
Earnhardt Jr. finding success in new Hendrick ride
Photo by Getty Images for NASCAR
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
There’s been a notable absence from the grandstands this season: the color red.
Yet, when one certain driver is introduced, the crowds roar as loud, if not louder than they have in the past.
When Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he was leaving the company his father built to race for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.
Many questioned whether the most popular driver of the sport would lose his fan base once he teamed with the likes of former champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson — two guys who weren’t very popular with his fans.
Those questions were all overwhelmingly answered.
“I wasn’t too worried. My fans are great,” Earnhardt said last weekend in Atlanta. “Our fan base is as hungry as we are for our success and wanting us to win. I knew they’d be excited.
“There was an adjustment even for me, but there’s things you’ll get used to. That’s the price you pay when you make the switch,” he said. “I think the fans have responded in an awesome way for me. I didn’t expect us to have the fans be as vocal and positive about it. That’s a fuel to motivate us and make us want to do better.”
Despite the continued absence of a regular season win — Earnhardt hasn’t won since May 2006 — his already large number of merchandise sales have increased since his move to the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet.
And he’s consistently finishing well — something he failed to do in two of his last three seasons at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
After missing the Chase a year ago with a career-high nine DNFs, Earnhardt’s performance on the track could only improve. Thus far, solid results have given Earnhardt optimism for the future.
“We’re excited,” Earnhardt said at Atlanta last weekend. “We hope to be able to show up each week with an opportunity (to win) and be that competitive. If we can, we’ll be able to determine our fate if we can show up every week like that.”
Junior won one of the twin duels and the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, he finished in the top ten at the Daytona 500, finished second at Las Vegas two weeks ago and added a third place finish last Sunday at Atlanta.
Will this be the weekend Earnhardt makes a return to victory lane? Time will only tell.
The former Sharpie 500 and Food City 250 winner has finished well in the past at Bristol Motor Speedway, and his newfound success with Hendrick suggests his recent trend of solid runs will likely continue.
“I’m desperate, you know, just to get in the top five and the top 10 every week when the car’s capable of doing it,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t want to miss the Chase. The sky might fall.
“We’ll just keep working like we’re working. Everything’s good. (Crew chief) Tony (Eury) Jr. is going good. You know, everything seems to be working out really good. I just want to keep it going. You know what I mean? I’m just trying not to make any mistakes myself.
“They give me great, great racecars,” he added. “They’re really good looking cars. They do a good job building them. They’re pretty confident in their ability, so hopefully I can do my end of the job”
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