Jr. to Drive #5 car for Hendricks Next Year

Red_LX said:

It'd be great if Busch was driving the Bud car.

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Crzyhrse said:

Jr. stuck between those 2 butt pirates Gordon and Johnson. Yikes. He must be that desperate to win a championship.

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Hendrick flirtation brought Junior to the realization
Relationship pieces were there; we just didn't see
By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM
June 12, 2007
05:57 PM EDT
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- They said it didn't mean a thing.

But then, don't they always say that at the beginning of a friendly but flirtatious relationship?

When an angry Kyle Busch stormed off and left the crewmates of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team hanging toward the end of the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year, one of the Hendrick team members sought out good friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and asked him to pilot the car for the final nine laps. Already knocked out of the race in his current No. 8 Chevrolet, Earnhardt readily agreed -- then insisted afterward that it meant nothing.
Joe Menzer


Well, maybe it didn't seem so at the time even to the key players. But whatever spark was ignited that day appears to have developed into a full-time romance with the legs to go a long, long way.

As Tuesday progressed, it became more and more apparent Earnhardt was headed to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 and beyond -- likely taking Busch's place on a star-studded roster of drivers that currently comprises the best race operation in the business. Earnhardt has scheduled an 11 a.m. ET news conference Wednesday at his JR Motorsports shop in Mooresville, N.C., where he is expected to make it official.

Just think of the possibilities. Team owner Rick Hendrick no doubt already has had some mighty fine dreams about them.

Together on one Nextel Cup team: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt and, yes, the suddenly solid and no longer forgotten Casey Mears.

The odd man out is Busch, a talented driver but petulant young man who learned the hard way that sometimes saying and doing the right things in Nextel Cup today are as much or more important than driving faster than the rest of the field -- especially when said driver lacks the patience to turn fast laps into victories without angering all those around him.

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For Earnhardt Jr., all signs point to Hendrick in 2008
Announcement regarding future to come on Wednesday
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
June 12, 2007
06:02 PM EDT
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Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., racing together as teammates -- it's a powerhouse combination of megawatt marketability that will become reality at Hendrick Motorsports next year.

Earnhardt has scheduled an 11 a.m. ET news conference at his JR Motorsports shop in Mooresville, N.C., during which he will announce his plans for next season, according to a team spokesman. Sources have indicated to NASCAR.COM that those plans center on Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful organization in Nextel Cup this season, with 10 race victories in 14 starts.


Sources also told NASCAR.COM that Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch, who will not be in Hendrick's No. 5 car next season. A Hendrick spokesman declined to comment, while a JR Motorsports spokesman would confirm only that Wednesday's announcement concerned Earnhardt's plans for 2008 and beyond. Earnhardt has been looking for a new ride since he announced his plans to split from Dale Earnhardt Inc when his contract expires at the end of this season.

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Uncle Meat said:

It's the end of the world as we know it!!!!

U.M.

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Riots in the streets, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

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internet said:

It is unknown whether sponsor Budweiser will follow Earnhardt to Hendrick. Budweiser officials are expected to release a statement Wednesday saying the company wishes Earnhardt well and that it will begin exploring its relationship with Earnhardt after the announcement. Hendrick Motorsports does have a history with Budweiser as a sponsor in the 1990s with Ricky Craven and Wally Dallenbach Jr.

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Uncle Meat said:

Potroast! Helty beat you by almost 24 hours...

http://gt500.drive9.com/~snforums/showthread.php?t=705637

U.M.

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