Catchfence

AT RICHMOND: In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded three wins, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has completed almost 99 percent of all laps he’s attempted at the short track (7,520 laps of 7,603).

RED, WHITE AND BLUE: Earnhardt will drive a special No. 88 National Guard – Drive the Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet this weekend. The No. 88 machine will be adorned with a patriotic red, white and blue paint scheme to kick off the Drive the Guard program for the National Guard.

DRIVE THE GUARD: Through part-time service with the National Guard, participants in the Drive the Guard program can earn a monthly paycheck, obtain their commercial driver’s license and land a full-time job with a reputable trucking company. The program was developed to assist National Guard applicants in completing truck driving training at an approved school. Participants receive a monthly paycheck while in school and are guaranteed employment upon graduation with a motor carrier related to the Commercial Vehicle Driver Training Foundation Inc. (CDTFI). Visit www.cdtfi.org for more information.

IN THIS RACE: Earnhardt earned all three of his Richmond wins in the spring Cup event, most recently reaching Victory Lane on May 6, 2006. He also won this event during his rookie season on May 6, 2000, and then again on May 15, 2004.

A YEAR AGO: In this race last May, Earnhardt climbed from his 22nd starting spot to take the lead on Lap 383. Earnhardt held onto the top position for 15 laps and was cruising toward his first points win of the season when he was involved in an accident in Turn 4. Earnhardt’s crew quickly fixed the damage, and he stayed on the lead lap en route to a 15th-place finish in the green-white-checkered event.

LEADING RICHMOND: Of his 427 Sprint Cup laps led at Richmond, Earnhardt has paced the field for 105 driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Most recently at the .75-mile track, Earnhardt led 90 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in the Sept. 7, 2008, event.

POINTS AFTER TALLADEGA: After crossing the finish line second at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Earnhardt improved three positions in the Cup Series driver standings to 15th. He trails 12th-place Matt Kenseth by 45 points.

ARTISTIC ACTION: May will be busy for the paint bay in the Nos. 5/88 shop as the No. 88 team prepares to run three special paint schemes in a row this month. After the Drive the Guard car this weekend at Richmond, Earnhardt plans to race a Mountain Dew scheme at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Finally, Earnhardt’s Dale Jr. Foundation will take the hood during the Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with a special design created by the 34-year-old driver.

SUITE DEAL: Tickets still are available for the Dale Jr. suite during the all-star event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 16. The package includes a reserved seat in a luxury suite overlooking the 1.5-mile speedway, complimentary food and drink throughout the race, a souvenir gift bag and more. Prior to the start of the 100-lap race, ticket holders can participate in a pre-race tour of pit road and a question-and-answer session with Earnhardt and NASCAR legend Richard Petty in the suite. Tickets are $288, and all proceeds benefit the Dale Jr. Foundation and Speedway Children’s Charities. Visit www.dalejr.com for more information.

VIRGINIA NATIVE: Engineer Tom Stewart was 15 years old in 1986 when he moved with his family to Hampton, Va. Before that, he grew up watching and competing at the same Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway short track where Earnhardt would drive years later. Stewart’s curiosity for speed — fueled by driving and watching races at the then-dirt track in South Carolina — prompted him to pursue a mechanical engineering degree from Old Dominion University in 1996. Stewart, a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, completed a design project during his senior year that connected him with a career in racing.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt is fifth in the driver rating category at Richmond with a score of 97. The driver rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88- 541. This is a brand new chassis that never has been tested or raced.

HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has recorded at least one top-10 finish in 46 of the last 50 events held at Richmond. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded 10 wins, 42 top-five finishes and 74 top-10s in 150 starts. Jimmie Johnson has won three of the last four events at the short track.

GET IN GEAR: This is the final week that AMP Energy is giving fans a chance to win unique Earnhardt merchandise and VIP trips to the AMP Energy 500, which will be held in October at Talladega Superspeedway. To play, fans should enter the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy beverage can. Visit www.AMPEnergy.com for more information.

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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD – DRIVE THE GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON RICHMOND.): “I learned to get around short tracks racing at Myrtle Beach (S.C.). I look forward to going back to Richmond and Saturday night racing. The National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet was running good at Talladega. It ran up front. We’ll continue that momentum this weekend.”

TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD – DRIVE THE GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON RICHMOND.): “I really like Richmond because it’s got multiple grooves and multiple ways of racing around there. The car changes quite a bit over the night and your driver can do a lot to move around. You don’t have the aero push that you normally have so it’s a real competitive racetrack and a lot of fun to go to.”

EURY (ON THE CHALLENGES OF RICHMOND.): “You’ve got to have a good drive off of (Turn) 2 over there. The car has to have the ability to move around on the racetrack. With us, the biggest challenge is that the practice is in the middle of the afternoon and we race at night, so you really have to guess where your setup should be and make sure you are free enough for the night time.”

EURY (ON EARNHARDT AT RICHMOND.): “He’s awesome there. I think he has a lot of success there because it’s a lot like the track he grew up racing at Myrtle Beach (S.C.). It’s got the same characteristics of that track so I think he really likes going up there. Richmond just fits his style.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release