 |
PRESS RELEASE
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Sprint All-Star Race Preview
Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release
CITIZEN SOLDIER SCHEME: This Saturday, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet will pay tribute to the Army National Guard with a special paint scheme inspired by the 3 Doors Down song "Citizen Soldier." The band's name and song title will appear on the hood. Lead singer Brad Arnold was moved to write the song after watching 50,000 everyday citizens become active members of Guard units and provide disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. On May 20, 3 Doors Down will release its new, self-titled album that features the song "Citizen Soldier."
IT'S THE GRAY GHOST: At Saturday's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Earnhardt's No. 88 National Guard Citizen Soldier/AMP Energy Chevy will resemble the "Gray Ghost" that Buddy Baker drove to win the 1980 Daytona 500. The car earned its nickname because the colors made it difficult to see on the track, and a camouflaged Baker would sneak up and overtake the competition. After Baker's Daytona win, drivers complained to NASCAR, and Baker had to put reflector strips on his car.
ALL-STAR PERFORMANCES: Earnhardt won the 2000 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (then known as The Winston) and has recorded seven top-10 finishes in his eight appearances in the event. The victory came in his first start in the winners-only, non-points race.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Earnhardt has led at least one lap in all but two of the 11 Sprint Cup events that have been held this season. He has led 451 laps of 3,664 completed. In 17 starts in points-paying events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has led 236 laps and completed a total of 6,153.
PIT CREW CHALLENGE: The No. 88 over-the-wall crew members will test their individual and team skills on Thursday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Mark Mauldin is the pit crew coach. Crew members include: front-tire changer Adam Emmert (McCall, Idaho); gasman Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.); catch can Jason Dalrymple (Concord, N.C.); front-tire carrier Ben Fischbeck (Waynesville, Mo.); rear-tire carrier Matt Myers (Ford City, Pa.); jackman Rick Pigeon, (Fairfax, Vt.) and rear-tire changer D.J. Richardson (Leomister, Mass.). The competition starts at 7 p.m. local time.
ALL-STAR CHASSIS: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-488 for Saturday night's all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. This is the same car that Earnhardt raced to a third-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March and a 12th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Earnhardt also won the pole position with Chassis 88-488 at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
ALL-STAR TEAMMATES: Earnhardt and all three of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Casey Mears, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson -- will compete in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Gordon won the event in 1995, 1997 and 2001; while Johnson won it in 2003 and 2006. Mears qualified by winning the May 2007 points-paying race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
OLD SCHOOL, NEW SCHOOL: Last weekend, AMP Energy unveiled its "Old School New School" promotion, which runs through Aug. 11 and gives consumers the chance to win "Cars, Kicks and More." To participate, fans must enter the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy, Mountain Dew or Sobe drink purchase. Consumers can learn more about the challenge by visiting www.oldschoolornew.com.
BUY AN AMP, 'RIDE WITH DALE JR.': If Earnhardt goes to Victory Lane in the Oct. 5 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, he will bring the names of more than 70,000 members of JR Nation with him. Earnhardt fans can simply take the code found on the bottom of any AMP Energy can, log onto www.AMPEnergy.com and register. The first 70,000 will have their names featured on the special No. 88 AMP Energy "Ride with Dale Jr."/National Guard Chevrolet paint scheme. AMP Energy also will include each and every person who signs up to "Ride with Dale Jr." by the July 1 deadline by featuring additional names on Earnhardt's pit wall banner, car cover and other areas around Talladega Superspeedway during the AMP Energy 500 weekend.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CITIZEN SOLDIER/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON THE GRAY GHOST SCHEME.): "I had a lot of input into this paint scheme. Over my career I would like to pay respect to the heritage of this sport. Buddy Baker is someone I respect tremendously, and I loved that car he ran in the 1980 Daytona 500. When we were thinking of ideas for the all-star race, I asked for something like this car. The biggest difference is that NASCAR doesn't let us run chrome numbers anymore, but believe me, I asked."
(ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH 3 DOORS DOWN.): "I have a longstanding relationship with Brad Arnold and the band 3 Doors Down. I was in the video 'The Road I'm On' a few years ago and have kept in touch with Brad. The song they recorded, 'Citizen Soldier,' is a great tribute to the National Guard. Winning with this car would be a fitting way to pay respect to the citizen men and women who become soldiers in times of need."
MARK MAULDIN, PIT CREW COACH FOR THE NOS. 5 AND 88 TEAMS (ON THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE.): "I think the pit crew challenge is a fun occasion for the teams. Just the nature of our sport makes it a competitive event. Everyone wants to win. Some of the guys say they don't take it too seriously, but when the lights come on, they definitely give it all they have."
(ON HIS SEASON-LONG COACHING PHILOSOPHY.): "I try not to overdo anything. When the guys reach this level of competition, the hardest part of keeping performance high is to make every single rep count and only work on aspects that need work. Doing practice pit stops with no objective in mind is senseless."
(ON HOW IMPORTANT THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE IS.): "It is important but in a different kind of way. We certainly pride ourselves at Hendrick Motorsports on being winners. We work very hard preparing for all events, whether it is the pit crew challenge or the next event on our calendar. We just enjoy the opportunity to compete."
This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.
00408
|
|
