Pepsi Refresh Project

Purchase, N.Y., June 4, 2010 – Starting today, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are asking fans to join them in making a difference in America’s communities through the Pepsi Refresh Project. Now through June 23, NASCAR fans are encouraged to visit www.NASCAR.com/PepsiRefresh to vote for the idea they believe should receive a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

Each of the three Hendrick Motorsports drivers has outlined an idea for a project about which they are passionate.

• Gordon: establishing a program to support the treatment, care and protection of abused children
• Johnson: providing financial relief to pediatric bone marrow transplant patients
• Earnhardt: building a computer lab for elementary students

The driver’s idea with the most votes by 6:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 23 will receive a $100,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project to fulfill their idea.

Gordon’s initiative would support abused children through treatment, care, and protection at the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) at Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in North Carolina.  The grant would fund a new Child Life Program that aids physically and sexually abused youth by supporting them through age-specific therapeutic play and rapport-building. This child-sensitive approach emphasizes early intervention, coordinated investigations and allied responses to this growing community problem.

“One in five boys and one in three girls are sexually or physically abused in the United States, which is a shocking and ugly statistic,” said Gordon. “With the Pepsi Refresh Project, we’re hoping to help the long-term physical and emotional health of these innocent children.”

Johnson’s project focuses on providing financial relief to pediatric transplant patients by assisting with uninsured expenses after transplant through the Be The Match Foundation’s Transplant Grants for Kids program. On average, marrow transplant families experience a $1,472 shortfall between their current monthly income and monthly expenses due to increased medical bills and often the loss of a parent’s income.

“With the Pepsi Refresh Project, it is easy to make a difference, all you need is an idea,” said Johnson. “While a marrow transplant can be a life-saving treatment, it takes a significant financial toll on a family. This project gives us an avenue to help families with their uninsured expenses.”

Earnhardt is hoping to secure the grant to support technology needs at Shepherd Elementary School in Mooresville, NC, a school that desperately needs better equipment to help enrich the lives of its many students. Funds will be used to build a new computer lab, purchase 20 new computers, and a SMART board.

“Our future lies in the hands of our children but they cannot acquire the skills they need to compete in a digital world when they don’t have the essential tools,” said Earnhardt. “A Pepsi Refresh grant is a quick and easy way to make a positive impact on America’s communities.”

The Pepsi Refresh Project is a groundbreaking effort to foster innovation in social good that will award more than $20 million this year to fund great ideas that help impact the world. Throughout 2010, Pepsi will fund ideas that will move the world forward in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. The Pepsi Refresh Project, which launched Jan. 13, features significant social engagement around people and the power of ideas. People are encouraged to submit their ideas and to cast a vote for their favorite ideas at www.refresheverything.com.

About Pepsi

Pepsi is a product of PepsiCo Beverages Americas (PBA).  In addition to the Pepsi trademark, the PBA portfolio includes the Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PBA is a division of PepsiCo, Inc., which offers the world’s largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

- Pepsi, Press Release

2010 NNS Dale Earnhardt Jr - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

AT LAS VEGAS:

POINTS REPORT: Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, currently ranks 16th in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings. He trails leader Kevin Harvick by 89 points.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-556, which is the first chassis McGrew built from scratch for Earnhardt. This chassis, which Earnhardt debuted in 2009 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was used last at Texas Motor Speedway in November. Earnhardt was running sixth before a late-race fuel gamble resulted in a 25th-place finish.

ROOKIE STRIPE: This will be McGrew’s first Las Vegas Motor Speedway race as the crew chief of the No. 88 Chevy, but he has experience leading a team at the 1.5-mile oval. In 2008, McGrew filled in as crew chief for the No. 5 JR Motorsports team for six NASCAR Nationwide Series events, including the March race at Las Vegas where he coached driver Mark Martin to Victory Lane. Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is the final track on the schedule where McGrew has yet to sit atop the No. 88 pitbox.

HAULER PARADE: Team transporter drivers Dave Radney and Rich Pickrell will participate in the NASCAR hauler parade on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday. Starting at 6 p.m. local time, the NASCAR team haulers will drive north on the Strip, past some of the world’s most well-known hotels and casinos.

HENDRICK AT LAS VEGAS: Hendrick Motorsports has scored four wins, 11 top-five finishes and 17 top-10s in 12 events (46 starts) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

AMP ENERGY DVD: AMP Energy’s “6 Days to Race Day” DVD provides fans with exclusive footage of how Earnhardt and his No. 88 team prepare each week for race day. The DVDs are available free on specially marked four-packs of AMP Energy.

GUARD GARAGE: Visit www.DaleJrGuardGarage.com and join the Guard Garage Fan Club to stay up-to-date with Guard drivers and score free ringtones, wallpapers and more.

FREE JR NATION FAN CLUB: Now race fans can get a free subscription to the JR Nation Crew Fan Club — the official fan club of Earnhardt and JR Motorsports. The club just launched a new Web site complete with chat rooms, forums and blogs. For more information, visit www.dalejr.com/jrnation.

*****

NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH CHALLENGE: Earnhardt and team owner Rick Hendrick will attend the National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe dinner Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The mission of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is to intervene in and reclaim the lives of at-risk youth to produce program graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults. The dinner recognizes the Youth ChalleNGe Cadets on their hard work and dedication to the program.

AMP UP THE 88: McGrew will participate in his first live video chat with fans on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET on AMP Energy’s new Web site, www.ampupthe88.com. The site will feature weekly chats with a member of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team, daily sweepstakes with autographed No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team memorabilia, videos, photos and more.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON LAS VEGAS.): “The track is a lot of fun. They reconfigured the banking (for the 2007 season), and it’s faster. I enjoy running around there. It’s a lot different than it used to be, and it’s a pretty unique track. It’s definitely a lot more fun since they reconfigured it.”

LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON THE TEAM’S MILE-AND-A-HALF PROGRAM.): “It’s such a big part of what you do. There are so many mile-and-a-half tracks compared to the short tracks. They make such a big part of the first 26 races of the season. Your program has to be strong because you can’t sacrifice there and say, ‘I’m going to focus on my short track program.’ You can’t sacrifice any part of your game and be successful. I hope to have a strong run at Vegas. I haven’t been to Vegas with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) so it’s going to be a little bit of learning curve. We were really good at Texas last year, and I think we have made some improvements over the off-season to our mile-and-a-half program so I’m excited to get to the track.”

McGREW (ON RACING AT VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE NO. 88 TEAM.): “Until you have been with him at least one time, then you don’t have that notebook to go to. You can’t go to your driver and say, ‘We did this last time, and you really liked this or didn’t like this.’ Sometimes you have to go through a couple of extra hurdles along the way. As our communication has got better and better, that has been easier to deal with. So I don’t think it will be that big of a deal.”

McGREW (ON WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GOOD AT VEGAS.): “It’s not just one thing. On all of these mile-and-a-half tracks it comes down to who can hold the throttle down the longest through the corner and make the straightaways as long as you can because everyone has good horsepower. Everybody has the same aerodynamic with this car so it’s about making the chassis work and getting the driver comfortable to where he can mash the gas.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Jimmie Johnson - Photo Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images

After capping off his fourth consecutive championship season, Jimmie Johnson has put his Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team in an echelon that includes few others. The New York Yankees (1936-1939 and 1949-1953), Boston Celtics (1959-1966), Montreal Canadiens (1956-1960 and 1976-1979) and New York Islanders (1980-1983) are the only teams in the history of the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL to win four straight titles. Other four-peat teams are the UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball team (1967-1973), the WNBA’s Houston Comets (1997-2000), the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos (1978-1982) and the Cleveland Browns (1946-1949) with the old AAFC.

A handful of athletes in individual sports can also claim four-in-a-row honors. Tiger Woods (1998-2003) and Pete Sampras (1993-1998) each hold the record in their respective sport for most consecutive years ranked No. 1. Carl Lewis is the only Olympian to earn four straight gold medals in the same event, taking the honors in Long Jump in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996. While not a year-long championship, Lance Armstrong’s seven straight Tour de France victories certainly qualify for dynasty distinction.

One of the teams most synonymous with “sports dynasty” is the New York Yankees, winners of 10 World Series crowns in 16 years and five additional league titles. Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra knows what it takes to maintain long-term success – he was the only player on all 10 of the Yankees’ championship teams during that stretch.

“The key was the organization’s commitment to winning,” Berra said when asked what goes into establishing a dynasty in sports. “It was expected everyone on our team do his share, and we all pulled for each other.”

Johnson similarly attributed his on-track success to his core group of crew members.

“Those key players, guys I started this team with, are still at HMS,” Johnson said. “There is a lot of confidence in my mind knowing that (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) has been here before, our engineers have been here before … that gives me the comfort to sleep at night.”

Johnson’s team is the first in major sports to win four straight since the Islanders took home Stanley Cup number four in 1983. Hall of Famer Mike Bossy was the leading scorer on three of the Islanders’ four Stanley Cup champion teams.

“It takes a special blend of commitment, passion and drive to win consecutive championships, let alone four in any athletic endeavor,” Bossy said. “Winning four Stanley Cup championships was a testament to the teamwork and camaraderie our four teams had in proving we were a true dynasty. I would like to congratulate Jimmie on accomplishing this very special feat.”

Johnson’s feat certainly ranks among the most proficient sports has seen. Even more impressive is the fact that it is not over yet; Johnson and Knaus have shown no signs of slowing going into 2010 and beyond.

Berra, known for his memorable soundbites, offered Johnson this sage advice for the future.

“Just stay alive.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Jeff Gordon (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Q. What is your outlook for the weekend?

JEFF GORDON: Outlook is good. We’re excited about trying to finish the season out on a positive note, try to get us a win, try to get up as high in the points as we possibly can. Hopefully that means a win and second in the points. That’s what our goal is. Till we get out there on the track, we didn’t qualify great here the last time we were here, but we still finished well. It’s been a pretty good track for us recently.

Q. Talk about some of the positive traits, the strengths that Rick Hendrick has.

JEFF GORDON: He’s got a personality that works very well with myself, with the team. He’s a smart guy. You got to have that. But then the most important thing is knowing how to work with people, getting the most out of everybody, having confidence in yourself, building confidence in the people around you. He does a very good job of that.

Q. Do you remember the actual moment when Jimmie came on your radar screen?

JEFF GORDON: Actually, I had heard about him. I went to a test at Darlington for Ricky Hendrick to test the Nationwide car. Ricky had never been there. He had never been there before. It was all kind of new to him. I was kind of standing on top of the truck, just watching. And I saw a car out there that was, you know, running the right line, quick, you know, looked good, but I didn’t recognize anything, just the red and white 92 car.

I went over to Ricky and I was talking to him about the line, saying, Hey, if you get a chance to watch that guy, he’s running pretty quick, and he’s running the line you want to run. I said, Who is in that car? He said, That’s Jimmie Johnson. I thought, Wow.

I saw Jimmie that day and asked him, How many times you been here? No, no, it’s the first time. I mean, right there, that’s pretty impressive, a guy that has never been there before that picked it up that quick.

Then after that, it was, you know, hearing his name from time to time, watching the Nationwide races. Then the race that I ran at Michigan was when that moment happened where, you know, he had actually come to me after the drivers meeting and asked me some questions about some opportunities that were coming his way. Then we had the race, and we had like a three-lap shootout at the end and he got by me at the end. It stood out.

Q. That’s when you went to Rick and thought you had to bring him in?

JEFF GORDON: You know, I was impressed with him a couple of times prior to that, and then I thought, you know, what he did there, seeing what he was doing with a car that I didn’t think was one of the best teams out there, one of the best cars out there, he was making a lot out of what he had for equipment. It just so happened at that time we were building our new shop. We were wanting to build two cars in that shop. We were just having to make some decisions. Just the fact that Jimmie came to me and said there were some teams that were interested in putting him in Cup cars made me think that, Hey, maybe he’s a guy we could bring along and build this thing around.
I pitched that idea to Rick. Rick had some interest.

Q. How does it feel to be the man ultimately responsible?

JEFF GORDON: I don’t know. I definitely don’t take that much responsibility. You know, I’m very proud of what that team’s accomplished. I’m proud to have been a part of it from the beginning. You know, it’s a bittersweet thing because as a driver, you know, we won the championship in ’01 when they ran their first race. They watched us win that championship in ’01. I think maybe ’02 I finished ahead of him in points. I don’t think I’ve finished ahead of him in points since then (laughter).

It just reminds me of when the 24 team came together, the people that made that happen, you know, how it came together, how it clicked, all the right things happening, it reminds me a lot about that.
You know, I’m happy for those guys, being able to be a part of something like that.

Q. You said many times you don’t expect will ever beat Earnhardt and Petty’s record. Do you think the 48 is going to have a chance to do that?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I’ve always said, first you got to get to four before you talk about five, first you got to get to five before you talk about six. Obviously, the roll they’re on, they’re clicking them off here very quickly. So anything’s possible.

You know, but this sport, nobody is obsolete {sic} to being able to be humbled by this sport. So I think anything is possible. But those guys are on a roll right now, and I don’t really see it slowing down. I think they’re very capable of doing it again next year.

You know, that’s still just five. Seven’s a big number. That’s tough to get to. But, you know, I remember a lot of people telling me or asking me, Oh, man, you know, seven’s in reach, seven’s in reach. A lot changed, you know.

To me the only difference is I don’t compare the championships those guys won or the ones I won to the new championship. It’s totally different. You know, if they continue to keep the 10 races in the Chase that are in there now, I don’t know if there’s anybody better than the 48 team at those 10 races, those 10 tracks.

Q. How would you define your year?

JEFF GORDON: We’ve had a good year. Definitely had a good year. Huge improvement from last year. So I’m very happy about that.

But, you know, we want to win the championship. You know, we feel like we still have a little bit of work to do to make those gains to get us where we need to be.

Q. Jimmie said yesterday he wished he won a championship with the old points system, that that would prove something.

JEFF GORDON: It’s important for me to win a championship under the new system, I was going to say. I think it’s different for everybody, you know. There’s certain systems that are going to work better for some than others. You know, I feel like the 10 tracks in the Chase are not my best 10. So when it comes down to 10 specific racetracks, it’s sort of our Achilles heel. But we’re so strong throughout the whole season, being consistent over 38, 36 races, that I think the old points system favors us.

But I’m more inspired than ever with the new system to win it under the new format. So I’m sure for Jimmie, you know, it’s going to be compared to the history of our sport, you know, he would like to probably go out and do it under the old system.

But I think the new system is very tough and challenging. He doesn’t have to do it under the old to prove anything in my opinion. I think what he’s done has been extraordinary.

Q. (Question regarding the tracks in the Chase.)

JEFF GORDON: Which ones would I like there to be in the Chase?

Q. Yes.

JEFF GORDON: I would look at it a couple different ways. I would look at it tracks that I run good at, tracks that I like. I think Bristol should be in the Chase personally. Especially right now with the economy the way it is and trying to build excitement and keep everything really moving forward in the sport, Bristol I think is one of our premiere tracks, and I would like to see it in there. Plus it would be another short track, which would be good.

I mean, Michigan’s always been one of my favorites. I think Indy, as well. It would be cool if Indy was in there. It’s not so much picking other tracks as it is my worst three tracks are in the Chase. That’s the downside for me. But, you know, that’s also a goal of ours. That’s what made winning in Texas earlier this year so special. Unfortunately we didn’t back that up with a good performance the second time.

Q. What do you feel the turning point of your 2009 season was?

JEFF GORDON: You mean in a bad way?

Q. In a good way.

JEFF GORDON: In a good way?

Q. The defining moment of your season.

JEFF GORDON: Well, we started the season off right. I mean, we were strong in California. We were strong in Vegas. Oh, I’d like Vegas to be in there (laughter).

We were kind of opposite of a lot of guys. Our strength came in the first 10 races. We were really consistent. Then some other teams came on and we lost a little bit. I feel like we got it back right before the Chase and we’ve been solid in the Chase. New Hampshire kind of bit us. The first race of the Chase, we didn’t have a good performance, that got us behind right from the beginning.

Q. (Question regarding Denny Hamlin.)

JEFF GORDON: I thought he would have been this year. You never know. I mean, it’s a long season, a lot can happen. A lot happens over the off-season. I always think of Gibbs as being one of the strongest organizations out there. You know, and I think Denny is a really solid driver. I hope he’s not putting too much pressure on himself by saying that. I’m always big on actions speak louder than words, so I certainly wouldn’t go about saying that. But good for him.

Q. Rick just talked about Jimmie’s contract. He thinks you have at least three or four more years left. Have you talked to him about how much longer you want to keep going?

JEFF GORDON: My conversations with him are pretty much the same as anybody else. As long as I’m healthy and competitive and we have sponsorship, you know, we’re out there enjoying ourselves, I’m going to keep doing it.

I don’t like to put a number on that. You know, things can happen in a hurry. Right now things are going well. My back is better. And, you know, we’re having a good year. Things are going well. So to me seasons like this add years to my career. Seasons like last year, you know, take away from them.

You know, last year I was frustrated, not feeling good. I was like, Give me a couple more years. Now I’m like, Oh, four, five, who knows.

Q. When you went into the Lowe’s boardroom to make the pitch for Jimmie way back when, did you have any hesitation at that point in putting your reputation on the line for a guy who hadn’t set the world on fire in the Busch Series?

JEFF GORDON: When you’re sitting in that room, you’re pitching to them, you’re needing the funding, you’re feeling pretty confident in everything at that moment (laughter).

I’ll never forget it. I’ll never forget sitting there and having the CEO, Bob Tillman, flat out look at me straight in the face and said, Do you really believe that Jimmie can win races and win championships? And, you know, when a guy like that puts the pressure on you like that, you don’t want to just lie to him, you know, you want to be honest.

And I feel like I was honest. I told him that, you know, I believed with Hendrick equipment and the right people around him that, yes, he was capable of it. Now, how much of that did I believe was going to come true? I mean, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure. I mean, I knew that Jimmie had a great talent, but I had no idea. You don’t know how much they have until you put them in your equipment. You don’t know what kind of crew chief Chad Knaus was going to be. I don’t even know if we had a crew chief at that time. Just a lot of factors in there.

But, you know what, I was confident in Hendrick Motorsports and I did see something in Jimmie that I thought could be special. I had no idea it was going to take off and do what it’s done. But I sure am happy now because I look pretty good saying, Oh, yeah, absolutely, he’s going to do all that (laughter).

Q. What caused you to look at him to begin with, to notice him?

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I like a guy that makes more out of his equipment than I think it’s capable of. You know, I feel like he took a mediocre team, and this is what I feel like we’re really missing right now in the Nationwide Series, if you’re not on the Childress team, Roush team or Hendrick team, nobody’s even looking at you. I guess I look at David Gilliland as the last guy that really did something in a not-so-well-known team. Look what people did, people flocked to him, picked him up. Man, this guy has beat them all with a team that’s not known.

That’s kind of what it was like in a different sense. The big teams weren’t dominating the sport like that at that time. So he stood out. You know, he stood out. He wasn’t in the best equipment. He was in the top 10 in points.

Q. Herzog team?

JEFF GORDON: Herzog. He hadn’t won yet when we looked at him, but he was solid. And then, you know, I raced with him. You know, he drove the wheels off the thing. You know, he was hanging it out there. He was doing what he needed to do.

You know, you can sense a guy – or a girl – what they’re capable of when you’re out there with them. You can tell when the car’s like doing the work and when the driver’s doing the work. He’s doing a lot of the work.

Q. You know what it’s like to be in championship mode, but how do you keep it up as long as you do? Yesterday Rick said he’s never seen two drivers, Mark and Jimmie, work as hard as they do just concentrating on being the guy that gets behind the wheel? How long can you maintain that kind of intensity with this kind of pressure?

JEFF GORDON: It just depends on what you build with those opportunities. You know, the downside is the more championships you win, the more you want to capitalize on opportunities that come your way, you know, from a marketing standpoint, from a business standpoint. Whether or not you get bored with it, you know.

Jimmie’s a very focused and driven, you know, person. He works really hard at it. If he continues that, then I think he can continue on with the success, as well as the team.

Chad is as driven as Jimmie or anybody else out there. So it takes a whole combination, and they’ve got it. It just really comes down to them, how long they want to continue working at it as hard as they do.

Q. Is there anybody you would rather beat on Sunday than Jimmie Johnson?

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, a Roush car. Because this weekend I think the Roush teams seem to be the cars to beat at Homestead.

Are you talking about any Sunday?

Q. Any given Sunday.

JEFF GORDON: If you beat those guys, you’re doing something special. They’re very, very strong. Look what they did last week. They got down at Texas, came right back and just dominated. They’re definitely the team to beat. But not necessarily at Homestead.

Q. Have things changed out on the track over the last two years in any way, incidents being down?

JEFF GORDON: You know, the double-file restarts I would have thought would have increased that. And they might still.
You have a whole season with it next year. We’ll see.

But, no. I mean, we’re all out there racing hard, doing the same things we always do.

Q. Car of Tomorrow make any difference over the last two years in terms of fewer incidents?

JEFF GORDON: You know, maybe. I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I mean, it’s still a racecar. It still has fenders on it.

Q. People haven’t changed their style in any way in the last couple years?

JEFF GORDON: I think the aerodynamic package you have right now is affecting a little bit of that. We’re not able to really get side-by-side as much as maybe in the past. That could have something to do with it. But that’s just racing in general it’s happening with that. That’s hard to say if it’s the Car of Tomorrow.

Q. (Question regarding celebrating the championship.)

JEFF GORDON: I don’t want to say that it’s wrapped up with Jimmie. But Mark is not known for going out and having a big party after a win. If he wins the championship, I would be absolutely thrilled, you know, would love to spend some time with him enjoying that win.

If Jimmie wins it, you know, he’s gotten it down, you know, on how to enjoy the evening. So we’ll certainly be involved with those festivities, yes.

Q. You were at Montoya’s event last night. What kind of difference do you see in terms of Hispanic recognition in this sport?

JEFF GORDON: I see media that’s here almost every weekend. I see increasing fan base. Plus, you know, just seeing people like this week, for instance, I’m staying with a friend, and there’s a woman that works for him that’s from Colombia. The only driver she knows is Juan Pablo Montoya. She wouldn’t have ever known anything about NASCAR racing if it weren’t for him.

So I’m sure that happens a lot. The flipside is they wouldn’t know Jeff Gordon or a bunch of other drivers here in NASCAR if it weren’t for Juan coming in.

I think there’s a lot of race fans in South America. I don’t know how much they’ve been following NASCAR.

They’ve been following Formula One. Now I think you get a little bit more South American influence with Nelson and Juan. I don’t know, there’s a few more. That will only increase the awareness in the Hispanic market.

Q. What do you like best about doing TV interviews and TV shows?

JEFF GORDON: What do I like the best? I don’t know. I mean, I love doing live, just the interaction with the fans, having something unique to talk about than the same old springs and shocks and that type of thing. I mean, I’m comfortable in front of the camera. I’ve been in front of them for a long time. I guess that’s just my personality. I like that interaction.

Q. Did you ever have to work at it?

JEFF GORDON: Yes, definitely. I mean, I still see flaws every time I do an interview, things that I say, you know, just little habits that I have. But, yeah, absolutely I had to work at it. None of that comes natural.

Q. Rick said yesterday when Ray left in ’99 that was when he drew the line in the sand and said, You guys are all going to share everything, be equal, we’re not going to have one front-running car and everybody chasing after him, having secrets. Did that take away some of the advantage the 24 had over the rest of the team or did it work out to everybody’s advantage?

JEFF GORDON: It may have. I mean, we were still under the same guidelines as sharing information. But the whole organization was not put together the way it is now. We didn’t have a network, we didn’t have the shops the way they are now. And also I think that one of the big influences was when the 48 came on and the 24 shared everything with
them seamlessly in that way, that’s what really changed things.

You know, we won the championship in ’01 with Robby. That was two years later, a season later anyway from when Ray left. You know, to me it was just the direction that the organization was heading in.

Yeah, it may have taken a little bit of an advantage away. But I think it gave a bigger advantage to Hendrick Motorsports as a whole.

Q. Is it hard to share at all?

JEFF GORDON: I don’t think it is. I think if you’re confident in what you do and you put the right people in place, your team is still going to prevail. And the information you can get from your teammates can be very valuable to you.
The key is, in order to be successful, like the 48 has been, is that, one, you’ve got to bring your own to the table. You’ve got to be strong enough where you can stand on your own. But then there’s those weekends where you miss, you’re off a little bit, and your teammates have what it takes. You know how to pull from them and make your car a winning car. That’s where they’re so strong and where we can get better.

About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-559. Earnhardt last raced this chassis at Auto Club Speedway in October. He spent 70 percent of the race inside the top 15 and was running 11th when he was involved in an accident with five laps remaining. He finished 25th.

INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 174 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, five pole positions, 37 top-five finishes and 67 top-10s. On 1.5-mile tracks, such as Homestead, he is sixth overall among active, full-time drivers in the laps led category (1,169 laps) and seventh overall in top-10 finishes (27 total).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Diecasts

HENDRICK AT HOMESTEAD: Homestead-Miami Speedway is the only racetrack on the current Sprint Cup schedule where Hendrick Motorsports has not won a race. The organization, which will wrap up its 25th anniversary season this weekend, has recorded eight top-five finishes and 16 top-10s in 10 Cup events (39 starts) there.

NATIONAL GUARD MOMENTS: Members of the Facebook community can share pictures highlighting their moments of pride, courage, strength, achievement or honor and share it with their friends by visiting the National Guard’s fan page at www.facebook.com/NationalGuard. Click the “At this Moment” tab for more information.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON HOMESTEAD.): “I haven’t had the best results at Homestead since they reconfigured the track, but hopefully with Lance (McGrew, crew chief) we can improve on that. You really have to hunt for the best line there. The corners are real tight, and the car doesn’t want to turn and roll through the center like you would expect it to. We always seem to get tight through the center there. We’ve had some good runs here lately, and hopefully we can end the season on a positive note.”

LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON GOALS FOR FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON.): “Just a good, consistent run. It doesn’t have to be first or third. It could be that we qualified in the top 10, we ran in the top 10 all day and we finished sixth. I would like to see the race start and end the same way, just to show that we can do it. I would like to see some consistency throughout the event.”

McGREW (ON CHALLENGES AT HOMESTEAD.): “It’s just a different type of racetrack. The progressive banking, even in qualifying it seemed like the high line was faster than the low line. It’s just different. It’s very unique as far as racetracks go.”

McGREW (ON HIS OFFSEASON GOALS.): “I think the first thing that you have to do is try to put your pieces in place for next year as quick as you can. Because the longer the teams work together, the guys get more familiar with each other and everybody knows their role and position. Just like any other job, with repetition comes speed in how you do things. We need to put those guys in place as quick as we can so all of the positions are set up. Then when we have a chance to do a little bit of offseason testing — a little bit of this, a little bit of that — we can evaluate all of our people.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Jeff Gordon (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT IMPALA SS

Q. What is your approach to these last two races?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, it really doesn’t change. Nothing changes for us. It’s the same as usual. Go out, try to get the best qualifying effort we can here on qualifying day on Friday. And approach practice tomorrow, trying to be better than we were the last time we were here.

You Know, try to be one of the best cars out there, and hope that that pays off on Sunday and then execute the best that we possibly can on Sunday. Try to learn from our mistakes in our past, and try to, you know, make any of those things that we’ve learned from, make them better.

Q. What the 48 did last week with them rebuilding that car to get back on the track to get 15 or so points, does that kind of symbolize the strength behind not just that team but Hendrick Motorsports? I can see the guy from your team going over there to help. Kind of the behind the scene guys that we don’t see about or know about that make Hendrick what it really is?

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, we’re a very deep organization, and we work together. That’s why you see the three teams at the top right now and why you’ve seen the 48 win the last three seasons in a row.

You know, it’s an organization that works extremely well together, shares a lot of information. I don’t think many teams do. And when it comes to times like that, like what you saw at Texas, everybody chips in, you know. Even though we’re competitors and battling against one another, when there’s times like that we don’t think of ourselves as competitors. We think about what would we need in our situation and how would they contribute and we know they’d do the same for us.

Jeff Gordon - Official Store Deals

Q. In the position that you’re in, do you go into the weekend maybe a little more on the cautious side on the race? I guess more race day, or aggressive side?

JEFF GORDON: It’s definitely more the opposite. When you’re behind in points and the races are narrowing down, you get more and more aggressive. You know, you’ve got to go out there and gain points. You’ve got to get good track position. You’ve got to really try to capitalize every moment you’re out there on the track to try to get the most out of it.

I mean, honestly, I don’t know how we can do things any different than we do all year long. We really work hard at every race to be as aggressive as we can to put ourselves in a position to win the race. I can’t say we’ve really done anything different in the Chase than what we’ve done every weekend.

The difference is when I say “aggressive,” it’s maybe in the pit strategy. It might be taking a little more risk on fuel mileage, you know, it might be thinking a little more outside the box under set-ups if what we had the last time we were there didn’t work so well. You know, those types of things.

Q. We know how you feel since you won the title. But we want to ask you as a teammate and a race fan, how cool would it be if Jimmie wins his fourth in a row, and how cool would it be if Mark Martin wins his first?

JEFF GORDON: Well, either one of those scenarios, including myself, are all very cool. You know, I think you have to look at each differently. I think what Jimmie and Chad and that team has done over the last four years has been phenomenal. It’s something to be respected and appreciated.

And I think even more so from within the organization when we know on what we’re up against and that we’ve been getting beat by them.

With Mark Martin, I’m such a huge are Mark Martin fan, always have been. I battled with this guy in championships. He’s such a tough competitor, and I feel like he deserves it. And I think it would be fantastic for him and the 5 team and Rick Hendrick and everybody.

For us we’ve been doing the drive for five for so long that, you know, I’m tired of hearing about it. But we’re close this year. I feel like we’ve been very competitive and consistent. Obviously, we’d love to pull that off.

Q. Do you get any sense that the fans are rooting for Mark?

JEFF GORDON: I think at this point what people are rooting for is to it to be a race down to the wire in Homestead. I can’t really get a sense — I think that Mark Martin is a sentimental favorite, for sure. I think that people, you know, I don’t think you find anybody that dislikes Mark. You know, it’s just everybody. They like Mark. So I think that that would be a positive to see that happen.

But I think right now, you know, just like what we saw last week, people want — they don’t want to see the 48 have a problem. They want to see the gap closed up. However that happens I think that’s what I’m sure the media and the fans, a lot of people are hoping for, even the competitors.

I know I want to get closer to the 5 and the 48 going into next week’s race also.

Q. After going through your practice laps, how do you expect you and your car to handle the track here?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I feel like our car has a pole possibility in it. We never really got the lap that we were looking for in practice, so we’re ninth or tenth, I think. But it’s in there. The car has it. It has the speed. That’s all we focused on today was qualifying. We won’t know what we have for the race until tomorrow.

Q. Why is Hendrick so good here?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I mean, I don’t know if I would — I mean, Hendrick’s good everywhere. I feel like our stuff’s good everywhere we go. I don’t really isolate to this. I know you’re saying that because you look at the stats and it says we’ve won the last five races in a row. I give a lot of credit to that 48 team. They won like three in a row. That’s impressive.

I think this is one of Mark’s best tracks. Has been before he came to Hendrick, and they’ve given him great equipment. It’s a track that we’ve always been consistent at. You know, we’ve had a tremendous amount of Top 10s here, and a pretty decent Top 5 and we finally got a win. You know, we need that kind of performance again this weekend.

I don’t know, you know. We focus so hard on putting the best equipment out there every weekend that we don’t really look at why are we good at this track. We kind of say, you know, How do we get better?

Q. What are the moments or instances with Jimmie that you’ve seen that kind of defines why he’s had the success that he’s had? That there are things that you see that the fan doesn’t see, that I don’t see, whether it’s stuff that you have seen over the career or even things you’ve seen this year?

Jeff Gordon - Official Store Deals

JEFF GORDON: I’m not trying to take anything away from Jimmie, but you say “Jimmie,” I say “team.” To me, all the success I have at winning championships is because we were the best team. And I did my part, and Jimmie, he focused really hard on being prepared and giving his best. That’s a huge part of a team, you know. Not every driver out there does it, you know, puts that much effort into it.

But not all crew chiefs put the effort that Chad puts in. Not all team members put in that effort, and not all organizations put in the effort. So it’s a total team effort.

Q. What is an example of that effort that you see that maybe you see behind the scenes that others don’t see that kind of defines?

JEFF GORDON: I don’t know what they do at other organizations. I just know that the lights basically don’t ever get turned off at Hendrick Motorsports. The people never stop working. They never stop creating new ideas and thinking outside the box. You know, second is never good enough. We have those expectations upon us all the time, but we strive to build those expectations as well.

Q. If Jimmie wins this championship he’ll be obviously tied with you. You will have more wins. But some people will look to him more as the Alpha male of the garage. I wonder, you know, every driver has to have a personal ego and believe in themselves. But if the perception starts to slide away that you’re no longer the Alpha male position, I think it’s probably fair to say.

JEFF GORDON: I’ve been off that position for the last four years in my opinion. I mean, you can’t control where you’re at in popularity. You can’t control how you’re perceived by the media. You build that up over time through your actions, your accomplishments, the stats, all those things.

To me I’m always an actions-speak-louder-than-words type of individual. So in my opinion we’ve been chasing the 48 for the last three, now going on four years if not longer than that and even prior to that. They’re the team to beat. Jimmie’s the guy to beat from the driver’s standpoint.

I mean, I’ve accepted that a long time ago. It just makes me work harder to try to get ourselves back up to that level I think we’re capable of.

Q. I hear what you’re saying. I just think that you always had the championships over Jimmie. And even though you had the wins and had the greater success lately, you were still, I think, a lot of people still looked upon you as, like you said, in some ways the Alpha male or one of the states men of it. And I just wonder now that he’s tying you, that takes away a position of power or perceived power?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, it depends on what type of power position you’re talking about. From an equity partnership in Hendrick, I still have that. And the experience that I have in the sport in my position in the sport as well as Hendrick Motorsports, I don’t feel like that’s going to take away from that.

And there’s going to be a day that Jimmie stays long enough at Hendrick, that’s going to get turned over to him as well, you know. I think that’s sort of how he’s positioned himself. He’s smart.

Listen, if my ego was a problem, I would have never hired the guy and gave everything that I had to give. I wouldn’t do that with my other teammates. You know, to me I look at how can we make our organization better? I’ve accomplished more than I’ve ever dreamed of and I want to keep doing that, but I also know that if you put the right people in place they’re going to have a lot of success.

We did that with the 48 team and look at what they’ve done. We’ve got to recreate that with the 24 team, and we made big strides from last season to this season. But that’s, you know, the bar that is set. I think that’s great for our organization because it makes the other three work that much harder to try to strive for that, you know.

So I don’t allow my ego to get in the way of where I sit. In my opinion I’ve always been underneath Richard Petty and, you know, Dale Earnhardt in championships and Pierson and so many others as far as wins go, that I’ve never looked at that as a competition. I want to keep winning races, and I want to get as high up the list as I possibly can before I no longer am driving full-time.

Wherever I end up, even if it stops today at 81 or 82 (wins), I’m still pretty darn proud of that.

Q. You’re able to capitalize on your success with advertising deals and TV things. Has Jimmie not been able to do that as much do you think?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, right now the economy is definitely playing a role. But I feel like they’re working at it. It took a long time for those deals to really materialize for me. I had some of the best opportunities marketing-wise that I’ve ever had after I won my fourth championship.

Actually, not necessarily this year, but the last four or five years, you know, the Tag Heuer deal and the Georgia pacific and some really, really good marketing opportunities. Not to mention our position with our sponsors like DuPont and Pepsi.

I think the longer you stay in the sport, the more consistent you stay, especially towards the top. The more respect you get, and the more you build your brand up to have those opportunities there that might not always — you want to capitalize on it while you’re winning your championships, but that’s not always the way it works.

Q. Is it different in NASCAR than other sports like LeBron comes out high school and has the Nike deals or Tiger Woods with American Express right from the start. Is it different? That’s why you have to build that?

JEFF GORDON: It is a lot different. But there could be a young guy that comes along that just has so much marketability as well as talent that it might change all that. It could change all that next season if that person came along.

But it does seem like it’s a lot different in our sport than in others. Especially the ball and stick sports because you have kids playing those sports in school. They want to wear those shoes, and they want to use that mitt or that bat or whatever type of equipment that those guys use. We don’t have that.

I mean, you don’t have kids walking around going I want to wear that Alpine Star racing suit, you know? Unless you’re a race car driver (laughter).

Q. During the race are you going to be asking for updates on the 48 and 5 or are you just going to focus on what you’re doing?

JEFF GORDON: I didn’t even know he wrecked last week to be honest. I knew there was a wreck. I didn’t know he wrecked and they didn’t say a word to me. I like it that way.

I prefer not to know because it really doesn’t change how — it could change if I know too much of how we focused on the race. I want my focus to be on driving the race car. Getting in and out of pit stalls, you know, and our whole team really are focused on doing our job.

Not being distracted by what the other guys are doing.

Q. Looking ahead to next week, is it a big confidence builder for a team or driver to be able to go bragging being the last winner? Is it nice to win the last race and carry that through?

JEFF GORDON: Definitely. I think it gives you momentum over the off-season to, you know, what you’re working on. It gives you confidence. It gives you bragging rights. It’s just a great feeling to end the season right whether it’s the last race that you win or one of the last couple of races that you win.

Those are no different than the pole last week at Texas. That was big for us to get that pole. But a win, you know, is huge, especially at Homestead, because it is the final race. It would be huge for us. We’ve never won there before. I think that everybody feels that way.

Q. just curious. Does it matter or factor in how the Chase format came into play? That Jimmie has his titles under that format?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - PreOrder

JEFF GORDON: No, there’s no doubt that’s changed the history of our sport. I’ve said all along ever since the Chase came along that the championship, you know and how it’s looked at and how many numbers people have, you can’t compare.

I think Richard had some championships under a different format. I just don’t think you can compare the two in any way. They’re really totally different. But I still think the best team still wins.

While we might have had a couple of extra championships under the old format if they still existed, you know, that’s the truth of the matter is it doesn’t matter.

We’ve got the new format, and I like the new format. I think it’s exciting. I think it’s challenging. So I think there are more positives than negatives. But you can’t compare what anybody wanted to be in the old format to anybody that’s won it in the new format.

Q. Do you feel like Jimmie’s going to have trouble for mark to catch him or are you guys close enough to where they could have just a bad enough race and you guys have a good enough race to make it?

JEFF GORDON: Those guys don’t give up 80 points, talking about Mark. They don’t give those points up easily. But 80 over two races are doable. 112, I think, not necessarily without them having trouble.

But mark making up 40-plus points per race is not completely out of the question. But those guys run too good to just finish there. It would have to be, you know, it came down to a fuel mileage race and they didn’t have the fuel mileage, or it would have to come down to a really bad pit stop or come down to them actually having trouble in my opinion.

About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release

Mark Martin and Crew Chief Alan Gustafson - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

LEADER SCENARIO: There are many possibilities in which Martin can take over the points lead after Sunday’s race at Phoenix. For instance, if Martin wins and leads the most laps, he would become the new championship leader if Johnson finishes 14th or worse and doesn’t lead a lap. For perspective, a driver who wins and leads the most laps can make up 161 points on another driver who finishes 43rd and doesn’t lead a lap.

GOING FOR THE SWEEP: Martin won the April event at Phoenix International Raceway, marking his first Sprint Cup victory in 98 starts. Martin’s Phoenix win was his first of five this season and made him the fourth driver older than 50 to win in NASCAR’s elite series. Martin started the April 18, 2009, race from the pole position and led 157 laps on his way to Victory Lane.

AT PHOENIX: Martin’s April victory was his second career win at Phoenix. He scored his first victory at the one-mile track on Oct. 31, 1993. Martin started third that day and led 212 of 312 laps for the win. In 25 Cup starts at PIR, Martin also has earned 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s.

BEST AVERAGE: Martin’s average finish of ninth at Phoenix International Raceway is his best at any oval track on the Sprint Cup schedule. Only Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International has been kinder to the driver, who owns a 7.8 average finish on the road course.

OF THE CHASERS: Martin and Johnson are the only Chase for the Championship contenders with multiple victories at Phoenix with two and three wins, respectively. Martin leads all Chasers with 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s at the one-mile oval. Martin has the second-best average finish (9.0) and has led more laps (833) than any other Chase driver.

DRIVER RATING: Martin earned a driver rating of 145.6 out of a possible 150 score in the April race at Phoenix. NASCAR’s driver rating is determined by 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 finish.

LOOP STATISTICS: During the past nine races at Phoenix International Raceway, Martin has earned the third-best driver rating of 102.2. His average running position of 11.4 is the fifth-best among the drivers competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - PreOrder

CAREER YEAR FOR GUSTAFSON: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has led the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team for five years, and the 2009 season is his best to date. Gustafson’s five wins, 13 top-five finishes, seven poles and 805 laps led are career-bests for the 34-year-old crew chief. His 20 top-10 finishes tie his 2007 season record.

THREE WINS FOR THE NO. 5: Phoenix is a special track for the No. 5 team, which earned Hendrick Motorsports’ first PIR win Oct. 30, 1994, with Terry Labonte behind the wheel. Under the direction of Gustafson, the No. 5 team earned its second victory there on Nov. 13, 2005, and third on April 18, 2009, marking the first win for Martin at Hendrick Motorsports.

THE NO. 5 AT PHOENIX: Since 2005, when Gustafson took the helm, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team has earned two wins, two pole positions and four top-10 finishes at Phoenix.

DOUBLE WINNING CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-538 for Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to victory at PIR in April and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.

HENDRICK AT PHOENIX: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has seven wins, 23 top-five finishes and 44 top-10s in 26 races (91 starts) at Phoenix International Raceway.

ON A ROLL: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five straight races at Phoenix, with Martin most recently visiting Victory Lane in April. Johnson earned the three previous victories, while Jeff Gordon won the April 21, 2007, contest after starting from the pole position. During the last nine races at the track, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have claimed six victories and six pole positions.

TEST DRIVE A CAMARO: Fans can visit the free Chevy Ride and Drive this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway to test drive brand new Chevrolet products. Participants will enjoy some action behind the wheel of the 2010 Chevy Equinox, Malibu, Silverado Texas Edition, Silverado Hybrid, or Traverse, and then take a spin in the all-new 2010 Chevy Camaro. All participants will receive a Camaro t-shirt. For pre-registration and additional details, visit www.teamchevytestdrive.com.

*****

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE.) “We can’t say that one race changed everything. Did we close in on Jimmie (Johnson)? Yes. But that doesn’t mean that the whole Chase has changed. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve done every race week: try to win. That’s all I can do, and that’s all this team can do. We aren’t in control of anything else that happens. I’ve said all along that you can’t make predictions, and I still say that it’s not over. There are a lot more guys in contention than just me and Jimmie. The race is still on for all of us.”

MARTIN (ON THE TEAM’S PERFORMANCE IN THE FINAL TWO RACES.): “We were great in Phoenix in April. I have no doubt that we’ll run strong there again this weekend. And there’s no reason for me to think that we won’t have a strong race in Homestead (Fla.) either. Performance-wise, this is one of the best teams out there, and I am so proud and feel so blessed to be driving for (owner) Rick Hendrick and Alan Gustafson and the whole Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team. It’s going to be a tough fight, but it’s not over.”

MARTIN (ON WINNING AT PHOENIX IN APRIL.): “That was such an incredible night. I knew going into the race that we had a really, really good race car. I knew that we had a very good shot at winning, and I didn’t want to disappoint any of the guys on this team because you could see it in their faces that they were excited. We went out there and the car was nearly perfect all night. We had great pit stops, and when the yellow came out there at the end I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ We held Tony (Stewart) off, and crossing that finish line was such a mix of gratitude, disbelief and relief. I couldn’t believe we won. It was just an amazing night. All of the people that came into Victory Lane that night, that blew me away. It still does. That’s what I race for. It’s the people, not the trophies. And I’ll never forget them all coming to shake my hand and the things they said. That night was incredible, and I owe that to Rick (Hendrick) and Alan (Gustafson). They gave me this opportunity, and we are making the most of every minute.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET: (ON THE TEAM’S APRIL WIN AT PHOENIX.): “It was our first win of the season, which is always a big deal. It was a great weekend for us. We had a good car in practice and a great qualifying effort with the pole. We had a strong car throughout the night and didn’t have to chase it much throughout the race. The (No.) 2 was really strong, and the (No.) 14 was strong. But anytime you can win is a big deal. It was the first one for Mark (Martin, driver) in awhile and the first one for the team in awhile. It’s just nice to get that win and get back to Victory Lane. As much success as we’ve had at Phoenix as a team, it’s a place that we feel really comfortable and confident going back to. It’s a fun track to race on, even if you haven’t had success there. Pit strategy always comes into play. It’s an interesting track, and I enjoy going there.”

GUSTAFSON (ON JIMMIE JOHNSON’S EARLY ACCIDENT AT TEXAS.): “The first thing I saw was the opportunity to gain points. My initial thought was, ‘This is opening the door for us to make the championship closer.’ Not that you’re not focused on that anyway, but the first thing I thought of was that we had to somehow or another get a really good finish, if not win the race. His accident just magnified that need. You hate to see anyone get caught up in an accident like that. But that’s part of the sport. It happens.”

WWE Fatheads - Raw on your wall!

GUSTAFSON (ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.): “More so than the points, the performance of the team at Texas made me feel better. We got back on our feet after having three weeks that, I felt, we didn’t get the finish we deserved. At Charlotte (N.C.), we didn’t operate at the level we needed to. At Martinsville (Va.), we gave up four or five spots at the end of the race. And at Talladega (Ala.), we got caught in a crash. That stuff starts to weigh on you. It’s nice to get back to performing well and getting the finish we deserve, if not overachieving a little at Texas. Good adjustments, a great pit crew and good strategy maybe got us a better finish than we had car. That gives you confidence and momentum. Even if Jimmie hadn’t had issues, I would have felt better after Texas just by getting back on track and gaining that momentum.”

GUSTAFSON (ON THE POSSIBILITY OF WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP.): “Yes. There’s no question we can do it. We can outperform the No. 48 the next two weeks. The question is, will we and by how much? We have to focus on doing that. A lot of it is perspective, and I’ve tried to explain that to the guys and handle myself that way. After Lowe’s, we went from a 30-point deficit to an 80-point deficit. We were all disappointed. Now we go from a 184-point deficit to a 73-point deficit, which is the same thing, but the perspective is different. Now we’re going the right way. That may add extra momentum to this team. It makes a difference. We’re going the right way now, which is really important.”

GUSTAFSON (ON HIS RECORD SEASON.): “It’s good. It feels good. Time will tell if we can win the championship or not. That will have huge implications on how I feel about the season. We’re trying to be the best, so that’s the ultimate goal. As far as having my career-best year, it’s a good accomplishment, but I also feel that that’s the way it should be. I’ve invested a lot of time and this team has invested a lot of time on improving the team and our chances. Countless hours have been spent trying to get this team to championship level. We should get better every year. And I think we’re doing our job. We want to be the best, and I think we’re close to it.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with His Crew Chief Lance McGrew

HENDRICK POWERED: In three starts at Phoenix with Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt has notched two top-10 finishes and led 150 laps. In this race last November, he drove the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish — his best result at PIR with Hendrick Motorsports.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-541. Earnhardt last raced this chassis at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. He spent most of the race inside the top 10 and was running fourth when he was involved in an accident with 17 laps remaining. He finished 35th.

INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 173 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, five pole positions, 37 top-five finishes and 67 top-10s. On one-mile tracks, such as Phoenix, he ranks eighth among active, full-time drivers in the laps led category (826 laps) and seventh in top-10 finishes (14 total).

HENDRICK AT PHOENIX: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has seven wins, 23 top-five finishes and 44 top-10s in 26 races (91 starts) at Phoenix International Raceway.

ON A ROLL: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five straight races at Phoenix, with Mark Martin most recently visiting Victory Lane in April. Jimmie Johnson earned the three previous victories, while Jeff Gordon won the April 21, 2007, contest after starting from the pole position. During the last nine races at the track, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have claimed six victories and six pole positions.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Diecasts

CAR COLLECTION: More than 105,000 Earnhardt fans showed their support for the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team by signing up for the “Get on the 88″ program and having their names displayed on Earnhardt’s car and pit wall banner at Talladega, Ala. To show his appreciation for all of the fan support, Earnhardt is keeping the green-and-black Chevy on his property in Mooresville, N.C.

HEAR FROM EARNHARDT: Get a weekly call and text from Earnhardt and hear his thoughts on the upcoming race. Text 88 to GUARD (48273) to sign up. Standard message and voice rates apply. Text HELP to 48273 for support and STOP 88 to 48273 to opt out. Visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com/DaleJr for more information.

*****

COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS: Earnhardt will attend Wednesday night’s Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on behalf of Chevrolet. The 35-year-old driver will present the award for Best Country Duo with Julianne Hough during the live television event, which will be broadcast on ABC. Air Force Master Sgt. Bubba Beason, winner of the Chevy Salutes America’s Heroes program, also will attend the event. The National Guard partnered with Chevrolet in this program to represent the well-deserving men and women currently serving our country.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON PHOENIX.): “The car is really important at Phoenix. It takes something special to make a car work really good there. I think it’s real important to have a good handling car because each corner is so different. It’s tricky trying to be real good through Turns 1 and 2. There will be one or two guys that really get their cars to get through the center of the corners, and those are the guys that will be racing for the win. That seemed to be what we did when we won there. We beat everybody right down in the middle.”

LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON PHOENIX.): “Phoenix is kind of a different racetrack because both ends are so different. It’s cut real tight in (Turns) 1 and 2. You can get the car turning real good in (Turns) 1 and 2, but then you might be loose off in (Turns) 3 and 4. Your brakes are real important, and it’s all about getting the car to roll. The best handling car generally is going to win that race. Because getting through traffic is difficult, it’s hard to pass there. There’s only a couple of passing opportunities, so it’s very important to have your car handling as good as it possibly can be.”

McGREW (ON KEYS TO WINNING AT PHOENIX.): “No mistakes. A bad pit stop will do you in, a loose lug nut will do you in, a bad decision on the racetrack will do you in. I think we have to stay focused as a race team and not have any mistakes because it’s so hard to recover.”

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release

Jimmie Johnson - Photo Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images

Current Driver Point Standings: 1st
Leading By: 73 Points
Finish at Texas: 38th
November 2008 Finish at Phoenix: 1st

RACE NOTES

Phoenix International Raceway

• Johnson has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway where he has earned three wins, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.
• The three-time champion has won three of the last four events at the one-mile track and has six consecutive top-five finishes.
• Johnson has completed 100% (3748 of 3748) of competition laps at the track and has led 506.
• He has an average start and finish of 11.2 and 5.4.

Chassis

• Johnson will pilot chassis number 540 in Sunday’s race in Phoenix. He last drove it to a runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway in October.
• Backup chassis number 520 has won four of its five starts (Richmond, Fall 08, Martinsville Fall, 08, Phoenix, Fall 08 and Martinsville, Spring 09).

JOHNSON QUOTES

Considering that Hendrick Motorsports cars have won the last five Cup races in a row at PIR, does that previous success give you a little more comfort level going into that race in terms of the championship? “Yeah, I would say that looking at the schedule, the best track remaining for us would be PIR.  We had a really fast car in the spring and had some different issues on pit road and some bad luck with the timing of the caution that kept us back in the pack, and still ended up with a reasonable finish but we passed a lot of cars, and in our opinion felt like we had the strongest car.

“So going back to Phoenix is exciting for us, and it’s one of the tracks I was mentioning in my opening statements there that I feel we can get a victory at, and hopefully make some more cool things take place in the points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - PreOrder

“At the end of the day I feel very confident.  I feel very strong about the performance Hendrick Motorsports will have.  I just hope it’s the 48 car on top of the heap. “

It’ll be the first use of the double wide restart rule at PIR.  Do you think the inside or the outside line will be favorable, especially because a couple of years ago the wall in turn 2 was moved back a little bit to open it up? “The double file restarts will be interesting.  The bottom will probably be the preferred line.  I think in Turns 1 and 2 the outside will do a really good job of hanging on and can maintain down the back stretch.  But in most cases the bottom of 3 and 4 is the preferred line, and we’ll probably end up prevailing through the length of the race.

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES

Career Wins

• Johnson has 46 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 17, 2009.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is tied for 13^th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. Buck Baker also has 46 wins.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (81).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first seven full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but six (Bristol, Michigan, Infineon, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson is the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles

• Johnson has collected 22 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, 2009.

Career Starts

• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 289 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 115 top-five and 178 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 9,415 laps (of 83,231) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 111,487 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 224 times.

- GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with His Crew Chief Lance McGrew

LUCKY LONE STAR STATE:

AT TEXAS: In 14 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has scored one win, three top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He has an average starting position of 9.1 and an average finish of 13.9 at the Fort Worth, Texas, track. He has led at least one lap in 11 of those starts for a total of 400 laps.

STRONG START: Earnhardt’s 9.1 average starting spot at Texas is a personal track best for the 35-year-old driver. The last time Earnhardt drove the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet at Texas — April 6, 2008 — he scored the pole position.

IN THE FALL: Earnhardt has finished better in the fall Texas event in three of the four seasons since the track added a second race in 2005. He has a 17.8 average finish in the past five spring events at Texas and a 12th-place average finish in the fall. Earnhardt led six laps and finished 20th at the track earlier this year.

LAPS IN THE TOP 15: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt leads all drivers in laps run in the top 15 at Texas. During the last nine races at the 1.5-mile oval, the Kannapolis, N.C., native has spent almost 82 percent of his time (2,471 laps of 3,016) running in the top 15.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-556. Earnhardt last raced this car at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 4, where he led 41 laps before suffering an engine issue with 41 laps to go. This was the first chassis that McGrew built for Earnhardt from the ground up. It debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 172 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, five pole positions, 37 top-five finishes and 67 top-10s. On 1.5-mile tracks such as Texas, he ranks sixth overall among active, full-time drivers in the laps led category (1,169 laps) and seventh in top-10 finishes (27 total).

TIRE TEST: Earnhardt and the No. 88 team are participating in a Goodyear tire test at the 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Monday and Tuesday.

HENDRICK AT TEXAS: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has three wins, 17 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s in 17 Cup events (69 starts) at Texas Motor Speedway.

HEAR FROM EARNHARDT: Get a weekly call and text from Earnhardt and hear his thoughts on the upcoming race. Text 88 to GUARD (48273) to sign up. Standard message and voice rates apply. Text HELP to 48273 for support and STOP 88 to 48273 to opt out. Visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com/DaleJr for more information.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON TEXAS.): “I like racing at Texas. It’s a fun track. The fans always seem to be excited about us coming out there. We’ve had some good success at Texas, too, so that helps a lot and makes us get excited about coming back. I just like the enthusiasm that the crowd has and the people that are from in and around that area have for racing, so it gets me excited.”

LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON TEXAS.): “We’ve had some good runs on intermediate tracks but just haven’t had the finishes we need to have. I like going to Texas. It’s a fast track. Corner speed at Texas is crucial. You are going to fight tight off of Turns 2 and 4, so your driver has to be able to get in the throttle, accelerating off the corners to go fast.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

FIND YOUR NAME: The fans who signed up to “Get on the 88″ can go to www.AMPEnergy.com to find out if their names are on Earnhardt’s Chevrolet or pit wall banner. By entering the same e-mail address used during registration, fans can search a grid on the car to see where their names are located.

GOOD COMPANY: Earnhardt’s five wins at Talladega are the most for him at any one track and rank him third all-time among drivers at the Alabama oval. Earnhardt’s father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., leads with 10 wins at the track, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon has recorded six.

MOST RECENTLY AT TALLADEGA: Earnhardt Jr. scored his season-best finish of second in the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega. He led seven times for 20 laps on his way to his first top-five finish of the season.

EARNHARDT JR. AT TALLADEGA: In 19 Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Earnhardt Jr. has scored five wins, eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. He scored a record-setting four consecutive wins at the 2.66-mile oval from October 2001 to April 2003. Earnhardt Jr. has led 655 laps around the track.

LEADING LAPS: Earnhardt Jr. has led all but two of the 19 Sprint Cup races he has entered at Talladega for a total of 655 laps. He has led more career laps at only two other tracks: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (758) and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (743).

CHASSIS CHOICE: Interim crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers have chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-475 for this weekend’s 500-mile event at Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. last drove this chassis to a 39th-place finish Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July after being in involved in a mid-race accident. Before that, Earnhardt Jr. raced this chassis to a season-high second-place finish at Talladega in April.

STRONG ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: In 39 Cup Series starts on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega), Earnhardt Jr. has recorded seven wins, 14 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s. He has a 14.3 average starting position and an average finishing position of 14.9.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt Jr. is fifth in the driver rating category at Talladega with a 90.1 score. 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.

TIRE TEST: Following Sunday’s race, Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 team will participate in a Goodyear tire test at Daytona on Monday and Tuesday.

HENDRICK AT TALLADEGA: Earnhardt Jr.’s second-place finish in the April event at Talladega was the highest that day for Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season. Hendrick Motorsports has won 10 races and led 1,891 laps at Talladega, both track records. Additionally, Hendrick drivers have scored 41 top-five finishes and 59 top-10s there.

TOP ENGINE BUILDERS: On Oct. 21, Matt Pennell and Scott Vester built their Chevrolet R07 engine in record time (22 minutes and 57 seconds) to win the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown at Hendrick Motorsports. Pennell, a Hendrick Automotive Group (HAG) technician, partnered with Vester, a Hendrick Motorsports engineer, to win the event. Twelve teams, each of which partnered a HAG technician with a Hendrick Motorsports engineer, participated in the two-day competition, which is held in honor of the late engine builder Randy Dorton and sponsored by MAHLE-Clevite.

HEAR FROM EARNHARDT JR.: Get a weekly call and text from Earnhardt Jr. and hear his thoughts on the upcoming race. Text 88 to GUARD (48273) to sign up. Standard message and voice rates apply. Text HELP to 48273 for support and STOP 88 to 48273 to opt out. Visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com/DaleJr for more information.

*****

AMP ENERGY 500 STAGE: On Saturday night, Earnhardt Jr. and AMP Energy will host the Zac Brown Band in the Talladega infield. The concert is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time, and Earnhardt Jr. will hold a 10-minute question-and-answer session with fans before the band plays. Fans can use their Sunday tickets for the AMP Energy 500 as admission to the concert.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY “GET ON THE 88″/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY.): “Talladega is a unique racetrack. It’s a great race to watch, and it’s a fun race to be in. It does a good job at maintaining excitement in the sport. You will never hear people complaining about the action or the level of racing. We always put on a great show, and there’s always a lot of drama. It can be dangerous, but we’ve got a safe race car, and they get safer every year. The track has got a great history, too. We always run good here, and the fans are always great to us, so I enjoy coming here.”

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY “GET ON THE 88″/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON STRATEGY AT TALLADEGA.): “You can go there with a strategy if you want to, but it’s not going to make a difference in how you finish, I don’t think. Because you can get wrecked in the back, you can get wrecked in the front, you can get wrecked in the middle. You can get wrecked at the beginning of the race, you can get wrecked at the end of the race — it just doesn’t matter. I’m pretty sure we are going to go there with a strategy of trying to lead every lap and win. I don’t think Junior is the kind of guy that likes to ride around in the back and wing it in the end. It’s a track that he really enjoys going to, a track that the fans love to see him at and a track that we would love to win at.”

McGREW (ON FINDING A DRAFTING PARTNER.): “It depends on everybody else’s strategy. If our teammates decide to ride in the back all day, then obviously we can’t draft with them. So, I think that’s something you develop along the way — if you draft well with another guy, or if you draft well with his car that particular day.”

McGREW (ON JUNIOR NATION IN TALLADEGA.):“I know they love it. Junior Nation loves going to Talladega, and they love watching Dale Jr. It’s amazing how passionate they are.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Dupont Motorsports Logo

Gordon, who is third in the standings and 135 behind leader JimmieJohnson, has fared well at the Virginia short track in the past. In 33 starts, he has seven wins, seven poles, 21 top-fives – including a current streak of nine straight – and 27 top-10’s. The last time Gordon finished outside the top 10 at the 0.526- mile track was 2002 – the year an upstart named Jimmie Johnson raced for rookie-of-the-year honors.

But race No. 34 at the paperclip-shaped track for Gordon brings a new challenge.

“I’m excited about Martinsville and I hope it’s a good weekend for us,” said Gordon, who will drive a specially painted No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet in the 500-lap race. “And the ‘new’ double-file restart rule should add to an already challenging track and race.

“In the past, the double-file restarts here with lapped cars on the inside were challenging and exciting enough. Now, with lead-lap cars double-file in front, it’s really going to make things interesting because there certainly is a preferred line.

“Anytime you go to a short track where there is a lot of rubbing and banging, if the outside lane is not the preferred lane, then those guys in the outside lane are going to be working really hard to get in the inside lane, or viceversa.

“So it’s going to create a lot of excitement and possibly some real drama.”

While a ‘new’ rule may create additional excitement on the old track, the keys to winning should remain the same.

“Our job is the same as it’s always been here,” said the 82-time career race winner. “We must make the car go through the corners as fast as we can, make sure we’re not burning up the brakes, and get the car up off the corner and down the straightaways the best we possibly can against the competition.

“And our goal is to be better than the competition in each of the last five races. A lot can happen in five races.”

A lot can happen in one race at Martinsville.

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

AT MARTINSVILLE: Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, has scored eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 19 Cup starts at the short track. He has an average starting position of 12.6 and an average finish of 13.3. Earnhardt has completed 98.4 percent of all the laps he’s attempted there (9,357 of 9,510).

LAP LEADER: Earnhardt’s 758 laps led at Martinsville are a personal track best for the 35-year-old driver. He has tallied 146 of those laps driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Interim crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers have chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-562 for this weekend’s 500-lap event at Martinsville Speedway. This car is brand new and is the third one that McGrew has built from the ground up for Earnhardt.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt is fifth in the driver rating category in the fall event at Martinsville with a 102.4 score. 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.

VIRGINIA NATIVES: Four members of the No. 88 team call the state of Virginia home. Virginia Tech graduate Brian Whitesell, who has been team manager of the Nos. 5 and 88 Chevrolets since 2005, hails from Stuarts Draft. Mechanic Jim Jenkins and team engineer Tom Stewart both grew up in coastal Hampton. Car chief David Bryant calls Farmville his hometown.

TIRE TEST: Earnhardt and the No. 88 team will participate in a Goodyear tire test at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., this week.

HENDRICK AT MARTINSVILLE: In 51 races (154 starts) at Martinsville Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins, 53 top-five finishes and 86 top-10s, all of which are the most for the organization at any racetrack. Most recently, Jimmie Johnson visited Victory Lane at the short track in March, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports’ first win, which happened at Martinsville on April 29, 1984.

FIND YOUR NAME AT AMPENERGY.COM: The more than 70,000 fans who signed up to “Get on the 88″ can go to www.AMPEnergy.com to see where their names will be on the No. 88 AMP Energy “Get on the 88″/National Guard Chevrolet that Earnhardt will drive Nov. 1 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. AMP Energy unveiled the special paint scheme at www.AMPEnergy.com last weekend.

*****

ROCKIN’ THE RIVER CONCERT SERIES: The Dale Jr. Foundation is hosting the “Rockin’ the River” concert series at Whisky River in uptown Charlotte, N.C., every Thursday in October. This week, Earnhardt will host a live taping of QVC, and Blake Shelton will perform. Next Thursday, Phil Vassar is scheduled for the final performance for the fundraising effort, which benefits The Dale Jr. Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Victory Junction Gang Camp. For more information, visit http://whiskyriver.tickets.musictoday.com.

*****

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY.): “We’ve had some pretty good runs at Martinsville, and I like racing on the short tracks. Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) have always run really well there and can give good advice and feedback. Lance (McGrew, crew chief) has built some good race cars for me, and he is bringing a brand new car. I think we’ve got a good shot.”

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY.): “I think the biggest thing for Martinsville is you have to have a good-handling race car in the corner. If your car doesn’t roll just right, you’re going to fight forward bite issues all day, and you’re not going to get in the corner right. If you can keep the car turning on the corner just right then you are going to have a good day. And obviously, staying out of trouble is key.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release

Jeff Gordon (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

ON THE JEFF GORDON FOUNDATION:
“This is always a special time of year for us. We had an event last night to celebrate our 10-year anniversary, a decade of caring, and I’m really happy to announce that it’s been a great 2009 for us and we’ve had tremendous support from our fans and the community within our sport as well as outside. We announced to key supporters that the foundation is committing $2.5 million to support pediatric cancer research and treatment and programs at the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital for it was a great night for us and it’s been a great year.

“Among those programs that we’re funding are the building of a pediatric pulmonary lab and community outreach program at the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital, the establishment of the Jeff Gordon Foundation Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, funds to conduct a Phase I long term follow-up study of pediatric cancer patients through CureSearch and the Children’s Oncology Group, funds to tissue-type 30,000 marrow donors through the Be The Match Registry of the National Marrow Donors Program.

“The foundation was established in 1999 and since that time I’m really proud to say that we have helped tens of thousands of children and granted nearly $10 million to some of the country’s most recognized children’s health organizations. I just want to say thank you to the media and to NASCAR and certainly to all of our fans. It’s been a tremendous ten years. We’re very proud that we’ve accomplished that and I can’t wait for the next ten years. Thank you for the time to be able to make those announcements.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR PLANS THIS WEEKEND AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
“This was a great track for us in May. Any of the tracks that we go back to for the second time, we’re excited when we know that even though we didn’t have a great result because of the rain, I felt like we had a very strong race car and the team was fantastic. So we’re excited about coming back here this time around in October. We’re optimistic about the weekend and building on the momentum of the last two second-place finishes. To compete for this championship, we’ve got to keep that up and then some. We understand what we’re up against, not only our teammates, but Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart and also the 15th place finish that we had at New Hampshire. So all we can do is to continue to just push forward, work hard and put the best finishes out there that we can and let the rest of the things take care of themselves.”

ON THE PGA TOUR, SOME PEOPLE SAY TIGER WOODS HAS CAUSED OTHER GOLFERS TO RAISE THEIR GAME. IS THAT WHAT JIMMIE JOHNSON IS DOING? CAUSING OTHER DRIVERS TO RAISE THEIR GAME?
“No doubt about it. That whole group of Jimmie, Chad (Knaus) and all the way through the shop have set the benchmark for how you go about preparing your cars and how you go about execution during the race, communication throughout the weekend, and as well as Jimmie’s commitment from a driver’s standpoint; he’s physically fit and how he analyzes the race tracks and the races. I think everybody has a little bit different and unique driving style and way to go about it. But what Jimmie is doing, and that whole group, it takes a team and the total team effort is obviously proving to be the strongest thing out there right now.”

ON HAVING TO COMPETE AGAINST JIMMIE JOHNSON AND MARK MARTIN IN HENDRICK EQUIPMENT ON TONY STEWART IN HENDRICK ENGINES, HOW MUCH DOES THAT GNAW AT YOU?
“It does a little. We pride ourselves on being the best out there and winning and continuing that tradition, not only for our No. 24 team but also Hendrick Motorsports. It’s a great problem to have that you’re at the best organization out there providing the best equipment and resources and people and that’s exactly what you’re up against each and every weekend. It’s been the philosophy of Rick’s since I first came to Hendrick that you hope that you’re battling against your teammate. It’s a great problem to have for Rick and the organization and it’s something that the organization takes a lot of pride in and what that does is that opens up more opportunities for yourself and every other person and each team every year to only get better. And so we kind of know that going into it and while at times it’s tough, it’s very competitive, and it can be frustrating as well, when you get beat it’s just because of the way that competition is driving one another. NASCAR hasn’t always been similar to, say other forms of racing like Formula I and Indy Car where you’re up against your teammate and your performance is sort of driven by your teammate and there is this internal rivalry, but as competitive as its gotten over the years, it certainly has the making of that and gets stronger every year.”

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THAT JEFF GORDON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL PLAYGROUND AT CONCORD MILLS MALL?
“Oh, yeah. I’m very proud of it and of our name being associated with it. You know we have 500 employees at Hendrick Motorsports plus numerous employees in this whole area from the Speedway to the other teams and shops that are out there and there’s not a weekend that goes by that I don’t have a member, whether it be in the media or in the garage area, that says thank you for the hospital and maybe treatment that was done on one of their kids or somebody knew, or, that they had a lot of fun over at Concord Mills Mall in the playground.”

SPEAKING OF TREATMENTS, HOW IS YOUR BACK DOING?
“I’m happy to report nothing. Everything is good. I haven’t had any issues. The last little scare was Watkins Glen and I didn’t know how long it was going to take to recover from that and I feel like I’m fully recovered from that and I haven’t had any back issues. I mean it’s still there, but I haven’t had pain or anything that’s been too uncomfortable or any distraction in the car, so I’m happy about that.

“We’ve basically been doing the same things. During the week I would go to a chiropractor and get different types of treatments that they call manipulation, where they just stretch you out as much as they can, literally stretching each spinal cord in the lumbar area to try to just give it some relief; as well as the stem treatment. I mentioned that last week. It is electric-static stuff making the muscles do things which is the best way I can describe it (laughs). It’s supposed to loosen the muscles up. So I do that during the week. I’ve been able to incorporate some of that on the weekends because I like what that does and some adjustments as well.”

WE’VE GOT THREE GUYS WITH FINISHING AVERAGES OF 3.5 OR BETTER IN THE TOP THREE IN POINTS. DO YOU THINK ANYBODY CAN KEEP DOING THAT THROUGH 10 RACES?
“So, what you really want to know is whether or not I’m hoping that doesn’t happen (laughs). The only chance we have in the championship is for that average obviously to change. Those three guys have been on a tear, they’ve been consistent and very competitive and leading laps and you’ve got to give them a lot of credit for that. We’ve been making a strong comeback, but it’s certainly not going to be enough unless we win the next six races or something (laughs) to be able to overcome not only the deficit we had going in because of the wins that they had versus ours, as well as that 15th and 6th place finish that started off the Chase. Realistically, in ’07 I didn’t think that a 5.0 average would last and I lost with a 5.1. So anything is possible. Do I think that’s going to continue? No, I don’t. I think the averages are going to come into play. Does that mean it’s going to be a 5.0 average or a 7.0 average? It’s going to be low, the way these guys are performing.”

ON GOING TO MARTINSVILLE NEXT WEEKEND AND HOW THE DOUBLE-FILE SHOOTOUT STARTS WILL OUT AT MARTINSVILLE?
“I’m excited about Martinsville. It’s going to be a great weekend, especially because of the double-file restarts. In the past, we’ve always had double-file restarts but you’ve got the lapped cars on the inside and just the challenge that creates in itself is exciting enough. Now you put in lead-lap cars double-file and it’s really going to make things interesting because there certainly is a preferred line there. Anytime you go to a short track where there is a lot of rubbing and banging, what’s going to happen is if the outside lane is not the preferred lane, then those guys in the outside lane are going to be working really hard to get in the inside lane, and vice-versa.

“So it’s going to create a lot of excitement and possibly some real drama. We’ll just wait to see how it plays out. Our job is the same as always: go there, make the car go through the corners as fast as we can, make sure we’re not burning up the brakes, and get the car up off the corner and down the straight-aways the best we possibly can against the competition.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK BRAD KESELOWSKI IS DEVELOPING AS A CUP DRIVER EVEN THOUGH HE MAY HAVE RUFFLED A FEW FEATHERS WITH SOME VETERAN DRIVERS? “That is a good question. I am a little surprised with that from Brad because I have known Brad for a little while and he is such a good guy. It does seem like his aggressiveness on the track even in the Nationwide Series has elevated up a couple of notches. Obviously, there is a reason for that and he wants to make his mark and show what he is capable of doing. When you step up your aggressiveness, you ruffle some feathers. That could work for him or against him; however he chooses it to play out.

“I think every rookie that comes in goes through a learning curve of the longer races; of knowing when to be aggressive, when to be patient. Some take longer than others to get adjusted. As long as he continues to perform well, then I think it is a faster learning curve because when you are racing in the top-five and the top-10, guys race different than they do from 10th to 15th; 15th to 20th on back. It is a totally different type of racing. It is almost harder to be honest with you because the track position, the cars are handling as good. Track position is more important than ever. It is like guys are racing like it is the last lap. That is why a lot of times you see the crashes in that area.

“To me, one of the best things that happened to me as a rookie was that I was up front learning from the best and the guys that were up there competing for wins. It showed me a better way of how to go about racing. I think that is what Brad is very capable of and we will just have to see how it plays out for him.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE JIMMIE JOHNSON’S DRIVING STYLE? “I think that everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. I think that Jimmie strength is he drives a little more off the right rear tire than say I do. I drive a little bit more off the right front tire. And all that is, is a feel in the steering wheel. It could be as easy as how you position your hands on the steering wheel. How you position your body in the car as to how you like that car to react. It is visually as well as seat of your pants feel of the car. I think that especially with this car, it is a lot harder to get this car through the center of the corners. Some of the things that we have to do to get the car to turn the center makes the cars a little more uncomfortable in and off the corner from a loose condition. That definitely plays out to Jimmie’s style. The best drivers in our sport have always been the ones that know how to balance aggressiveness and patience very well. I think Jimmie fits that. He does that very well.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS HOW QUICKLY A DRIVER AND CREW CHIEF BUILD THAT COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIP AND WHEN A DRIVER GETS UPSET, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR THE CREW CHIEF TO PULL HIM BACK IN? “I think it is extremely important in any good relationship and especially when it deals with a crew chief and a driver. When one is excited, the other has to be calm. If you have two people get over-excited, you are going to have a bad day. There is no doubt at Kansas I was extremely frustrated. I am still a little spun-out by that day because the way we started that race, I thought we were going to be two laps down before the first caution. And yet, I don’t think we ever fell worse than 12th or 14th or something like that. To me, the car had a lot more speed in it than it felt. I felt like we were pretty far off so I was angry and frustrated that we started that far off. I was so proud of Steve (Letarte) that day. I made the comment about him being my hero if he fixed it. We were very close to fixing it. Still, definitely close to being one of my biggest heroes because of that day.

“I told him and the team after that was thank you for putting up with me because I was a pain in the butt that day. I have my moments. How he handled that situation and that we fought back and came back and finished second to me was spoke volumes about our relationship as well as our race team. I think that really has helped propel us to another level in this Chase and helped us have a very great, calm day in California. I don’t think I said more than three or four words last week. Partly out of guilt for the things I was saying the week before and the other because we started the race out right and we had a good solid day.

“I think sometimes those relationships can happen immediately. Sometimes they take years. You have to understand that Steve has been on our team a long time. The reason why I believe he is my crew chief right now is because he and I clicked when he was car chief. Even when he was doing tires for us years and years ago. I liked his attitude. I liked his energy level. I liked his personality. I felt like he and I meshed very well. When he became the car chief, I realized how smart he was and how capable he was far beyond what a car chief but even more so. He has only impressed me even more as a crew chief.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE HALL OF FAME SELECTIONS? “Ah, man. I think it is very cool. It is so hard to narrow it down to five. Those are certainly at the top of my list and I don’t think there were any big surprises. Maybe (David) Pearson but it is hard to narrow it down to five. I mean, incredible group. I think those five really, to me, stand out as making their mark in our sport getting it where it is today. Certainly belong in that first class.”

TALLADEGA COMING UP ON HALLOWEEN WEEKEND, IF YOU WERE TO DRESS UP, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “I would just like to have a disguise that nobody could recognize me so I could go out in the infield to check out all the fun that is going to be happening out there on Halloween. Whatever costume that is, I don’t know. But I don’t want to give it away here. I am really more disappointed that Ingrid and Ella are going to be at home and not able to come with me and I am going to miss Halloween for her. So, I will be getting images and videos and downloaded to me, that is going to be my Halloween fun in Talladega.”

WHAT IS ELLA GOING TO BE? “Well, right now she is planning on being a puppy dog. But, the other day Ingrid came home and had found a lion outfit, she put that on and wore it all night long and to a restaurant that we went to dinner at. I have a feeling this costume is going to change several times before that weekend.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT JUAN PABLO MONTOYA’S PROGRESSION AND ARE YOU SURPRISED HE HASN’T WON MORE RACES? “I just always looked at Juan as one the most incredible drivers out there. I knew he was going to have an uphill battle. When you have been driving the open wheel type cars that he had for that long, it is such a tough transition to get a feel for these cars, learn the tracks, transition in to different people, a team. It is like starting your career over but he has the talent so I knew it would be a matter of time. I didn’t know how much time and some of that had to do with the team providing him the resources and equipment. Just seeing some of the things early on, he certainly had a lot to get used to with these bigger, heavier cars. Just how deep you drive in the corner. How aggressive he was on restarts and learning the aerodynamics of the car around other cars. All the typical things that you see so many go through but I think maybe even a little bit more under a microscope for him because of who he is and what he has accomplished in other forms of racing.

“But again, I just felt like it was a matter of time before the team stepped up and he got the experience to be competitive. Now, he has stepped up in a whole new way and surprised a lot of us throughout the Chase. Obviously that team has built him some great race cars and Brian (Pattie, crew chief) has done a great job and Juan has stepped up right along with him driving hard and aggressive. That is a neat thing while he had a lot to learn about the cars and the racing and the aerodynamics and those things, he still brings his own style to it. You see him running high qualifying sometimes, where everybody is on the bottom. He will drive in as deep or deeper than anybody out there. He’ll run unique lines and search around. So he brings his own unique style to it which I think is what is going to make him successful.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR WIN AT TEXAS IN APRIL AND GOING BACK IN A FEW WEEKS: “We are anxious to get back there. It was obviously a huge win for us as a team going there so many times and from being so close and not getting the win to having just horrendous, terrible days. We ran bad or hit the wall or had a failure, whatever may have happened. It was just one of those tracks that I typically left there wanting to forget as quick as I could.

“Now I can’t wait to get back there because we had such a strong car. We had worked so hard over the off season because of what we learned there in November last year to come back to be strong in Texas, knowing that it is a Chase race and it is a race that has haunted us for the last several years. To turn that around was fantastic. I can’t wait to get back there.

“Plus we are going to be giving our Corvette away for the Jeff Gordon Foundation. So it is always a real special weekend for us.”

DO OTHER DRIVERS EXPERIENCE DEFLATION AFTER JIMMIE WON LAST WEEK AND KNOWING WHAT HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS? “It definitely sends the “uh, oh” message. You don’t want these guys to get on a roll. We’ve seen what they have done in the past. I think that it shows that they are as strong as they have ever been and it is going to take a lot to beat them. It is motivation for a lot of people.

“But I don’t really think deflation at this point because there is too much racing left to go. I think if anything, it is inspiration to go out there and do everything you possibly can to rise to that occasion and that challenge and go out there and outperform them and get the wins. That is to me the motivation that came from that. The thing that you will hear Jimmie say a lot about is that the 10-races in the Chase are all really good tracks for them. So, they have been able to take advantage of that where in the past three years, other teams haven’t been able to do as well. That is why we are so focused this year on Texas.

“I am a little disappointed how we performed at Phoenix earlier in the year because I feel like that is another track where we have to perform well to be able to compete with both the No. 5 (Mark Martin) and the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson). Of course Juan has thrown himself in the mix there that maybe some didn’t expect. You never know where he is going to be the guy to beat or where is going to be weak. And then you have Tony Stewart as well that is just good everywhere so you never know where he is going to strike. I think that they definitely, as we mentioned earlier, the force everyone to elevate up their game. Especially when Chase time comes around.”

“If I can just end by saying the Transformer 2 “Revenge of the Fallen”, the DVD is coming out October 20th.”

About General Motors: General Motors Company, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors Company acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors Company can be found at www.gm.com.

- GM Racing Communications, Press Release

Dale Earnhardt Jr (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

WHERE IT ALL STARTED: Earnhardt made his Cup Series debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the 600-mile race on May 30, 1999. The then 24-year-old started the event eighth and finished 16th. Since then, Earnhardt has tallied 18 wins, 88 top-five finishes and 142 top-10s in 357 Cup starts.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Interim crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-521 for this weekend’s 500-mile event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. This chassis last was raced to a 27th-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June.

HENDRICK AT LOWE’S: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has 15 Cup wins, 13 pole positions, 45 top-five finishes and 69 top-10s in 51 races (166 starts) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

ONE-TWO FINISH(ES): Out of Hendrick Motorsports’ 11 Cup wins this season, seven have involved one-two finishes with its Chevrolets. Hendrick drivers have scored the first and second spots at Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Overall, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 29 one-two finishes since first fielding a multi-car team in 1986.

ROCKIN’ THE RIVER CONCERT SERIES: The Dale Jr. Foundation is hosting the “Rockin’ the River” concert series at Whisky River in uptown Charlotte, N.C., every Thursday in October. Gavin DeGraw will perform this Thursday and other acts including the Carter Twins, Blake Shelton and Phil Vassar are scheduled for the fundraising effort, which benefits The Dale Jr. Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Victory Junction Gang Camp. For more information, visit http://whiskyriver.tickets.musictoday.com.