Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leaves DEI
Richard Childress Racing And Hendrick Motorsports Show Interest
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season. The most popular driver is now the biggest free agent. A hard decesion is ahead for Junior.
Let the Bidding Begin on Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, announced last Thursday that he will be leaving Dale Earnhardt Incorporated at the end of this season. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated is the team that was built by his late great father Dale Earnhardt. Since Dale Jr. began his Nextel Cup Series career, it has been the only place Junior has called home. But that will all change beginning next season.
The question that the media has been asking Dale Earnhardt Jr. all weekend is where will he drive in 2008? Junior has made it clear that he will drive a Chevy. But it is still unclear which Chevy team Junior will make his move to. Now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a free agent, the bidding wars for the most popular driver in NASCAR can begin.
Many believe that Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing are the front runners in the bid to sign Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports currently has four drivers under contract, which include Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Casey Mears. But Hendrick Motorsports has shown no interest in starting a fifth team due to a new NASCAR rule that limits the amount of drivers a team can have.
On the other hand, Richard Childress Racing has shown interest in starting a forth team. Currently Richard Childress Racing has drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer. Ironically, Richard Childress Racing was the team that Dale Earnhardt drove for before his death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. If Dale Earnhardt Jr. did join Richard Childress Racing, he could possibly drive his father’s old number, #3.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has plenty of options to look at. If he is unable to find a team before the 2008 season, he can always start up his own cup team at JR motor sports. But that is only if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is unable to find a ride, which many believe will not happen.
There is no question that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the biggest free agent in all of sports. Earnhardt Jr. says he is open to all offers that come his way in the next couple of months and will take his time before signing with a new team. The phone at the Earnhardt Jr. residents should be ringing off the hook in the coming months as teams try to sign the hottest driver in NASCAR.
