[Updated] Earnhardt Jr. to drive for Hendrick in '08

[drew630]

Update:

Originally Posted by Family Man

It's official!!!

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/head...ent/index.html

Earnhardt Jr. announces he will drive for Hendrick

Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch at Hendrick. No announcement was made in regards to sponsorship or what car number Earnhardt will drive. It was not announced where Busch will end up.

Earnhardt made the announcement at his JR Motorsports shop, saying when he announced in May his desire to leave his current team, DEI, that he wanted to find a place where he could win a championship. He said he found that man, then introduced his new team owner, Rick Hendrick in front of a Hendrick Motorsports backdrop.

"Winning is what it's all about for him," Earnhardt said of his new boss. "I feel like he's got great cars and I feel like we'll have success on the racetrack. It's a new chapter for me."

"This is a 'wow' day," Hendrick said.

Yesterday:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Wednesday will announce his intent to drive the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2008, multiple sources with intimate knowledge of negotiations told ESPN.com Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Dale Earnhardt Jr. likely won't be Driver 8 anymore, but will he still pilot the Budweiser Chevrolet?


Hendrick Motorsports declined comment Tuesday, and e-mails and calls sent to Earnhardt's representation were not returned. A news conference was scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday to officially announce the deal. Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, who has handled contract negotiations for her brother, declined to comment on the report.
There was some speculation that the wheels are already in motion to plant Earnhardt in the No. 5 now driven by Kyle Busch before season's end, but Dale Earnhardt, Inc. president Max Siegel, contacted by phone Tuesday, discounted that scenario, saying Earnhardt would remain in the No. 8 through season's end.
Sources said there are indications that Busch may not finish the year in the No. 5. Busch is under contract with HMS through the end of next season, and Hendrick had been working to sign the 22-year old driver to an extension.
Jeff Dickerson, an attorney for Busch, told ESPN.com that "a lot of things may or may not occur. Out of respect for Hendrick Motorsports, we're not really sure what's going on yet. But we're trying. I don't think anything's changed yet. I can not tell you that Kyle is out of the No. 5 for 2008."




Rest at link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/s...d=2&id=2901813

[drew630]

Speed Tv also reportig that the conference will start at 11:00 am at Jr Motorsports and that it is either a deal with Hendrick or a deal that will provide Jr. Motorsports with Hendrick cars for Jr. to run.
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/38004/
Ginn racing has also announced that they are out of the running for Jr.

[ChevyRacing48]

Awesome!!

[likearock00]

I really don't like Jr being teammates with the likes of Johnson & Gordon, especially now that they are the best company out there even without Jr. I think it will really make NASCAR too one sided. It will be interesting to see how many times Hendrick wins next year if this is true....

[LAChevy24]

i find this a bit wierd. hendrick said that his stable was full. i really dont see kyle leaving next year. also, if it is true, how will jr fans react? i know many of them hate Gordon

[bad03xtreme]

I was hoping for a Gibbs partnership but that looks dead now. I would rather see Jr. get his engines from Hendrick and run a satellite team from JR Motorsports than be teamates with Jeff and Jimmi ehhh.

[Love_My_Grand_Am]

Not meaning to repeat myself, but this thread might get more play after tomorrow's presser. I wrote this in another thread dealing with a similar topic:

Now having Junior going to Hendricks would be an interesting move indeed. I doubt that I would be able to cheer for him any more, because I do not respect the Hendrick organization. I believe that NASCAR makes allowances for them, and slightly adjusts the rules in their favour (witness last Sunday's race at Pocono), just because they throw more money at the sport. Their drivers get away with things that others do not. Just my opinion, but I think it would be a mistake for that to happen.

[Smellhound]

I find this interesting. Just to see how Earnhardt fans react to Gordon now that Earnhard Jr. is likely to be working with Gordon and company closer than ever.

For those of you who are afraid of this making Hendrick too powerful...it may not be as bad as what you think. Sure, Hendrick is likely to get a lot of money out of this (from sponsors), but if history teaches us anything....the 'ultimate superteams' made up of all stars usually have expectations so high that there is no way they can meet them.

The Gordon and Earnhardt fans (along with the rest of Hendrick and Jimmy Johnson) are likely to be gloating the next few days of how their "superteam" will be almost unbeatable. When they do that, all you have to do is remind them that with expectations like that..there is no way they can exceed expectations....all that can happen are to simply meet them, or fall short of them. Where is the fun in that? (This is coming from a New York Yankees fan...it is almost not any fun to root for them because if they win, they are supposed to, but if they lose it is massive dissapointment--sometimes it's better to be a bit of an underdog.)

[Smellhound]

Actually, the more and more I read about the current articles on the net, I wouldn't yet get so excited about him Joining Hendrick as Gordon and Johnson's teamates.

As of this moment, it looks more to me like he is going to announce is own team running Nextel Cup cars with HEAVY support from Hendrick, but with him NOT being teammates with Gordon and Johnson, and CERTAINLY not working out of the same facility as Gordon and Johnson.

[SilverCompG]

From what I've heard, he will be in either the 5 or 25 and Kyle Busch is going to be gone. Bud sponsored the 25 for years at Hendrick, so that would make sense. An Earnhardt and a Gordon on the same team will be strange if indeed that is what happens! You can't blame Jr for wanting to be at Hendrick, because they do have the best equipment. I was really hoping he would go to RCR or Gibbs though.

[likearock00]

Originally Posted by Smellhound

Actually, the more and more I read about the current articles on the net, I wouldn't yet get so excited about him Joining Hendrick as Gordon and Johnson's teamates.

As of this moment, it looks more to me like he is going to announce is own team running Nextel Cup cars with HEAVY support from Hendrick, but with him NOT being teammates with Gordon and Johnson, and CERTAINLY not working out of the same facility as Gordon and Johnson.

And that would be great with me!!

[Smellhound]

One good thing that could come of Earnhardt going to Hendrick...it could mean a few less wins for Jeff Gordon or Johnson. Not to be a conspiracy theorist (I think Nascar is much fairer than many think) but if there WAS any unfair advantage going around to certain teams...Nascar would want a few of those wins that Gordon and Johnson are getting to go Jr's way.

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

Great. There were rumors that he may drive for Childress, and they would brush off the dust from the Black No. 3 for him to drive.

Dale, Jr. needs to make his own mark. The Black No. 3 shjould be retired so noone else will use that number.

[Shotgun]

Yeah, that's the rumor. If he goes to Hendrick, he can kiss a lot of loyal fans goodbye for sure, including me. He would rank below Johnson and Gordon (meaning last) as the Chevrolet driver I would want to win a race. I doubt if Hendrick's current dominance will last forever, but I guess they're thinking otherwise.

Of course, if he drives his own car with Hendrick support, we can all look for him to miss a few races since he won't have points to fall back on. But by then, I'm sure NASCAR will change the qualifying rules so Jr won't miss a race.

I can say if it's his own team with Hendrick motors (until his operation gets up to speed) I will continue to wish him well. If his team is basically a Hendrick team (body, engine, R&D, etc) with a different name as owner, then heck with him. Hope he stinks it up.

[KAH24]

Originally Posted by Love_My_Grand_Am

Not meaning to repeat myself, but this thread might get more play after tomorrow's presser. I wrote this in another thread dealing with a similar topic:

Now having Junior going to Hendricks would be an interesting move indeed. I doubt that I would be able to cheer for him any more, because I do not respect the Hendrick organization. I believe that NASCAR makes allowances for them, and slightly adjusts the rules in their favour (witness last Sunday's race at Pocono), just because they throw more money at the sport. Their drivers get away with things that others do not. Just my opinion, but I think it would be a mistake for that to happen.

i disagree they get away with more in this instance because if a cation was thrown it would have helped jimmy and there is no way to know who would have stayed out or come in, although there was a ton of guys who hit pit road before they could trow th caution so they would have effected the outcome if they did trow it later. my point nascar is not bias in this situation, i am not by anymeans a Gordon fan but jr with a winning car would be fun. this will be fun to watch how fans of the 2 react, at least the ones who are always booing.