NASCAR Talk

Preseason Thunder rolls on for NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers with testing at Las Vegas Motorspeedway this week and then California at the end of the week. The best part about these testing days is all the time the drivers make for fans, sponsors, and the media. There are teleconferences scheduled for every day this week with some of the biggest and brightest stars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Arguably the most popular driver in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took his turn on the microphone and answered some questions today for a teleconference for the NASCAR media.

Find out what Junior thinks of his new team, hear about the first time he met Jeff Gordon, and also how he feels about Daytona and its history. To see what he has to say about those topics and many more, you can read the entire transcript after the jump.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a brand new show coming out on ESPN called “Shifting Gears”. Here is a promo:

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I found a quick interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. from testing in Daytona talking about his off season and his “love” of photo shoots. Enjoy the clip!

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While watching “Trackside” this weekend on the Speed Channel, I happened to hear Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. talking about a new venture they were participating in. Apparently, Elliott had the brilliant idea to start up an online poker site where fans could play poker against some of their favorite drivers. Thus, the Victory Lane Player’s Club (VLP Club) was born. In addition to Sadler and Earnhardt, you could play a hand with Kasey Kahne, Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, or Jamie McMurray.

I quickly perused the site to see what is offered for the small monthly fee ($20 for a full pass) in comparison to the “rookie” membership which is free. Each full pass member receives a special prize pack which includes a hat, t-shirt, and a hero card. Full members are also the ones who are eligible to qualify to play a driver in a special tournament. Both paid and free memberships come with the opportunity to win special prizes including autographed items and VIP access at various races. After signing up, players are required to download a special program to make the online games work.

Poker TV is partnering with the drivers to broadcast special driver tournaments, including online tournaments played with fans. Even fans who have lost in the online tournament are able to watch the conclusion of the game on Poker TV. Do you think you can call the drivers’ bluffs? Head on over to VLPclub.net to find out more and sign up today.

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It’s official! Hendrick Motorsports announced today in a press conference that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving the #88 Amp Energy Drink/National Guard Chevy. The two sponsors will split the season as the featured sponsor of the car. The Amp car will be green with white numbers and the National Guard car will be blue with red numbers. The picture above is a sample of what the cars will look like. The Hendrick Motorsports homepage currently has pictures up as well.

You can be the first one on the block to buy Dale Jr. merchandise by heading over to the Hendrick Motorsports website store. The picture above is one of the options on the t-shirts from that online shop.

As I posted last week, Hendrick Motorsports will be holding a press conference today centering around Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s primary sponsor and car number. It is now official that the Speed Channel will be breaking into their programming to bring viewers the announcement live at 1 pm ET and ESPNNews will begin coverage at 1:30 pm ET. The Hendrick Motorsports website gives these additional details about what will be shown on the Speed Channel:

Anchored by SPEED’s Steve Byrnes from the network’s Charlotte studio, Earnhardt will disclose additional information about his racing plans in 2008 with Hendrick Motorsports, including his sponsor and car number.

It has all but been confirmed by NASCAR.com reporter Marty Smith that Jr. will be driving the #88 car next year, as Robert Yates Racing has officially sold that number to Hendrick. Current rumors have the car with a split primary sponsorship between Mt. Dew and the National Guard, with Amp Energy Drink logos on both designs. Tune in to Speed Channel later today for full coverage.

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Hendrick Motorsports has put out a press release detailing a press conference to be held next Wednesday September 19th in Dallas, TX. The subject of the event will be Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s new number, paint scheme, and sponsors for the 2008 season at the Pepsi headquarters. Mountain Dew and Amp Energy Drink, which are both Pepsi products, have already been confirmed as two of the primary sponsors, but if either will be the main sponsor has yet to be revealed.

As for the number, it is known that Casey Mears will be moving to the #5 car and the #25 car is being eliminated. ESPN is reporting that there will be an 8 involved in some fashion:

Hendrick Motorsports has requested trademarks from the U.S. Patent Office for five numbers that include an 8 — 81, 82, 38, 58 and 28. The number 28 was requested last week, which led to speculation it’s the choice, but Earnhardt previously said he liked 81.

What do you think it will be? Can it be the 28 or 38? Doesn’t RYR own those numbers? I’m putting my money on the 81. Junior drives the 81 sometimes when he Busch Whacks and would already be associated with the number in some ways. I’m also guessing that Mountain Dew will be the main sponsor. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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