WinFuel: Dale Earnhart Jr.

Hmm, never saw this one before, just found it tonight.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Keselowski's '08 season a coming out party to enjoy

First win, first top-five points finish among the highlights
By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM
December 22, 200811:20 AM EST

Brad Keselowski's rise to fame was as unexpected to him as the rest of the garage. After losing his ride with Keith Coleman Racing in 2007, Keselowski was left without a ride and a less than stellar Nationwide Series resume.

But it was impressive enough to catch the eye of Dale Earnhardt Jr. After releasing Shane Huffman from his No. 88 JR Motorsports team halfway through the '07 season, Earnhardt called Keselowski and offered him a second chance at success -- and Keselowski didn't disappoint.
Brad Keselowski had 11 top-fives and 20 top-10s in the 88 car.

Six top-10s in 14 races was enough to secure a full-time ride with JR Motorsports in 2008 and Keselowski took full advantage of his new opportunity.

The season didn't start out great. Transmission problems at Fontana and a crash at Las Vegas had the 24-year-old 19th in points -- but that would be the lowest he would fall in standings.

Three consecutive top-six finishes at Atlanta, Bristol and Nashville propelled Keselowski to sixth in the standings and established him as a serious threat to compete for the championship.

Beginning at Charlotte in May and ending at Gateway in July, Keselowski went on a tear with nine consecutive top-10 finishes, including his first career win at Nashville and a dominating 145 laps-led effort from the pole at Milwaukee.

That's not to say Keselowski avoided trouble along the way. At the Charlotte race, Keselowski and Denny Hamlin raced aggressively at the finish and both pit crews were involved in an altercation on pit road after the race that led to fines and suspensions for some on the No. 88 crew.

Keselowski's amazing run led to a job offer for a Cup ride at Penske Racing in August, but Keselowski turned it down, choosing to be loyal to JR Motorsports and its Cup partner, Hendrick Motorsports.

In the final weeks of the season, Keselowski was unable to keep up with eventual champion Clint Bowyer and runner-up Carl Edwards, but Keselowski finished a strong third and was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Nationwide Series' most popular driver for the 2008 season.

Best Race
Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway -- It took 49 races, but after coming close numerous times, Keselowski finally earned his first Nationwide Series win with a strong performance at Nashville. With Tony Eury Sr. calling the shots, the 88 team used pit strategy to get up front. Then on the final restart with seven laps remaining, Keselowski was able to pass David Reutimann, Bowyer and Kyle Busch and hold on for the victory.

Turn for the Worse
Camping World RV Service 300 at Auto Club Speedway -- Keselowski was riding high heading to Fontana for the second time in the '08 season. He was coming off a win at Bristol, his second of the season, and was second in points just 112 behind leader Bowyer. Unfortunately for Keselowski that would be the closest he would get to the championship. Engine problems led to a 33rd-place finish in Southern California and a 21st the following week at Dover would drop Keselowski to third in the standings for the rest of the season.

Over 1,000 viewers from the USA!!!

Wow!! That is totally beyond words for me. (which as you know is pretty rare that I'm speechless) Anyway, thank you so much for having so much interest in AMPed for 88! I never thought I'd reach 1,000 viewers from any country. Then again I never thought there would be as many countries that have stumbled across this blog as there has been. People have come in from Canada to Italy to India to Iceland, even if it's by accident they've been recorded on here. If you know any Jimmie Johnson fans, please tell them about thelowedown48.blogspot.com - The Lowe Down is just like AMPed, only for Jimmie Johnson fans.

Lastly, I do want to say a huge welcome back to Tony Stewart to Team Chevy. We missed you Tony, welcome back!! Ok, that's all for now, keep checking back, I hope to have some new at least once every week, not sure how that will work out. Talk to you soon!!

Wrangler Brand extends its relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will stay comfortable and stylish during 2009 with a continued relationship with the Wrangler brand. Today, the denim giant proudly announced it will once again be the official jean of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a sixth consecutive year. The NASCAR superstar will continue to be featured across a range of high-profile consumer promotions and Wrangler marketing initiatives. “It’s been an honor to work with Wrangler for all these years, and this relationship has always meant a lot to me,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Wrangler has been a great supporter of my family, my teams and the sport. I couldn’t be happier that we’ll continue to build on the things we’ve already accomplished.” The Wrangler brand was the first apparel company to have a significant involvement in NASCAR beginning in the early 1980s as the primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt and the legendary blue-and-yellow “Wrangler Jeans Machine.” In 2004, the Wrangler-Earnhardt collaboration was renewed with Dale Jr. and has since helped raise more than $175,000 for various charitable causes. The Wrangler relationship is Dale Jr.’s longest-running endorsement deal. “The Earnhardt name has always represented the core, all-American values that Wrangler embodies, and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition,” said Craig Errington, vice president of Wrangler marketing. “Dale Jr. has been a wonderful partner, and as evidenced by his huge popularity, he continues to be a perfect representative for the Wrangler brand.” The Wrangler brand and Dale Jr. will work together in 2009 on promotional opportunities designed to enhance the brand’s profile. As the official jean of Dale Jr., Wrangler will continue to leverage NASCAR’s most popular driver in advertisements, in-store signage, product ticketing and consumer promotions.

Wrangler

Another image from LOLNascar

This is hilarious, check it out!!

No wonder he gets all those presents delivered so fast…


(Thanks to Lola from LOLNascar for letting me post this on here)

NASCAR special to air on CMT

I was watching CMT tonight when a commercial for this movie came on,

looks pretty cool if you ask me. Here's the info on it:

The history and heroes of NASCAR are brought to life through the men and women who lived the dream. The Ride of Their Lives, narrated by Kevin Costner, is a story of family bonds and personal struggle, rebellion and teamwork. These are the threads that weave through the sport's first 60 years and a half century of Daytona 500 races. From the moonshine runners of the postwar years to the superstars of the 21st century, The Ride of Their Lives celebrates a sport that grew from humble Southern roots to become a national spectacle.

This years Chex Most Popular Driver is.....

Well, I guess Champion's Week wasn't all that bad for Dale Jr, I know he didn't finish in the top 10 (which we all know he would have liked to have finished much higher), but hey, he did get some pretty cool stuff for being one of the chase contenders....


Ok I'm the first to admit (not that it would make any difference) that I'm not one for the beard look, but hey, if Junior likes it, more power to him. Anyway, first Junior got a sweet watch from Tissot with the team colors on it. (I guess the lady is the representative from Tissot)





I know I voted a lot of times for Dale Jr to win this award, and I know it means so much to him because of it being voted on by the fans. As I've told him many times on InfieldParking.com, I'm so proud of him and happy for him!!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, this years winner of the Chex Most Popular Driver Award (6 time, I might add) is...... DALE EARNHARDT JR!!!!

Congrats to Brad Keselowski

Not only did Brad finish 3rd in the points in the Nationwide Series and get himself a sweet trophy, he also was voted the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver.



Brad with his trophy for the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver

Brad with his trophy for finishing 3rd in points this year.

I'm still here...

Didn't want you to think I had vanished now that the season is over, however I did find out that Junior is going to be in New York City on Dec. 4th. Here's the article....


Macy’s celebrates NASCAR’s Champions Week with Dale Jr. and Godinger Silver Company

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., five-time Most Popular Driver of NASCAR will be at Macy’s in New York City on December 4th to meet and greet with fans and support the new Godinger NASCAR collection line of crystal and silver gifts and barware. The line of products features both the #88 National Guard and #88 Amp cars driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr in 2008.

To have the opportunity to meet Dale Jr, fans can be one of the first 100 customers to purchase $150 or more of the NASCAR Collection beginning at the store opening on December 4th for the chance to have your picture taken with the 18-time race winner. Or be one of the first 50 customers to purchase $75 or more to qualify for a signed autograph photo of Dale Jr.

That’s Thursday, December 4 at 5:00pm at Macy’s Herald Square, in the Crystal Dept. on 8 during Champions Week in New York City.

Visit www.Macys.com or www.Godinger.com.

Season Review: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Year number one of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s much-celebrated move to Hendrick Motorsports looked a lot like his 2006 season at DEI.

Earnhardt did win a race in 2008 and made the Chase, but didn't challenge for as many victories and the championship as some had predicted.

However, Junior looks back at his first year as a member of the Hendrick stable as successful.

"I was super excited about the way the season was going to start," Earnhardt said. "I couldn't wait to get to work earlier this year. It was a long year, we worked really hard. It went good sometimes, sometimes it went poorly. For the most part I was real proud of just getting the season in the bank and getting done and looking forward to next year. I am really happy to be with Rick (Hendrick) and working with the guys I am working with."

Earnhardt did begin the year as one of the most consistent drivers on the series and remained in the top five of the point standings for the first half.

But things started to level off and by the time the Chase started, the solid finishes Earnhardt was enjoying at the beginning of 2008 began to fade.

"I need to do a little bit better in the summer," Earnhardt said looking back. "There are a bunch of tracks that are backed up there in the summer that we just don't run good at. I need to work on my string of races there at about the 5/8 mark of the season.”

Earnhardt is already looking ahead to season number two with Hendrick but is particularly pleased with NASCAR's decision to ban off-season testing as a means of saving teams money.

"I am happy about that," he said. "I am really looking forward to that happening. I think it is a great choice. It is going to save each individual team, like the No. 5 car, the No. 24 car about a million and half dollars a year so it is a great move."

As for the off-season, Earnhardt has plans to keep himself busy. He will have an early start to it, as he won't be attending the NASCAR Championship Banquet in New York. Only the top 10 teams are being honored at the banquet.

"I am going to take my family somewhere," he smiled. "Then I am just going to stay home. I am taking my uncles, Robert and Jimmy Gee hunting right up to Christmas Eve. New Year's, I might go watch the street stock race at Rockingham. Just might."

Hendrick: Chase gremlins got the best of Earnhardt

By David Newton

CONCORD, N.C. -- Rick Hendrick got on his radio prior to the first of the Sprint Cup's 10-race playoff and told Dale Earnhardt Jr. he had what it took to be holding the championship trophy after the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One of Hendrick's drivers indeed held the trophy on Sunday in South Florida, but it was Jimmie Johnson.

It was that kind of season for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who started the Chase in fourth place but finished it in 12th.

Earnhardt? He finished last among the 12 drivers, meaning he won't make the trip to New York City for the season-ending banquet reserved for the top 10.

"I'm disappointed," Hendrick said on Tuesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I felt like we were so good early on. We just had tremendous little gremlins bite us, from tire problems to things you just can't control.

"All of those things that happened to him could have happened to Jimmie Johnson. He could be fifth in the points and Jimmie could be third in the points."

Earnhardt had eight top-5s and 12 top-10s during the first 26 races and entered the Chase fourth in points. He had only two top-5s and three top-10s in the final 10, finishing a whopping 557 points behind Johnson.

The consistency Earnhardt had early in the season was nowhere to be found in the Chase. NASCAR's most popular driver finished worse than 15th only twice in the first 15 races. He was 20th or worse in five of the final nine races, and he finished on the lead lap only four times in the final 10 races, failing to finish at Talladega (crash) and Homestead (wheel bearing).

"Racing luck has got a lot to do with it," Hendrick said. "When we look back at the year and at what he's accomplished and how he's fit into our organization and how happy he is and Tony [Eury Jr.] is, we're going to go to work to make it better for next year.

"That's the good news -- there is next year."

Hendrick already is busy trying to make next year better. He took a brief break from meetings on Tuesday to attend the rookie of the year luncheon at LMS in which Landon Cassill took home the Nationwide Series Award.

Then it was back to meet Mark Martin, who will take over the No. 5 car in 2009 and share the same shop with Earnhardt.

"Mark Martin being there is going to help us, help us a lot," Hendrick said of the 49-year-old driver who has finished second in the championship standings four times. "Mark is a great example of dedication and determination. His enthusiasm gets me excited."

Earnhardt was excited about his chances of winning the title his dad won seven times. "I was super excited about the way the season was going," he said prior to Sunday's 41st-place finish. "I couldn't wait to get to work earlier this year. It was a long year, we worked really hard. It went good sometimes, sometimes it went poorly. For the most part I was real proud of just getting the season in the bank and getting done and looking forward to next year.

"I am really happy to be with Rick and working with the guys I am working with."

Expectations may have been too high for the driver who arguably has higher expectations than anybody in the garage.

"There's no way you can put a team together in their first year and they be as good as [Johnson's] team because they've been together," Hendrick said. "That's the chemistry that is going to get better on Dale Jr.'s side.

"Hopefully, Junior might get his first championship next year. Who knows?"

Headlines

I'm gonna try my best to keep up with the headlines during the off season. I think mostly what I'll be posting is videos I find on Youtube or I found a new site tonight that I'm gonna check back on a few more times. Anyway, most of the headlines this weekend dealed with how Dale Jr feels about the DEI/Ganassi merger. Here's what he had to say about that.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. supports DEI merger with Ganassi Racing


Dale Earnhardt Jr. falls victim to parts failure in Cup season finale



SEMA: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Big Red Truck

Congrats to all the Champions this weekend.

Congrats to Jimmie, he has made history and anyone who says he doesn't deserve to be in the history books with Cale isn't a real NASCAR fan.





Congrats to Clint Bowyer on winning the Nationwide Championship, he beat Carl Edwards by 21 points.







Congrats to Johnny Benson for holding off Ron Hornaday and winning the Championship, Johnny beat Ron by 7 points.

As for our Junebug, he came in for a last pit stop and felt something break under the hood, he came back in and went back to the garage and had his 2nd DNF for the season. He finished 41st and ended the season 12th in points. There is always the Favorite Driver Award, which he has won 5 times. Keep voting, I'll let you know when that will televised.

So much to tell, and three days to tell it....

Yes I know that I usually post the qualifying position for Junior, but with all that's going on this weekend, and how close all three races are (or were) I'm going to wait until after the Championship race tomorrow to post all the results. Ok, Junior qualified 22th, which I know isn't good, but that's because he had a bad draw and went out early.

I'm not sure if it's official yet, and if it is, NASCAR.com hasn't reported it yet, but anyway....


to Landon Cassill on winning the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award!!!!!! I found this article, and because it's pretty short, I'll just post the whole thing here.

Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year is Landon Cassill

Kyle Ocker, FanZone Sports

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Landon Cassill was the winner of the Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year award for 2008. Cassill, 19 of Fairfax, Iowa, has run 26 races in his career, with 20 races this year. He achieved his highest finish of sixth place twice, at Gateway and Phoenix last weekend.

“I’m just really proud of everybody, my whole team, for working so hard for me this year,” said Cassill on winning the Rookie of the Year award. “I ran a limited schedule, and I had some really good races, and at times it didn’t look so good, and at times it looked great. You know, it was a real compliment to me, and it was flattering when we went to Phoenix, and all my guys knew it was my last race, and their focus was getting me the finish I needed. You know, I can’t thank them enough for that, for being that focused on winning Rookie of the Year.

“My guys, National Guard, supported me all year, Dale, Jr. who owns my car and the team, and it’s an honor, and I hope I’m a good rookie.”

Cassill raced in all but 3 of his 20 races this season in the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. He ran in the No. 4 at Mexico City, Infineon, and Watkins Glen.

“He did a good job for the most part of the year,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. about Landon winning the Rookie of the Year award. “He got the finishes he needed to win. He had some pretty good competition, I think Brian (Clauson) and he got some really good finishes at parts of the year and showed a lot of good showed he’s got a lot of talent.”

Also, Brad did an awesome job this year and I'm so happy he'll be with JRM next year. I'm not sure if they've found a sponsor for the Nationwide 88 yet or not.

From what I am hearing, and they talked about it during the race tonight, the 5 car will remain at JRM (and I hope I'm getting this right), however it won't run the full season, as of now, the car is going to be entered in at least 7 races. So there's a bit of good news for the #5 car.

Like I said, once the race is over tomorrow night, I will post the results from all three races, as well as who won the three championships.

DEI and Ganassi Racing will merge teams in 2009

Ok, I know that Junebug isn't with DEI anymore, and that's water under the bridge and all, however, Junior has never said a bad word about Teresa and considering that this blog is about him and his last name is Earnhardt (like you didn't know that already), I thought I'd post this article that I found on NASCAR.com

MIAMI -- Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their slumping race teams next season, an effort to stabilize their organizations in a tough economic time.

The combined team will be called Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Martin Truex Jr. and Juan
Montoya will drive the Nos. 1 and 42 and Aric Almirola will be behind the wheel of the No. 8. The driver of the No. 41 has not been named.
Truex Jr.

Both organizations have struggled to secure sponsorship this season, forcing the teams to pool resources.

"In this ultra-competitive era of NASCAR, it is necessary to build and sustain the strongest team possible and our combining with the people and equipment at Dale Earnhardt Inc. will help create a strong four-car program for years to come," Chip Ganassi said in a statement released by the team. "This is a win-win for both organizations as well as all of our partners."

Truex and Almirola will come from Dale Earnhardt Inc.; only Truex's car has full sponsorship for next season.

Montoya has half a season of sponsorship, and Ganassi's flagship No. 41 car has full sponsorship.
DEI fields Chevrolets, and Ganassi has a Dodge contract. Details of a manufacturer switch still are being worked out as the team is expected to use General Motors.

"Having a partner like Chip, who is heavily involved on the competition side of the business, is an ideal situation for DEI," Teresa Earnhardt said. "He has a long history of managing championship teams in the IndyCar and Rolex Grand-Am Series and I share his passion and goals of winning races and ultimately championships in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. I think this is a case where we are stronger together than we are apart."

DEI is losing the Menard's sponsorship on its No. 15 Chevrolet. Driver Paul Menard is leaving the organization to drive a third car for Yates Racing in 2009.

Ganassi shuttled the No. 40 Dodge of Dario Franchitti earlier this year, and longtime driver Reed Sorenson is leaving the No. 41 to drive for Gillett Evernham Racing next year.

The teams' drivers have combined for 210 starts this year and have zero wins, 11 top-five finishes and 28 top-10s.

DEI has only three wins in the past four seasons, while Ganassi drivers have four wins since 2002.

I got to talk to Dale Jr and Josh last night (for the 2nd time)

Went well, I wasn't on for too long, told them about the lady who couldn't find her car after the Pocono race, and told me she knew she parked beside a tree. Josh made the comment about there being a lot of trees up there. I said that was my first thought too. So my question was going to be if Junior had any paint schemes from the past that he was hoping to have put on the 88 for next year. However, someone beat me to it and I had to think of a different question fast. I had one in mind in case that one was asked and I told Junebug I played the Playstation 2 video game version of Scarface. (It's actually called "Scarface: The World Is Yours.") Junior did the voice over for one of the characters and for the life of me (after played it the whole way through two times) couldn't figure out what character he portrayed. So he told me and now I'll have to go through and see if I can find him. (If I do, I'll let you know.) I heard from a friend of mine that was listening that Junior said, "So Corinne plays Scarface huh? That's pretty cool." Anyway, for those of you who listened in, that was me! I gotta go for now, talk to you all later!!

Headlines from Phoenix

To be honest, there weren't a whole lot (if any) headlines on Dale Jr this week. So if I spot any I think are worth posting, I'll post them when I see and read them.

Another good run

Junior had an awesome run today and stayed in the top 10 the entire race, he finished 6th and moved up one spot in the standings. If he runs well next week and stays in the top 10 at the end of the race next weekend, he'll be in NYC for the banquet. Here's the standings...

1	--	Jimmie Johnson	6561	Leader
2	--	Carl Edwards	6420	-141
3	--	Greg Biffle	6358	-203
4	--	Jeff Burton	6292	-269
5	+2	Kevin Harvick	6233	-328
6	--	Clint Bowyer	6226	-335
7	-2	Jeff Gordon	6151	-410
8	--	Matt Kenseth	6091	-470
9	+3	Denny Hamlin	6090	-471
10	+1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	6087	-474
11	-1	Kyle Busch	6080	-481
12	-3	Tony Stewart	6059	-502

Qualifying for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Junebug qualified 5th for the race on Sunday, his teammate Jimmie Johnson got the pole. Oh yeah, there's a new pole up, please vote. :)

Dale Jr on Wind Tunnel

I'm not the biggest fan of Wind Tunnel, which airs on SPEED Sunday nights, but when I saw these on youtube, I couldn't help but post them on here. By the way, (I didn't know this until now) Robin Miller is the Open Wheel Analyst for the SPEED Channel. Enjoy!


Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Dale Jr Shifting Gears Outtakes

If it's Dale Jr and it's an outtake, you know it's gotta be funny!

NASCAR on FOX Sports. Don't Flinch. www.dontflinch.tv

Online auction under way to benefit Sam Ard Fund

I am asking you to please at least check out the items up for auction. This is a major undertaking by the drivers and Motor Racing Outreach, and is a great testament to the kind of fans that NASCAR draws. What other sport do you know of that would do something like this for a retired driver?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For the next three weeks, NASCAR fans have the opportunity to do two good things at once -- buy a cherished collectible, plus lend a hand to one of the sport's pioneers.

An online auction that opened Saturday features autographed memorabilia from numerous Sprint Cup Series drivers. It's a joint effort by the NASCAR Foundation and Motor Racing Outreach, with all proceeds benefiting the Sam Ard Fund.

Ard, the 1983-84 Nationwide Series champion, is battling Alzheimer's disease and financial woes. His wife, Jo, is in a battle of her own, against a degenerative eye disease.

This pas Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, another two-time Nationwide Series champion, Kevin Harvick (2001 and 2008), donated a van to Ard's son, Robert, for conveyance to his father.

Items available in the online auction include autographed driver suits from Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Denny Hamlin, defending Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson.

The Sam Ard Fund auction closes at noon ET on Nov. 17. Other items will become available during the next three weeks.

The Sam Ard Fund auction page

Headlines from the Dickies 500 and the weekend

I know Dale Jr isn't happy about doing it, but he knows that laying off some employee's has to be done to keep JRM going.

Depressed economy forces Earnhardt's hand at JR Motorsports



Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the real Jimmie Johnson

Wow! Check out what Jimmy Spencer said about Brad! (and my opinion about it)

I was watching NASCAR Victory Lane last night, and Jimmy Spencer was talking about how well Brad did last night. I have to agree with Spenc, (nevermind that he grew up about 20 minutes from where I live) Brad started way in the back, and although he was a lap down, he finished 19th! (One position ahead of Junebug). Anyway, what Jimmy said was that he feels that Brad is ready for the cup series, whereas Joey Lagano, (who originally was scheduled to run this race) isn't ready at all. Joey fell back I think down 5 laps or so, and finished a sad 40th.

I thought was pretty cool that Jimmy praised Brad, while the media seems to think that Joey is such a talented driver. I'm not putting Joey down, and not saying he's not a talented driver, it's just that he hasn't done well in any of the cup races he's run, finishing at least 20th or worse in each of them. Brad made his debut, starting back around where Joey started, and yet Brad fought and made his way to 19th!

There's next year....

I know you all must like it when I ramble, why else would you come back? Anyway, I want to start out by saying I'm so proud of Dale Jr for the insanely great job he's done this year. He broke his win-less streak at Michigan, made the chase and is as happy as I've seen him in a long time. He's really had to start all over again as far as working with new teammates, a new boss, new sponsors, and like he said in the Chevy commercial, a new number and new colors. I think the move to Hendrick has done Junebug well. He's realized that he can't always yell (for lack of a better word) to Tony Jr about the car, because that just frustrates him more and he loses focus. He's found a way to be himself and communicate better while in the car, and I know he's looking forward to next year, just as much as I'm sure you all are and I know I am.

I'm one of those fans who have looked at this season and thought, "You know what, this is his first season being with HMS, and just like anything else, being around new people (pit crew, garage crew, staff at HMS), teammates, surroundings, etc. - they take time getting used to. I know Junior will be ready for next year."

I don't look at this year as being a one win year for him. I look at it (or try to) from his perspective, he knows he has the best equipment out there and he knows what he can do with that. He also knows that no matter what, the true Jr Nation fans will be with him all the way.

Qualifying, Results from the Dickie's 500 and standing update

Sorry I didn't post where Jr qualified on Friday. I had to work early both Thursday and Friday and was busy both days after work. Anyway, Dale Jr qualified 5th, and had a struggle most of the night. Right at the end he was 2nd, and almost ran out of fuel and would have finished way back, but Tony Jr had him come in for some fuel and he finished 20th.

Brad had a great run in his debut in the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevy. He qualified 37th and although he was a lap down, he finished one position ahead of his boss (Junebug), in 19th.

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	--	Jimmie Johnson	6366	Leader
2	--	Carl Edwards	6260	-106
3	--	Greg Biffle	6223	-143
4	--	Jeff Burton	6154	-212
5	+1	Jeff Gordon	6111	-255
6	+1	Clint Bowyer	6099	-267
7	-2	Kevin Harvick	6087	-279
8	+1	Matt Kenseth	5973	-393
9	-1	Tony Stewart	5962	-404
10	+2	Kyle Busch	5938	-428
11	-1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5937	-429
12	-1	Denny Hamlin	5935	-431

Happy Halloween everyone (a day late)

Hope you had a good Halloween, and hope you or your kids didn't get too hyped up on candy!! Anyway, Jr had a great run in qualifying and will start 5th. Yay!!! Brad Keselowski will make his Cup series debut, he qualified 37th, which I know isn't the greatest, but, it was good enough for him to make it. I'm so excited for him and really hope he does well tomorrow.

Headlines from this weekend

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart items up for auction to benefit Sam Ard Fund

I really hope that Brad gets to start this weekend at Texas. This is an awesome opportunity for him and I really hope it doesn't rain so Brad can achieve this milestone in his career.

Keselowski continuing on a steady path to Cup racing


So what did Junebug do on Friday since qualifying was canceled? Click below to find out. :)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoys rainy Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway

What a day.... Results from the Pep Boys Auto 500 and updated chase standings

Once again I had to work, so the recap won't be too detailed. From what I read Junior had a few minor bumps with the car today, and mostly stayed in the top 10. He finished 11th and slipped back down to 10th in the points. Next week the guys go to Texas Motor Speedway, a huge place for Jr Nation to gather.

Here's the updated chase standings:

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	--	Jimmie Johnson	6248	Leader
2	+2	Carl Edwards	6065	-183
3	-1	Greg Biffle	6063	-185
4	-1	Jeff Burton	6030	-218
5	+1	Kevin Harvick	5941	-307
6	+1	Jeff Gordon	5936	-312
7	-2	Clint Bowyer	5934	-314
8	--	Tony Stewart	5847	-401
9	+1	Matt Kenseth	5835	-413
10	-1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5829	-419
11	--	Denny Hamlin	5823	-425
12	--	Kyle Busch	5783	-465

Nascar Gillette Young Guns Prank Commercial

Who knew that with Jr and Jimmie doing these commercials together that one day they would be teammates?

Team Tylenol Bunker

While looking for videos to post on the new blog (by the way it's up and running!), I came across this commercial.

Hey guess what?!?

Qualifying was canceled! Isn't that news to you? Lol, of course I'm being sarcastic. The 10th time that's happened this year! Anyway, as always, (I'm gonna stop repeating this) the field is set by driver points and Junior is 9th so he'll start 9th.

We have a winner!

The winner of the new blog is Jimmie Johnson. Keep checking back and "The Lowe Down" will be up soon, of course I'll let you know, but as of now, Flippin' Out for Carl Edwards is closed. 

Two hours!!

Ok, there's two hours left for you to vote for the new blog. I have the title for the Jimmie Johnson one ready to go, so if you want someone else, you need to vote! I'll check back later!

One day left!!

You have today yet to vote for who I will start a new blog about and then I will post the results and the new blog, looks like Jimmie is ahead in the poll. We'll see what happens!!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ready for Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Jason Smith

Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking forward to returning to Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday.

Even though his chances of winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship appear to be over, Dale Earnhardt Jr. still has plenty to look forward to, starting with this Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"I like running at Atlanta a lot," said Earnhardt Jr., who has one win, eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes at the 1.54-mile track.

"It's a good race track and real, real fast. We have run really well there in the past, and coming off a good run like Martinsville last week, I think we have a good shot at it."

Earnhardt Jr.'s second-place finish at Martinsville on Sunday was his best finish in the 10-race Chase so far this season and gives the driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet momentum heading to a track where he was third in the spring race after starting outside the pole. Obviously, he hopes to improve this weekend.

"A win would be great, but I really just want to keep running as good as we did last week," Earnhardt Jr. said.

Tony Eury Jr., the crew chief for the No. 88 team, is also itching to get back to Atlanta.

"I think that's one of Dale Jr.'s favorite tracks," Eury Jr. said. "We want to get there, try to get on the pole and fix what we didn't finish [in March]. We had a super car there at the start of the race. I'm really looking forward to getting back there and trying again."

Headlines from Martinsville

There should be more headlines this week as Dale Jr finished 2nd yesterday at Martinsville.


Not great, but Junior's first year at HMS a good start


Earnhardt settles in with Hendrick, looks forward to 2009


Second fiddle at Martinsville just fine for Dale Earnhardt Jr.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. says crew chief calls are pivotal at Martinsville


Earnhardt not in right spot to challenge

That last one doesn't sound encouraging, but it's not negative so that's why I posted it.


Here's one about the sponsorship with Unilever.

JR Motorsports "too good to be true" for Unilever



Just a reminder, two days left to vote for what blog you'd like to me start up in the place of Flippin Out for Carl Edwards. Looks like a blog for Jimmie Johnson is ahead, and some want to see one for Jeff Gordon. Hmm, we'll see what happens!


Also, I forgot to mention, I do read all the articles I post here before I post them. I will never post anything that anyone has written about Dale Jr that is negative. Just wanted you to know that.

Warrior

This is video with the song "Warrior" by Kid Rock featuring Dale Jr

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Victory lap commercial

Hmm, never saw this one before, hope you like it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr Budweiser Commercial

I don't think I posted this one, so here it is :D

Martinsville results and updated chase standings

Great job today Junebug!!! After starting 10th, getting caught speeding going into pit road, having to restart at the tail end of the longest line, Junior came back and gave us a nail biting ending to a otherwise tame race. Junior finished 2nd and moved up one spot in the chase standings. (I told you he's a fighter!!!)

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	--	Jimmie Johnson	6073	Leader
2	+1	Greg Biffle	5924	-149
3	-1	Jeff Burton	5921	-152
4	--	Carl Edwards	5875	-198
5	--	Clint Bowyer	5827	-246
6	--	Kevin Harvick	5817	-256
7	+1	Jeff Gordon	5798	-275
8	-1	Tony Stewart	5735	-338
9	+1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5694	-379
10	+1	Matt Kenseth	5665	-408
11	+1	Denny Hamlin	5653	-420
12	-3	Kyle Busch	5628	-445

I just realized.....

For some who stop by and want to leave comments, but don't know how to translate your language into English, I'm gonna post a translator website for you so if you want to leave comments and translate them to english, you can. :) The site is listed below, and if I get a few comments from those who use it I'll add it to the Link list.


Babelfish

The first of the new collages

imikimi - Customize Your World

What do you think? Love it, hate it, want another one? Let me know! To see the it full size, just click on it!

Qualifying cancelled..... again (anyone noticing a pattern here?)

Surprise, surprise. It's raining in Martinsville, and another surprise, qualifying was cancelled. Once again the lineup will go by driver points so Dale Jr will start 10th this weekend in the TUMS QuikPak 500 on Sunday. NASCAR Countdown starts at 1pm with the race starting at 2pm - all on ABC.


PS Don't forget to check out my pole over on the right side!!

I really need your input on this one!!!

Seriously, I know there's a lot of people out there that read my blog, but there's one thing missing. I don't hear feedback from any of you! So this time, I'm asking (don't make me beg, it won't be pretty) you for your input on something. Over on the right there where the Links and Past posts are listed is a poll. I know I have the Carl Edwards blog up, but that seems to be going nowhere and I'm considering closing it. If I don't hear anything from anyone, then I plan to close the Carl Edwards one and start a Jimmie Johnson blog. So please please please vote for the blog you'd like to see the most. The voting will last for one week and like I said, if I don't see any votes by then, I'll close Flippin' Out For Carl Edwards and open Jammin' for Jimmie Johnson. So vote please!! Thanks!

This is hilarious....

Thanks to Lola from lolnascar for letting me post this!! The link to her site is over there on the right with the other links.

Now this is funny, considering they're teammates....

Jeff Gordon, Madonna and Dale Earnhardt Jr.: What do these three have in common?

Headlines from the weekend

Well, I didn't have a whole lot last Monday, so we'll see what I can find tonight.

Edwards suffers a blow, Junior crashes


Blown tire ruins Earnhardt's race


Junior says Smith was wronged


I think that's all. We'll see, never know.

30 Countries!!!

If you haven't looked at it, check out the flag counter at the bottom of the page. This lets me (and you if you're interested) know what countries have stopped by, (maybe some on accident, if not, please forget I said that, no offense to you!) and how many times people from that country have come in. I know the USA is ahead by quite a bit, spread the word everyone, if you have a friend that's AMPed for Dale Jr, and you think they'd like my blog, let them know about it! Ok, that's all for tonight, night everyone!

Corinne

JR Motorsports teams up with Unilever for 2009 Nationwide season

I was gonna wait and include this in the headlines tomorrow night, but this one couldn't wait. I'm so excited for Junebug and everyone at JR Motorsports.

CONCORD, N.C. – JR Motorsports officials announced Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway a 10-race sponsorship of the No. 5 Nationwide Series team for 2009 with Unilever and its Hellman's mayonnaise, Ragu pasta sauce, Klondike ice cream and Lipton tea brands.

Landon Cassill will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for seven of the events, team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. two and Mark Martin one, according to Kelley Earnhardt, general manager of the team.

The sponsorship will begin with the season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona, with Earnhardt Jr. driving a Hellman’s-sponsored car.

Earnhardt Jr. said the team is close to signing sponsorship for the remaining 25 races for the No. 5, as well as the entire schedule for the No. 88 Chevrolet driven by Brad Keselowksi.

“We’ve got it just about entirely finished as far as putting together a program for all the races for each car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We still have a couple of gaps to fill. We started working pretty early and we had a lot of interest. We’re more fortunate than most I’m sure. I feel very confident that we’ll be able to get it wrapped up.”

Kelley Earnhardt said JR Motorsports is committed to two full-time cars next season.

“It’s very disconcerting,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve got people trying to put cars together and firesuits and get our marketing together for next year, and every day I have e-mails hitting my inbox: ‘Have you got nay news? Have you got any news?’

“But we’ve got some things working. I think we’re going to have it wrapped up, hopefully, within the next 30 days.”

Cassill, who has shared the No. 5 this year with several drivers, said an announcement should be forthcoming on his remaining schedule with the team next year, and it should include more races for him.

“We’ll have something soon,” Cassill said. “It’ll be cool.”

Results and standings

Well, at least he didn't lose any ground in the chase standings. Dale Jr is still in 10th. He blew a tire on lap 103 I think I read and he said he had a really good car, and was trying to tell Tony Jr what was wrong when the tire blew. I was trying to see what his guys did to fix the hood where the tire took off the paneling, but couldn't find anything. Anyway, Junior was able to get back out and finish the race, being 45 laps down and 36th. Next week the guys head to Martinsville.

Here's the updated chase standings:

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	--	Jimmie Johnson	5878	Leader
2	+2	Jeff Burton	5809	-69
3	--	Greg Biffle	5792	-86
4	-2	Carl Edwards	5710	-168
5	--	Clint Bowyer	5693	-185
6	--	Kevin Harvick	5671	-207
7	--	Tony Stewart	5650	-228
8	--	Jeff Gordon	5633	-245
9	+2	Kyle Busch	5552	-326
10	--	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5524	-354
11	-2	Matt Kenseth	5518	-360
12	--	Denny Hamlin	5498	-380

Cup qualifying cancelled (again)

So you know what this means, the drivers will start start according to their place in the points. Dale Jr will start 10th and I heard something about another AMP paint scheme for Saturday night. Hmm, not too sure on that, but I will let you know if I find anything. The person I feel bad for is Brad Keselowski, who was to make his cup debut on Saturday night. Well, he's scheduled to run another race before the year is over so hopefully he'll be able to run in that one.

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you all know about the collages I used to make and post here. I had taken them off the blog since I had been told that they made me look like a Dale Jr "stalker" (umm okie dokie then). Well, for those that think that, this is my blog and I will post as many collages as I want. If you want to voice your opinion on that, go somewhere else. Anyway, collage will appear every now and then, and for those that like them, feel free to use them. :) Ok, talk to you all later.

Headlines from the weekend

Hard to believe, but there weren't too many headlines from this weekend, either that or I haven't found them yet. Hmm, guess I'll have to look a little harder. We'll see....

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon: Shake and Bake?!

Junior runs into trouble at Talladega

Earnhardt, other NASCAR drivers talk tires in wake of Talladega turmoil

I know that this next one doesn't have anything to do with Junior, but, AJ Allmendinger is one of Junebugs buddies and so I thought I'd post this for those interested. This is also one of the reasons I'm also a Michael Waltrip fan.


Allmendinger to drive No. 00 at Lowe's

Anybody up for reading one of my rants?

Anyone besides me think that Goodyear needs to come up with some other excuse than "We're investigating the situation"? My question is, investigating what?! How many ways can a tire explode on a race car? Or maybe "how many tires can we explode on the car and how will the explosion bend the metal on the car?" Or how much metal will fly off the car when the tire explodes? Come on Goodyear, get with the program already. Now, I watched NASCAR Victory Lane last night and Jimmy Spencer said that he was in the NASCAR hauler when the Tower (NASCAR Control where Mr. Helton and his staff are at every race) called the hauler and told them to get out there and find out what was going on. Now, like I said before, I'm not an expert, so this is what I assume happened. From what I understand from what Spenc said, some teams had put more than the recommended amount of pounds in the tires they used. So that + the weight of the car + the heat put on the tires = the tires exploding. So really, having heard that, who's to blame this time? While it made the If it is Goodyears fault, the reality check they should have gotten was when Denny Hamlin's tire blew and he hit the wall so hard it knocked him out. I'm not the worlds biggest Denny fan, but that scared the crap out of me when I saw them take the stretcher over to his car, and the same would apply to any other driver as well. If it's the teams fault, they need to rethink the whole "let's fill the tires beyond what the Goodyear guys say, so that our driver can go faster." Faster isn't always better, and safer beats slower anyday. So, there's my rant on the tire situation at Talladega. Hoped ya liked it, if ya have anything you'd like to add onto that, please leave me a comment. :D

Also, there is so much being said about the whole Regan Smith deal. Ok, here's my take on it. Rules are made for a reason. From what I understand, the drivers were told at the meeting, there is to be no "improving your position" (I forget how they said it, I think that was it) below the yellow line. That means, you can't pass below the yellow line. I know Regan is a rookie, but rules are rules, and they're put there for a reason. Tony won that race, he did what he had to do to hold of Regan and that's that. Congrats Tony for getting the win! Regan, I hope you have learned that when the NASCAR officials inform you and the other drivers of the rules, that applies for the entire race.

Celebrate good times, come on...... Ha ha!!

The following graphics should explain the title.....

(I couldn't have done it without the support I've gotten from can you believe it, 27 countries. Thank you everyone!!!)

What a day.... (results and updated Chase standings)

Dale Jr had the awesome day (almost). But, it wasn't his fault. Honestly, there was nowhere for him to do, so he took the hit, told the crew he was sorry and called it a day. (I think I would have too, considering there were only 14 laps left) There's next year. Junior finished 28th and has dropped to 10th in the chase standings. Like I said last week, Dale Jr is a fighter, was-is-and always will be. He'll get back up there, and heading home to Charlotte, I know he'll fight even harder. When Junebug sets his sights and/or mind on something, all Jr Nation knows he'll fight his hardest for it.

Congrats to Dale Jr's good buddy Tony Stewart on his win at Talladega. I know that although Jr would have wanted to win this race, he's happy for Tony.

As I said above, next week, the guys head home (for most of them) to Charlotte.

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	--	Jimmie Johnson	5718	Leader
2	--	Carl Edwards	5646	-72
3	--	Greg Biffle	5641	-77
4	--	Jeff Burton	5619	-99
5	+2	Clint Bowyer	5566	-152
6	-1	Kevin Harvick	5547	-171
7	+4	Tony Stewart	5515	-203
8	-2	Jeff Gordon	5486	-232
9	--	Matt Kenseth	5473	-245
10	-2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5469	-249
11	+1	Kyle Busch	5387	-331
12	-2	Denny Hamlin	5383	-335

Ok so I lied......

Sorry, but I just checked the "flag counter" and you all are awesome! I know I use that word a lot, lol, I sound more like a surfer from California than I do a girl that lives in Pennsylvania! Anyway, if I didn't think something was (again) awesome, I wouldn't use the word. Anyway, you all are what keeps this blog rolling, I put that counter up so I could get a small idea of who was looking at it. (and so you, if anyone was interested, could look as well) -- Now I have another favor to ask of you, I have a similar blog - only for Carl Edwards fans. Yes I know that Dale Jr and Carl have different drivers styles, etc. blah blah blah. (Sorry it's been a long busy Saturday), but I figure if there's that many people in the world that like AMPed, there's gotta be some that like Carl Edwards. So, the title of this one is called "Flippin' Out for Carl Edwards." I'm going to post the link in with my other links here, and if you would so kindly spread the word about that blog, I'd be so grateful! Ok, goodnight and I'll post tomorrow after the race.

Gordon, Earnhardt have unified plan for Sunday (and a short rant)

Ok, last post for tonight, this one couldn't wait until tomorrow and go along with the rest of the headlines that I usually post on Sunday evening. I'm glad someone reported this one, because I never understood why people got so ticked off at Jeff Gordon last year, he's a good race car driver for crying out loud. (Yes I know he didn't win a race YET this year, the years not over so don't count him out yet) Anyway, whether you like him or not, he and Dale Jr teammates, so, get used to it if you haven't already. Also, I just saw this while watching the UNC Tar Heels kick the tar (ok that was corny, but I couldn't resist) out of UCONN. Coverage of the (I love saying this!) AMP Energy 500 starts with NASCAR Countdown at 1pm and the green flag flies at 2pm - all on ABC. Ok, now here's the article that goes along with the title of this post.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- If Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans decide to throw beer cans at Jeff Gordon again, they'd better be careful, they might just hit their favorite driver.

The Hendrick Motorsports teammates, two of the greatest restrictor plate racers in the sport, have a plan for Sunday's Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Both men have agreed to set aside their competitive differences, for a portion of the race at least, and work on their team building skills.

“We both think we are the best so that's where the conflict comes in. Who is supposed to be out front and who is supposed to be helping who.

”

-- DALE EARNHARDT JR.

"Me and Jeff are thinking about going up front, running hard ... go up there and try to learn how to work together," Earnhardt said. "I think it will work good, we got to make it work."

Teammates or not, Junior Nation may find this pairing a bit unsettling.

Talladega Superspeedway is sacred ground for the Earnhardt family and the fans don't take kindly to interlopers. The city of Talladega has become a Mecca of sorts, a holy city. Thousands of Earnhardt fans make the pilgrimage to 'Dega twice a year to worship their beloved driver. Needless to say, the place has special meaning for Earnhardt.

Special not only because he has five wins and his late father 10, but because it feels like home and the fans, evident by the loud roar that rolls from the stands whenever he takes the lead in the race, adore him.

"Well, to me it's special. I don't think everyone gets that sensation going into the race," Earnhardt said. "But to me it's a pretty important place just because my family's done so well there. And the way the fans treat us there make it exciting, make it a place you look forward to. I think that's probably the biggest key, the fans and how they've treated us at that track."

His fans are loyal -- to the point of dangerous.

Last year when Gordon bettered the late Dale Earnhardt's all-time victory list with 77 wins at the revered track, fans were enraged and began chucking beer cans onto the track pelting Gordon's No. 24 (watch video).

But a year later, Gordon and Earnhardt are in a position to align, combining their knowledge and ability to master the draft.

"We just said we'd go up there and work together and enjoy working together instead of being so competitive," Earnhardt said after posting a 15th-place qualifying lap Saturday. The No. 88 driver was forced to qualify a backup car after an early crash in practice Friday caused by a blown right rear tire (watch video). "We should be fine. I'm pretty happy with the way the guys rebounded and I feel like really prepared going into the race even after the day we had yesterday."

Of course at the end of the day, nearing the final laps of the race, Earnhardt said both drivers will go for the win, determining the dominant plate racer for the time being.

"Well we both think we are the best so that's where the conflict comes in. Who is supposed to be out front and who is supposed to be helping who," Earnhardt said. "We do a pretty good job at it ... we are getting better working together for 75 percent of the race. [Gordon] knows what he's doing, he can be a great help to you. You get what you give and maybe sometimes I'm not as giving as I should be."