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.