Some NASCAR news

[AteUp]

-The official announcement of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s primary sponsorship and car number for the 2008 NASCAR season will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 1:30pm/et in Dallas, TX. (I'm guessing Mountain Dew/Amp Energy Drink/National Guard and the #81)

-Budweiser will be sponsoring Kasey Kahne next year.

-Coors may be heading to DEI to sponsor a car next year.

[KYBOY]

@1:45 Im going to be setting at the local tattoo shop to see what the new number is:D

[AteUp]

@1:45 Im going to be setting at the local tattoo shop to see what the new number is:D


I actually laughed out loud!:eek:

[BadDuck]

@1:45 Im going to be setting at the local tattoo shop to see what the new number is:D


Because you want a new tattoo or because yo want to get the old one adjusted???????????????:eek:

[KYBOY]

Because you want a new tattoo or because yo want to get the old one adjusted???????????????:eek:
Oh no:eek: No earnhart fans in this house:D I dont hate him or anything but Im not a fan.......:cool:

[MsgMills]

Could it be 08, or is that number already taken as well by a team?

[michunter]

#08 Has been taken by a team Nemecheck is driving for !!:D I think it will be the #81 junior has history with that one !!!

[AteUp]

UPDATE: Fans who liked watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the #8 since he moved to the Nextel Cup series eight years ago will double their pleasure in 2008. Earnhardt will drive two stylized 8s next season for Hendrick Motorsports, sources told ESPN.com on Friday. Robert Yates Racing, sources said, has agreed to sell the #88 that Dale Jarrett drove to the 1999 championship.(ESPN.com)(9-14-2007)

[AteUp]

Pony Cars Coming To Busch Series: NASCAR hopes to inject new life into its Busch Series by changing the types of cars raced, beginning as early as 2009, according to multiple sources familiar with the project.

If plans go according to schedule, the next-generation Busch Series cars will be Chevy Camaros, Dodge Challengers, Ford Mustangs and an as-yet-to-be named Toyota model, sources said. Ford overhauled the Mustang as a 1960s-retro model in 2005, to positive critical and commercial results.

Chevrolet and Dodge will release similarly retro-themed Camaros and Challengers, respectively, by the 2009 model year. The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger all are two-door coupes with rear-wheel drive and available V-8 engines, a hugely popular combination in the halcyon days of 1960s muscle cars. A switch to these cars - plus whichever model Toyota chooses to campaign - would make a huge amount of sense, as it would help the Busch Series have its own distinct identity apart from Nextel Cup and help remove the stigma of the series as "Cup Lite," as some call it now.

Sources familiar with the project said NASCAR has discussed the idea of switching cars with the manufacturers and has received a positive reception for the idea.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-15-2007)

[AteUp]

Yates needs sponsors in 2008: Robert Yates Racing [Yates Racing in 2008] needs two new sponsors to replace Snickers on the #88 [with a new car # and Travis Kvapil as the driver] and M&M’s on the #38 of David Gilliland.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-16-2007)

Dodge Dealers back on the #19 in 2008: Elliott Sadler’s #19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge will continue to carry the colors of Dodge dealers nationwide, who again in 2008 will ante up to stay in Nextel Cup.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-16-2007)

Brewco Busch Team Could Run Some Cup Races in 2008: Former track owner Gary Baker has purchased controlling interest in Brewco Motorsports Busch team and intends to move the team to Nashville, Tenn.,(from Central City, Ky.) possibly by the end of the year. Baker is the former owner of the track now known as Bristol Motor Speedway as well as the short track in Nashville. [Brewco President Todd] Wilkerson said Baker plans other changes and wants to put one driver in each car for the full season in 2008 instead of multiple drivers in each car. Wilkerson also said the team could run four or five Sprint Cup races in 2008.(SceneDaily.com)(9-16-2007)

[AteUp]

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and J.J. Yeley both know they'll be with new teams next year, and both know where they're headed, but they can't escape their contracts until season's end. There's a possibility they could get a chance to at least test with their future teams in a few weeks, when there's an open trial at Atlanta, though a series of dominos would have to fall if that's to happen. Yeley hopes to test the #96 car that Tony Raines currently rides, which would allow his eventual replacement, Kyle Busch, to steer the Interstate Batteries Chevy, but in order for that to take place Earnhardt would have to be allowed to take Busch's seat in a Hendrick Motorsports machine. Whether that'll happen, however, remains in question. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. president Teresa Earnhardt has already said Regan Smith will test with Junior's current team at Atlanta, but hasn't yet released her stepson to test with Hendrick, so the whole equation may break down and leave the lame ducks with their soon-to-be defunct teams. "The biggest domino is if Teresa will let Dale Jr. go drive for Hendrick," Yeley said. "If that'll happen, I think you're going to see next year's lineup four months in advance, but that comes down to Teresa." (Concord Monitor)(9-16-2007)

[AteUp]

AND SPEED will interrupt regular programming Wednesday afternoon at approximately 1:30pm/et to present a live press conference with Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Dallas. Anchored by SPEED's Steve Byrnes from the network's Charlotte studio, Earnhardt is expected to disclose additional information about his racing plans in 2008 with Hendrick Motorsports, including his sponsor and car number. At the conclusion of the press conference, SPEED will return to regular programming in progress.(9-18-2007)

What Dale Jr's cars will look like? been told the #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy's will look as follows:
One car is white from the nose back to just past the door, then green with the mountain dew logos
the other is white with blue and National Guard decals with the #88 is in red, both have AMP energy drink logos on them. (9-18-2007)

[AteUp]

Kinda looks old school NASCAR. I think National guard still had some time left on their contract or else they prolly couldn't afford to be on the car for a few races.

http://jayski.com/schemes/2008/scup/88amp-diecast.jpg
http://jayski.com/schemes/2008/scup/88natguard-diecast.jpg

[maxcam]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tony Eury Jr. will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports earlier than expected, team officials confirmed on Thursday.



Eury, who has been Dale Earnhardt Jr. (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=2&driverId=150)'s car or crew chief for all but one season since the two broke into the Nextel Cup Series in 2000, will step down after the Oct. 7 race at Talladega Superspeedway.



He will be allowed to take four members of Earnhardt's No. 8 team with him under a deal made by DEI when it agreed to free him contractually to join Earnhardt at HMS in 2008.



DEI vice president John Story said he met with Eury's crew this week and only one person has mentioned leaving thus far.



Eury and Earnhardt could work together for HMS as early as the Car of Tomorrow test at Atlanta Motor Speedway following the Oct. 28 race in Georgia.



Tony Gibson, who replaced Eury during Eury's six-race suspension earlier this year, will complete the season with NASCAR's most popular driver.



Mark Martin (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=2&driverId=68) will step into Earnhardt's No. 8 next year, bringing crew chief Ryan Pemberton and his entire crew with him from the No. 01 team. Gibson is a candidate to move to the No. 01 car that will be driven by Regan Smith (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=2&driverId=478).



"Tony Gibson needs an opportunity to get his team together,'' said Max Siegel, the president of global operations at DEI.