Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday he is joining
Hendrick Motorsports, moving him one step closer toward the championship that
has eluded him while driving for his late father's company.
Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch on his star-studded roster
of drivers. The decision ends five weeks of recruiting for NASCAR's most popular
driver, who became a free agent May 10 when he said he would leave DEI at the
end of this season.
Kyle Busch has said in a statement that he would be leaving Hendrick at the end
of this season. Both Ginn Racing and DEI has expressed interest in Busch.
His criteria for a new team included finding a place he could win championships,
and Hendrick is the perfect fit. Hendrick has won six championships, and has 10
wins through 14 points races this season.
"It became apparent to me the man I wanted to drive for," Earnhardt said. "He
competes with integrity and most importantly, he wins races."
It was not immediately clear what number car Earnhardt will drive, and who will
sponsor the car. Since starting in NASCAR, Earnhardt has driven the No. 8
Chevrolet, and he has long-standing ties to Budweiser.
Hendrick also has longtime ties to Earnhardt's family. He fielded a car in 1983
for Dale Earnhardt Sr., who drove it to a Busch Series win at Lowe's Motor
Speedway. That entry was co-owned by Robert Gee, who is Junior's maternal
grandfather.
Earnhardt hasn't come close in seven full seasons at DEI to winning a Cup title.
Hendrick, meanwhile, has won six championships since 1995, and along with
four-time champion Gordon, currently fields defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears.
"I think that I'll have a good opportunity to succeed and win a lot of races,"
Earnhardt said. "Personally, I think I will cherish a championship on my mantle
when it's all said and done.
"I think I can live without it, obviously, but I'll be 90, 95 percent on my
goals that I set for myself personally if I can't gather my championship. I
really do want it."
With four drivers under contract, Hendrick told The Associated Press last month
he had "no room at the inn" for Earnhardt. But Hendrick said Wednesday that
Busch, who has a win this year and is currently 10th in the standings, was
already talking to other teams when Earnhardt decided to leave DEI.
The 22-year-old Busch signed with Hendrick before he turned 18, and has four
career Cup victories and a spot in last year's Chase for the championship to
show for it. Hendrick said he and Busch discussed a contract extension, but as
those talks progressed in late May - and when Earnhardt became a free agent -
they fizzled.
"It became pretty obvious to both of us that maybe a fresh start might be good
for both of us," Hendrick said.
It’s going to be interesting to see what Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have to
say about having NASCAR biggest star as a teammate.
By Eddie