Pit Stop Report

Hi, everyone!

Welcome to my last post of 2007 – just a couple hours short of ringing in the New Year here where your beloved Pit Stop Report blogger resides in north central Texas.

I wanted to thank all of you for your readership during 2007, first with the previous blogger, Scott, and now with me. When you continue to come back to see the latest we have to offer, it encourages us to keep writing and keep bringing you the latest from the world of NASCAR, as well as other racing leagues. In other words – we write for you, the readers.

Going into 2008, I’d like to give you a preview of what you can expect here at the Pit Stop Report! We’ll start the year by looking at previews for a variety of racing teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as well as previews for selected Craftsman Truck Series teams and Nationwide Series teams. We’re also going to take a look at what’s going on in the Indy Car League, and take a look at a few of the other leagues to see what’s going on in 2008…leagues including ARCA, IHRA, and F1.

For now, I want to leave you with on a very happy note for the end of 2007/start of 2008: watch the video below to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. win the 2004 Daytona 500. Here’s hoping for a repeat in the #88 for 2008!

Happy New Year!

Until we meet again in 2008, drive fast and turn left!

As promised, I’m going to bare all here at the Pit Stop Report and lay out the predictions from my ill-fated magazine article, and then compare them to reality. Some are funny, some actually on target. Either way, get your fill here!

Prediction
Watch the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. camp carefully in 2007, as affairs heat up between star driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the team owner, who is also his step-mother, Teresa Earnhardt. Given the ultimatum of choosing between a career in racing and a career as a public personality, Jr. may find the impetus to finally achieve his first championship season. Although qualifying for the Chase in two of the three seasons since its inception, each finish has been lackluster at best. As he struggles over deciding the best route for his future, which may well include eventually driving the Black #3 made famous by his father, this could turn out to be a breakthrough year.

Reality
Well, I was right about one thing: DEI needed close watching in 2007, and now it’ll need even closer watching to see what’ll become of Teresa’s baby in 2008. She may have given Jr. an ultimatum to race instead of be a celebrity, but he gave her the ultimate ultimatum when he asked for a share of the company and was denied…and so decided to depart for Hendrick. What a lousy season…didn’t qualify…again. How many blown engines? I can’t barely stand to think about it. I’ll admit to you, dear audience, that I’m way disappointed that Jr. went to Hendrick instead of RCR, but I am anxious to see how he’ll perform in the #88 in 2008. All those 8s…bound to be good luck, right?

Next up…Jr’s new Hendrick teammate, Jimmy Johnson.

Until then, drive fast and turn left!

Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR

It seems that comments made last month by the late Dale Earnhardt Sr’s wife, Teresa, could have detrimental effects on that race team. Teresa was quoted in the Dec. 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal as follows, “Right now the ball’s in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality,”

Junior had held his comments up until Monday’s press conference at the opening of preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway were he said, “I was trying not to get involved in it, (but) I really didn’t appreciate it,” he said. “Whether she was taken out of context or not, I just didn’t really appreciate it.” Earnhardt Jr. also stated that he had not talked to his step-mother since she had made that comment.

With dialogue like that and with Junior’s contract with DEI ending at the end of the 2007 season, we may see Dale Jr. with a different team next year. It would be hard to imagine, but I do not blame him a bit. Negotiations for his last contract were stalemated by Junior’s want for less personal apperances and took months for them to agree on an acceptable number.

Now this contract may end up getting caught up in Junior’s want to be part owner of the company his father started and I do not see Teresa Earnhardt relenquishing any of DEI to anybody, anytime soon.

Well, if I was Dale Jr I would tell Teresa to cancel all of my personal apperances and I will be a NASCAR driver. Then she can she how many sponsors such as Budweiser and Wrangler stick around to pay her bills. We will have to see what the out come of this we be and only hope that somebody wakes up and smells the roses and keeps Dale Earnhardt Jr. at DEI, Inc.

Till the next Pit Stop…..

Dale Earnhardt Jr, Dale Earnhardt Sr, DEI Inc, NASCAR, Budweiser, Wrangler, Daytona International Speedway, Wall Street Journal