Today is Benny's Birthday
Posted on 07/11/2007 2:39:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Join us as we head off to Chicagoland this week-end for the Cup and Busch circuits and the Craftsman Trucks running in Kentucky.
Thanks! I followed the link back to the very original link and there is nothing there about him getting the lesser race equipment.
Clearly he was not “always getting second-hand treatment.” Maybe when it came to promotions and contracts, but clearly not on the track.
"What is your source?"
MY source is ALL the articles I have posted over the last two years that no one reads. I'm not going to go fetch them now. I follow Dale Earnhardt Jr closer than anyone here. I get some info from other sources which I will not give out.
Let's not forget he had to fight to get the rights to use his OWN name and let's also not forget the change of crewchiefs, that was a real smart move. The CC had nothing to do with the wrong engineering of the car and the lack of horsepower. Let's also remember Richie Gilmore saying YES their engine department was behind. And, of course, there's always Teresa who was an absentee owner and who could not ok anything thus leaving requests sitting on her desk for weeks. Let's also remember they didn't have the COT up to speed until the last minute. How about Hendrick testing hundreds of times more than DEI. Should I go on or do you get my drift?
And lastly, you said Jr was not doing well because he's melancholy.......I had to laugh at that. What the heck does that mean? He is about the most exhuberent, enthusiastic and eager person out there.
Today is Benny's Birthday
Happy Birthday BP, we miss you. :(
BTW Budweiser announcment tomorrow, not going with Jr to HMS.
But, they do have a personal contract with him for next year. Will have to see how that works out.
We “may” get the “8” and possible still a red car. Cross your fingers. Hope that doesn’t offend any Hendrick peeps.
Benny was one of the last voices of sanity.
Very true and plus the new merchandise will give HMS and Jr a gazillion dollars. It will be enough to support the economy of a small country. :)
Maybe a big one!
Hey WCG did you see this?
Goodyear Gives NASCAR Fans a Chance to Own a Piece of the Action
I hope Jeff Gordon wins....isn’t it his turn now. LOL!
Same deal with the Atlanta races which are really in Hampton, GA which is about 30 miles away from Atlanta.
You think he was "exhuberent, enthusiastic and eager" while he was at DEI following the death of his father and dealing with Theresa on his own? Absurd. In my opinion he was melancholy about his position at DEI, and quite possibly about the loss of his father. I believe, based on listening to his scanner during every race, this attitude affected his driving.
Since signing with HMS it appears the weight is off his shoulders, and I no longer detect the melancholy.
Thought this might be of interest since Kyle Petty seems to be a favorite on the race threads.
He’s doing a charity motorcycle ride for a camp for sick children this weekend. There is going to be a virtual ride so we can follow along.
http://www.kylepettycharityride.com/
There’s also a video clip of him on Fox and Friends. Scroll down to famous faces.
http://www.foxnews.com/foxfriends/index.html
Thanks Pete I had not seen that!!
If you listened to his scanner at every race he was not waxing poetic about his father or TEresa, he was cussing out the crappy car many times.
However, when that POS car broke down or wrecked because it was not up to par he would be the first one to apologize to anyone else who was involved whether on the track or off AND that’s why we love him.
Oh wait, as a matter of fact I just sent this yesterday to my Yahoo account in case my computer crashes and none of it appears melancholy. I did not save the ALL the crappy car comments, now I wish I did. Of course I’m not a psychiatrist BUT.....
Hmiel: “The left front’s not turnin.’ Let’s get those fire extinguishers…. (to Junior) Do you have brakes? Put that fire out first. Put out the fire… you alright in there June?”
Dale Jr: “’Bout as good as I could be, I guess….”
Hmiel: “Just makin’ sure you’re still breathin’ alright in there.”
Dale Jr.: “What’s cutting the left fronts down?”
Hmiel: “We don’t know. We aren’t crazy on air pressures or camber. It’s the fourth one so far today.”
Dale Jr.: “I’ll ride it to the third flat tire, but then you can get somebody else to get in here for the fourth…”
Dale Jr.: “Man, I bet they’re wearing all them Dale Jr. commercials out with all these cautions!”
After watching a big crash in front of him on lap 379:
Dale Jr.: “Second verse, same as the first.”
Dale Jr.: “I know you probably don’t give a (crap), but that was pretty fun. Heh heh!”
Dale Jr. had a bird’s-eye view of a hard crash between two lapped cars on lap 242…
Dale Jr: “Ahahahahahahahah! That was trip! Gollllllllllllleeeeeee! I could see that comin’ from way back.”
Steve Hmiel: “Good job. We were lucky to miss that one.”
Dale Jr.: “Yeeeeeeeeoooooooooowwww! I hope nobody’s hurt. They hit hard there. CRASH! BAM!”
After several minutes of silence:
Pete Rondeau (crew chief): “You sleeping in there?”
Dale Jr.: “No, I’m flipping everybody off.”
Following a brief radio chat with Darrell Waltrip for Fox’s live telecast of the event:
Dale Jr.: “That was a cool piece of commentary. Maybe I’ve got a future.”
Hmiel: “Yeah, like you need it.”
Rondeau: “They’re getting restless out there (in the grandstands). They’re doing the wave.”
Dale Jr.: “Yeah, you should seem ‘em all down here. Crazy stuff going on.”
Dale Jr.: “Do I have a spotter? “
Dale Jr: “Ahhhhh! Tomfoolery! The 16 stayed out! Shennanigans! He can’t pass the 20 (Tony Stewart) if he pits.”
Dale Jr.: “Alright, uhhhhh, that was not such a good stop. But still, when you’re (crappy), you’re still better than most. Haha. Gotta feel good about that, huh?
Dale Jr.: “We need some padding in this seat. Shocks are rough. It’s kicking my ass… Y’all gotta fix this seat. Damn, my ass hurts.”
Dale Jr.: (Joking about his issues) “What else can I complain about today?”
Dale Jr.: “Man, I’m just trying to get to the house… Or Indy for two days (the Bud team is testing at the Indianapolis Speedway). I tell ya, boy, I ain’t looking forward to that at all! Don’t be surprised, but there ain’t tellin’ what kind of shape I’ll be in when I show up.”
Hmiel: “We’re never surprised.”
Dale Jr.: (laughing) “Heh heh. Now that’s funny!”
Dale Jr.: “Next year, they ought to consider giving the ‘lucky dog’ award to whoever drives up through there the best… like I did.”
Hmiel: “Yeah, they ought to have a ‘Whatever’ Award.”
Dale Jr.: “Yeah, hell, that was a lotta work!”
Dale Jr.: “Hey, much better! All I was saying is I like the way the car drives. The radios need to be better. And I drive a half-second faster when I’m pissed off. So get me angry.”
Steve Hmiel (crew chief): “Yeah, I think you’re gonna set the record for lucky dogs.”
Dale Jr.: “Hey, they made the damn rule!”
Dale Jr: (joking, most likely) “Good. I’m glad they did because I was thinkin’ about wreckin’ him. (chuckling)”
Jimmy Kitchens (spotter): (nervously, and perhaps directing his comments to any officials who may have been listening) “You mean you were only thinking that….”
Dale Jr: “Hah! Yeah, I was just daydreaming. Just jokin. It’s crazy out here. That 4 car (M. Wallace) was racing somebody hard and he just came down and wrecked us.”
Tony Jr; (referring to Dale Jr’s hand gesture following the incident): “It’s amazing how far your arm can come up out of that window when you’re mad, isn’t it?!
Dale Jr: “Hah hah hahahha Yeah! Hah hah!”
Dale Jr. (after the green flag, followed very soon after by another yellow flag): “HA! That was hilarious! I thought ‘surely God they won’t throw the green’ then it was ‘AH NO! Here we go!”… (teasing his crew chief) Tony Jr. did you order that pizza?”
Tony Jr: “I didn’t order anything.”
Dale Jr: “What’s for lunch?”
Bud crew member: “Manwiches!”
Dale Jr.: “Ah. Excellent. That’s a bonus.”
Dale Jr.: “(Tony) Junior, your radio is the worst radio. Do you ever want to get a new radio? I complain about it 38 weeks a year, but you keep bringing it back. I don’t know what it is with Junior’s radio. I can hear pit guys fine, I can hear the spotter fine, but I can never hear Junior. I don’t know what it is. Can somebody help him out? It’s like he’s got a piece of metal in his head.”
Dale Jr.: “Hell yeah he’s a big SOB. I still ain’t real sure how he gets in a car when it’s on all fours.”
Tony Jr.: “What’s it doing now?”
Dale Jr.: “Wreckin’.”
Dale Jr.: “That was a long green-flag run there.”
Stevie Reeves (spotter): “Yeah, about 120 laps.”
Dale Jr. (referring to long run): “How’d y’all like your pizza?”
Tony Jr. (car chief): “It was good.”
As Dale Jr. swept into fourth place, he suddenly had the leader in his sights for the first time:
Dale Jr.: “Oh lookie here!”
Stevie Reeves (spotter): “The 97 (Kurt Busch) spotter came to me and said give ‘em a break on the restart. He’s having engine problems and can only get up to 8,000 (rpms) on the straights. He said give him a few laps and then things will spread out.”
Dale Jr: “Ohhhhhhh... I’ll try, but I’m not sure I can wait that long...”
After pondering the situation for a few yellow-flag laps:
Dale Jr: “OK, I’ll take it easy on him, but you’d better alert that dog pound behind me here...”
Dale Jr: “Lemme know if Elliott beats him…”
Tony Jr: “Four laps to go… they gotta helluva race going there.”
Reeves: “Uh, that’s Kasey Kahne, not Bill Elliott in the number 9 car…”
Dale Jr: “I know. That’s Elliot Sadler!”
Reeves: “Oh yeah... 10-4.”
Stevie Reeves (spotter): “The 20 (Tony Stewart) was lookin’ for ya out there. He was looking to help you get in line…”
Dale Jr.: “Tell him I don’t wanna be in line. I wanna have fun.”
Dale Jr: “Man, these fans are crazy! I think there’s a fight near the flag stand… It’s good to see ‘em enjoyin’ themselves. I love it. These fans are up the whole damn race… I love the crowd here. I feed off it and race like hell.”
Dale Jr.: “I’m in bad need of a tear-off (on the windshield). I think Tony (Stewart) or the 01 (Joe Nemechek) is dropping grease or something. I couldn’t see anything there – I was just trying to push an orange blur past the blue blur.”
Jon Dennison (engine tuner): “Save all the fuel you can…”
Dale Jr. (dejected): “Oh… nice…
Dale Jr: “Y’all nervous?”
Tony Jr: “Nope.”
Dale Jr: “Y’all look nervous.”
Tony Jr.: “Nope. You’ll have 19 laps to go.”
Dale Jr.: “Ohhh… it’s nice and warm in here… I’m all warm… about ready to take a nap in here.”
Tony Eury Sr. (crew chief, talking to team member Rick “Otis” Hodges after Hodges had sprinted to the hauler for a fan): “You need oxygen?”
Dale Jr.: “Ha, ha, ha … What, you think I’m out of shape all of a sudden? I know I’m all hot in this firesuit, but I ain’t out of shape.”
Tony Sr. (laughing): “I was talking to Otis.”
Dale Jr.: “Oh, I was getting all offended in here. I just want my new uniforms, that’s all.”
Dale Jr: “Man, Junior. You’re the only man in this place that thinks we can get a car to beat the 48 or the 38 (Elliot Sadler). They’re in a land of their own today. And it’s a tough day at the office for us.”
Tony Jr.: “Wow, Talladega doesn’t see wrecks like that one!”
Stevie Reeves (spotter): “Great job avoiding that Junior. Wait till you see the replay.”
Dale Jr. (in his car as it sits on the frontstretch): “I’m watching it on the big screen right here. BAM! … Look, there goes my car! Great move!”
Dale Jr.: “I have no brakes!”
Tony Jr: “You’ll have to crank the (brake) bias all the way to the front to have any brakes.”
Dale Jr.: “Ohhhhhh… I’m already waaaay ahead of ya buddy. I have no (brake) pedal! It was a (bad) day…”
Tony Jr. “Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Just hit your marks… That last lap was a 17.09…”
Dale Jr. (abruptly): “Hush UP!… (long pause) damn it!”
Dale Jr.: “I’ve never missed pit road like that in my life. I’m soooo sorry y’all. And when we take two tires, you gotta keep reminding me that we’re taking two tires.”
Tony Jr.: “Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to hand you a sandwich or what.”
Dale Jr. (relieved) “Alright guys, let’s go. I’m done.”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “OK, let’s change four tires and a driver.”
Dale Jr. (laughing): “Ask Stewart (behind him in seventh place) if he’s got any mercy for a guy who really needs a top-10?”
Tony Jr: “You’re doin’ good. 11 to go. Keep doin’ what you’re doin.”
Dale Jr.: (trying to concentrate) “OK! Keep quiet!”
Dale Jr.: “What happened there. Anybody else involved?”
Stevie Reeves (spotter): “Not sure. I was looking at you through binoculars through turns 1 and 2, so I couldn’t see.”
Dale Jr. (after several seconds of dead air): “Uhhh, would anybody else like to say what happened?”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Not sure, just saw smoke.”
Dale Jr.: “How’d I get so far up in the field?”
Tony Jr.: “You were passing cars.”
Dale Jr.: “No way, we sucked.”
Tony Jr.: “We sucked at the beginning, but you were passing cars there.”
Dale Jr: “The wheel in my hands feels pretty good. I’m not sure - it aint real bad. I dunno what happened, it just felt like the hand of God came over and hit me real hard.”
Dale Jr: “Somebody needs to break up this party goin’ on here… (loudly) “NOBODY TOUCH THIS CAR!”… (pause) “For everyone listenin,’ that last quote was from the great movie ‘Stroker Ace…’ (back in uh... ‘character’) “I said ‘Nobody touch this car!”’”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief) “We were wondering why it took two of those officials to keep an eye on you…”
Dale Jr: “Hey - they just want some ‘cool points’ to rub off onto ‘em…”
Tony Eury Jr: “Where y’at?!?”
Dale Jr: “Who knows?! I broke at turn one so now I am at… (pause) who-knows-what-turn… (pause) I’m at ‘www.who-the-hell-knows.com…’”
Dale Jr: “Did y’all hear that? Am I talking to myself? Can you hear me?”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “10-4.”
Dale Jr: “Then tell me what I just said… Are those headsets working? Y’all aren’t talking to me here. Are ya all nervous or something?!”
‘Understatement Award’ after spinning on lap 178, but continuing without hitting anything:
Dale Jr: “Uh… I guess you can only go so fast at this place…”
Dale Jr: “Wassup, guys?! You guys have fun tonight, alright?… Whoa! Somebody just threw a beer bottle at the car…”
Ty Norris (team spotter): “Yeah, NASCAR is talking about it too.”
Dale Jr: “It musta been Sterling Marlin that threw it cuz it was a damn Coors Light…”
Dale Jr: “Don’t let ‘em throw the green flag again here, it’ll happen all over again. Let me explain it to ya: when it’s raining, the ground gets wet, OK?!
Jeff Clark (engine tuner for the Bud team, asking about the oil and water temperatures under the long caution period) “How do the gauges look?”
Dale Jr: “Nice. They’re silver and they all have nice little red needles…”
Dale Jr. (complaining about the track crew using too much of the powdery oil-dry to clean up the accident) “Sandstorm! Turn Two! Sandstorm!”
About another driver: “What the…!? I swear to God I wanna punch him out!”
Joey Meier: “OK Junior, you’re clear behind the 10 car…”
Dale Jr. (who pulled out in front of the 10 instead, narrowly avoiding a collision): “WHOA!Clear my ass!”
Dale Jr: “Hey -this water bottle is flying around in here. Can I just throw it out?”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Uhhhhh… well. Wait. Let’s check with an official first. We don’t want NASCAR penalizing us for throwing [litter] on the track…”
Dale Jr.: “Let me know, ‘cause it’s just rolling all around.”
Tony Jr.: “OK, they say you can throw it out at the end of the pit lane here when you come by next lap.”
Ty Norris (spotter): (joking) “If we win this race, Action [Performance, which produces most NASCAR souvenir items] can produce a special die-cast with the flying water bottle accessory…”
Dale Jr.: “Alright. Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again, ‘cause if that would have hit me on the arm I don’t wanna know what would have happened at these speeds…”
Ty Norris (spotter, during a long yellow flag from lap 137 through 149) “I wonder how many people have turned over to football by now?”
Dale Jr.: “I’ll bet they all have turned over. These caution flags are endless. I’m bored out here.”
Danny Earnhardt (front tire carrier, making reference to Dale Jr’s love for the Washington Redskins) “Do you want to know the Redskins’ score?”
Dale Jr: “NO! I don’t want to hear any scores. I am in a great mood out here, and I don’t want anyone to ruin my good mood. Maybe I can use this time for something productive, like brushing up on my rapping skills or something…”
Dale Jr.: “Hey (car chief Tony Eury) Junior…what do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?”
Tony Eury Jr.: (immediately) “A stick.”
Dale Jr. (laughing loudly) “Hah hah hah hah hah you must have met the same girl I did!”
Dale Jr. (during a yellow flag period early in the race): “I am watching the water temp(erature)… It’s about 220 degrees (Farenheit)… I was worried because I remember back in the days when 210 was all ya wanted to see…”
Jeff Clark (team engine specialist): “Hey man, Wilson says it’s OK…”
Dale Jr: “There ain’t no Wilson here…”
Tony Eury Sr. (crew chief): “Yeah, he’s there, but I’ll bet he’s all swollen up from the heat inside that car…He’s never seen heat like this.”
Dale Jr.: “Seriously? I don’t see him…”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Yeah, he’s right there – behind your water bottle…”
(dramatic pause)
Dale Jr.: “Hey! There he is! (calling out like Tom Hanks’ character in the movie) WILSONNNNNNNNNN! He’s in here man! I got a buddy…”
Dale Jr.: (referring to his Budweiser sponsorship versus Rusty’s brand-x sponsorship): “Yeah! My beer is better than your beer! Rusty and I always race the hell outta each other…”
Dale Jr: “C’mon Tony Jr! Speak up! It sounds like you’re using some sorta megaphone! I just can’t hear it over this screaming engine. Or is it that your voice is just not masculine enough?! (laughter erupts among the crew.)
Dale Jr: “The car is pretty good, but I have a bad vibration. I need to get that tire offa here. I feel like I’m pretty decent otherwise. (He then starts speaking in an exaggerated, trembling voice, as if he were standing on a paint shaker.) eeeeeeevvvvvveeeeeeennnnnunnnnnderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr theeee yellllllllllllllowwwwwwwwww flaggggg: baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbraaaaaaaaaaaaaationnnnnnnn…”
Dale Jr. (yelling while Mark Martin is being interviewed): “Hey! Mark! Wrap it up! C’mon! Speed it up! I’m getting bumped more on this TV show than I was on the track tonight.”
Dale Jr: “Are you gonna tell me where we’re at (on pit strategy) or are ya gonna keep it a secret?”
PRN producer: “Dale Jr, this is PRN. Can you talk?”
Dale Jr.: “All day, every day.”
Dale Jr: “What do we do?”
Tony Jr: “Just drive it until it breaks.”
Dale Jr.: Will you pick me up outta the grandstands if it breaks?”
Tony Eury Sr. (looking skyward): “Come on man up there, this is Florida!”
Dale Jr. (in his best disciplinarian voice): “Tony Eury Sr., report to the gate. Heh heh heh.”
Dale Jr.: “Any reason to pit for gas here?”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “No, we’d still be 10 laps short (of the fuel window).”
Dale Jr.: “You sound like a MIT graduate talking, like you’re a nerd.”
Tony Jr.: “Nope, all I said is we’re about 10 laps short.”
Dale Jr.: “What, Pops doesn’t stay in the pits the whole time?”
Tony Jr.: “No, he said he gets bored with us.”
Dale Jr: “Man, if it were me, I’d be at South Beach.”
Tony Sr. (referring back to Dale Jr.’s prior comment): “I’m at the gates.”
Dale Jr: “I dunno where you guys mounted this water bottle, but if I had some tea bags, we’d have hot tea here. It burned my lips… seriously! It’s like drinking hot coffee.”
Dale Jr: “I hate the change you made to my (drinking) water (inside the car). I hate this bag of water. Wherever it is inside this car, it’s not anywhere cool…”
Eury Jr. (car chief): “10-4. We changed it on ya, but we’ll change it back to your thermos for ya next time.”
Dale Jr (half teasing): “Yeah, no one consulted me on this change. I’m the boss in here and I didn’t approve any change. Lemme tell ya, Pops (Tony Eury, crew chief) told me way back in the Busch Series days that if I could touch it, I was in charge of it and if it’s wrong, it’s my fault. So, I’m sayin’ it sucks and we’re changing back.”
Tony Jr: “10-4. We’ll put it back.”
Dale Jr. (still irritated): “I can’t get anything out of it without chewing through the tube…”
Ty Norris (spotter, joking): “Junior, I think Pops meant that you should stop b###hin’ about the things you can’t control…”
Dale Jr: “He said if it was something in the car that I could touch – my seat belts or whatever – that I was in charge of it, and I was the boss. I figure I’m in the right here and crew member X is in the wrong.”
Norris (perhaps trying to change the subject): “OK, on this restart, look for (teammate) Steve (Park). He’s a lap down but he can hang with the leaders on the restarts.”
Dale Jr: “Ty – what the hell does that have to do with with me or this Bud red team?”
Norris: “I was just tellin’ ya what I saw…”
Dale Jr: (now just playin’ only for laughs): “Well then you need to join the fan club… (long silence) Y’all gotta admit that was a good one. I was just tryin’ to give y’all something to laugh about there…”
Dale Jr: “Hey! How ‘bout something nice to drink at the end of this race? I’ve been drinkin’ this warm water that’s worse than toilet water… (pause for comedic effect)… I’d like something fruity and nice… something cold… In fact, anything would be better than this (stuff).”
Dale Jr: (very proud of his pass of Rusty Wallace on the outside to take the lead for the first time) “Did ya like my pass for the lead?! Pretty cool, wasn’t it?!”
Tony Jr: “Yeah, pretty cool.”
Dale Jr: (mocking) “Yeah, I don’t know how you hold back the tears watching such a beautiful pass…”
Dale Jr: “I’m sideways! Everybody’s running me down! I know you wanted to try some changes, but I’m not a guinea pig… let’s get this (car) tightened up!”
Lap 116
Dale Jr: “Alright, I feel a little bit better. It’s not so bad anymore, but it’s still loose. I have my hands full out here, but I can handle it… I’m a PROFESSIONAL racecar driver.”
Dale Jr: “I feel like we killed the engine speed-wise. But, I still seem to be pretty fast. Maybe this engine is possessed. It’s on, then it’s not.”
In the post-qualifying news conference Friday afternoon, a giddy Dale Jr. pointed out Bobby Labonte’s new uniform, a special design promoting the new HULK movie.
“Hey Bobby, if I bump into your car Sunday, will it grow bigger?”
Ty Norris (spotter): “Just be careful on the restart here, brother…”
Dale Jr: “Careful?… What?!”
Norris: “There’s some (pause) inexperience in front of ya, so just be careful.”
Dale Jr: “Gawwwwd allllmighty, that was awesome. A wreck waitin’ to happen…”
Dale Jr: “Y’all gotta speak clearer! I can’t understand anybody! When you talk it sounds like ‘wa wa wa wa wa wa.’”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Do you wanna take a rubber out of the left rear or put one in the right rear?”
Dale Jr: “Wa wa wa wa wa wa wa…’
Dale Jr.: (referring to the rookie driver who restarted in front of the No. 8 car): “Be sure to remind that boy in front of us who’s racing for points here…”
Dale Jr: “I don’t like these tires as much as the first set.”
Tony Jr: “Sherm (tire specialist Shawn Nettleton) said it may be an old set of tires.”
Dale Jr: “Darn you, Sherm. OK, everybody point at Sherm and laugh…”
Tony Jr: “It’s alright. We already did…”
Tony Jr. (before the pit stop on lap 160): “Alright boys, this one is representing the Big What-a-Burger Posse…” (mocking Dale Jr’s band of buddies known as the “Dirty Mo Posse”)
Dale Jr.: “I don’t wanna hear any talk about food… I’m starving out here!”
Ty Norris: (spotter): “Hey Junior, do you see your pit? It’s right there to your left…”
Dale Jr.: (laughing) “I see it. It’s where all them idiots are standing on the wall… (silence) Hey now- y’all don’t take it so personal! I was joking…”
Dale Jr.: “I don’t know what it is about this place. This track is the hardest to concentrate when the field gets spread out and I’m running by myself out there. I start to wonder what’s going on in the condos or what’s happenin’ in the pits….”
Teresa Earnhardt (team owner, answering on the radio from her track-side condo in turn one): “Hey, we’re up here watching ya!”
Dale Jr. (sounding surprised) “Hey! Are ya havin’ a good time?”
Teresa: “Just watching you! That exit from the pits was really good that time.”
Dale Jr: “Hey, I’m wheelin’ it!”
Dale Jr: “I just think it’s me. Every time I scream ‘I need to pit!’ at this place, a damn yellow comes out. When I scream ‘I need to pit!’ the next time, tell me to shut up and just suck it up…”
Dale Jr. (joking with the team as he passed the Bud pit area while leading on lap 25) “Hey... what’s up guys?!?”
Dale Jr. (as he moved into second place behind his teammate Waltrip, sounding like a small child imitating race car noises) “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooowwwwwlllllllllllllllll…”
Tony Jr. (teasing Dale Jr, and referring to the exhaust fan that blows clean, fresh air into Dale Jr’s helmet) “I don’t think your carbon monoxide filter is working…”
Dale Jr. “…or it’s working reallllllllllllllllll good! (evil laugh, as if he’s possessed) Ahahahahahah! I just might take it home with me!”
Tony Jr: “You’ll have to cuz’ Dale Jarrett blew up.” (Junior was scheduled to ride home in Jarrett’s helicopter)
Dale Jr. “Damn, I lost my ride home, so I have to ride in the van with you guys. I mean, that’s cool, but you guys turn the stereo down and ride around like a bunch o’ old ladies.”
Tony Jr. (teasing the rock-and-roll lover) “Yeah, I think 105.7 has bluegrass music on tonight!”
Dale Jr. “Well… Junior, ya know, we’re buddies and all, but we’re not THAT good o’ friends…”
Dale Jr: “I can’t get any water out of this cooler. I don’t know if the tube is out of the bottle or all the way to the bottom. I mean, I’m not gonna get dehydrated or anything, but it’s bad that I got this water right here next to me and I can’t get at it. That’s hardcore, man.”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Next stop, we’ll get you a bottle of water and you can just toss it out when you’re done…” Several laps later…
Dale Jr. (joking): “OK, I just dislocated my shoulder-blade, but I got the water bottle working now.”
NASCAR Doctor: “Alright, we checked ya out, and you look to be alright. You will still be able to have kids…”
Dale Jr.: “Just not tonight…”
Dale Jr. “OKkkkkkkk… I’m comin’ innnnnn… pitting nowwwwwwww… comin’ ‘round the cornerrrrrr… comin’ in… here I come…”
Dale Jr. : “Hey… Joey… if there’s a big crash in front of me, just say ‘WHOA!’ a buncha times.”
Dale Jr: (starting to refocus on the restart of the race) “You would not believe how loose this car is for two laps after the green. Then, just like that, it’s back to how it was before. But, those first few laps, damn, it’s loose! JUNIOR NO LIKEY!”
Dale Jr: “Hey - could somebody get me a pepperoni pizza?”
Tony Eury Jr: “Nah… sorry. I don’t see any here…”
Dale Jr: “Awwwwww man! I’d get one for you!”
Tony Jr: “Nope, I really don’t see one around, and we done checked!”
Dale Jr.: “Well, ya better hurry and get me one before the stores close…”
Soon after, the Performance Racing Network radioed a few questions to Dale Jr. during the yellow flag period.
Dale Jr: “I don’t think I can adequately express my feelings about the car on national radio, but hopefully we’ll get better and I’ll be happier later on…”
Dale Jr: “Yeah, maybe he meant AFTER the contact… slammin’ and slidin’… maybe they checked up then… Oh, did the ‘Skins (Washington Redskins) lose? Wait- don’t tell me. I don’t think I can handle it…”
It was Cedar Lake they were headed to. Thanks
http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=259774
Budweiser won't sponsor Earnhardt Jr.
By DAVID POOLE - dpoole@charlotteobserver.com
JOLIET, Ill. --Budweiser will not be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s primary sponsor next year, Hendrick Motorsports confirmed Friday morning.
"We have agreements in place with sponsors for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season which prevent us from having a relationship with Budweiser," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "Honoring our commitments is important to us. The trade-off is missing an opportunity to bring Budweiser, a marquee brand synonymous with NASCAR and its fans, into the fold."
Budweiser has sponsored Earnhardt Jr.'s cars since he came to the Cup Series.
Earnhardt Jr. announced on June 13 that he would drive for Hendrick next year. Primary sponsorship on that team remains undecided and no timetable has been established for an announcement, Friday's statement said.
Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch, said Budweiser will remain "an active sponsor" in NASCAR. Published reports have linked Evernham Motorsports and driver Kasey Kahne to a potential deal.
"Budweiser has sponsored Dale Jr. for nearly a decade, and we wish him the very best," Ponturo said. "We look forward to building upon the legacy of the iconic Budweiser red car in 2008 and beyond."
Budweiser has sponsored cars in NASCAR's top series since 1983, backing such drivers as Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader.
"To climb into that red Budweiser car each weekend has always been a privilege," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Although Budweiser and I will be unable to continue our partnership beyond this season, I remain committed to driving for Bud the rest of this year, and will continue to make it my beer of choice. I'm a race car driver. All I can do is drive as hard as I can for my fans and sponsorship partners, and give my best effort each weekend."
Jeff, due to his long-time association with Pepsi, is arranging this deal. If it comes together, it will be his name on the contract for HMS along with Rick's. He's been taking an increasing management role at HMS behind the scenes. We fans got confirmation from his new DVD, although there have been hints about it for some time now.
Thank You very much for that Heads-Up!
Thanks for the Gordon family pics!!!
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