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Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (born October 10 , 1974 ), is a professional American race car driver. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt . He is also the grandson of Ralph Earnhardt and nephew of Morgan Shepherd . During his career, Earnhardt, Jr. has competed successfully in a number of racing classes and events, is a two-time Busch Series champion (one of 6 people to win back-to-back championships), and was the winner of the 2004 Daytona 500 . As of 2000, his primary role is driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS / Impala SS in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup . Earnhardt, Jr. is also the owner of JR Motorsports , and former co-owner (with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt) of Chance 2 Motorsports . CAREER Early career Earnhardt, Jr. was born in ( N.C. ) Motorsport Park. His first race car was a 1979 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with older half-brother Kerry . Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt, Jr. had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and Dale's sister Kelley Earnhardt-Elledge. Junior ran 9 Busch Series races between 1996 and 1997 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ed Whitaker , respectively. Earnhardt, Jr. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 over Matt Kenseth . 2000 in 2000.]] Earnhardt, Jr. competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie Of The Year Award in 2000. His primary competitor for the award was Matt Kenseth . Kenseth outran Junior in the season-opening Daytona 500 . Earnhardt, Jr. scored wins at the Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway . He also become the first rookie to win the All-Star Exhibition Race . Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race. Dale Jr. did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and half-brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400 . That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee , Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat. Dale Jr. also wrote a non-fiction book based on his rookie season titled "DRIVER #8". 2001 In 2001 Earnhardt, Jr. came into the season hoping to avoid a sophomore slump, but the year proved to be one of the most tumultuous and memorable seasons the young driver would experience. The major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the the following weekend, but finished in 43rd-place after a wreck that looked fairly similar to his father's wreck just one week earlier. Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega , as well as an emotional win in the return to Daytona , finishing eighth in points for the year. The Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles. 2002-2003 In 2002, Junior had a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring a Concussion at Fontana in April — an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana , Earnhardt, Jr. finished no better than 30th. Still, Junior rallied to score two more wins at Talladega , a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the standings. 2003 saw Earnhardt, Jr. become a true title contender. He scored a record-breaking 4th consecutive win at Talladega , but people were beginning to say that Earnhardt, Jr. could only win on the Restrictor Plate tracks, as his last win on a non-plate track had come at Dover in 2001. He put that talk to rest as he scored a victory at Phoenix in October, recording a career best 3rd place effort in the standings. He would also take home the NMPA Most Popular Driver award for the first time in his career. 2004-2006 In 2004, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500, six years to the day after his father won his only title in the "Great American Race." On July 18, during on off-weekend from NASCAR, Dale Jr. crashed a Corvette C5-R during a practice for the American Le Mans Series 2004 Grand Prix Of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway . The car slid off course after getting spun out by Mike Rockenfeller in the # 23 Alex Job car and hit a concrete barrier during warm-up the day of the race, rupturing a fuel line and causing the car to burst into flames with Earnhardt, Jr. still inside. He suffered second and third degree burns on his neck, chin, and legs partially due to not wearing a protective Balaclava with his helmet. The burns prevented him from finishing two races where he was replaced by Martin Truex Jr. and his DEI teammate John Andretti in the middle of the races. In the fall, Junior became the first driver to sweep a weekend at Bristol by winning both the Busch race and Cup race in the same weekend. He was able to qualify for the NASCAR ten-race playoff, and had his fifth NEXTEL Cup win of the season (a career high) at Talladega. However, he was penalized 25 points for use of an obscenity during the television broadcast, in violation of a NASCAR rule prohibiting participants from using obscene language. That incident, combined with two consecutive DNF's in the playoffs, eventually dropped him out of the running, and he finished fifth in the 2004 NEXTEL Cup chase despite a career-high 6 wins at Daytona, Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol, Talladega and Phoenix. He also picked up his 2nd consecutive Most Popular Driver Award. At the close of the 2004 season it was revealed that Tony Eury, Sr. would be promoted to the team manager position for the DEI corporation, while Tony Eury, Jr. became the crew chief for the DEI #15 driven by Michael Waltrip for the 2005 season. Peter Rondeau, a Chance 2 employee who also helped Earnhardt, Jr. win the Busch Series race at Bristol in August, became the crew chief for Earnhardt, Jr. in 2005. Rondeau served as Earnhardt's crew chief until the Coca Cola 600 weekend when he was replaced with DEI chief engineer Steve Hmiel , who helped Jr. score his lone win of 2005 at Chicagoland in July. Earnhardt, Jr. was eliminated from any possible competition for the NEXTEL Cup championship after suffering an engine failure at the California Speedway . Earnhardt, Jr. was reunited with cousin Tony Eury, Jr. after the fall Richmond weekend, and results improved immediately. For the 3rd straight year, Earnhardt, Jr. took home the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award. Meanwhile, Earnhardt's proficiency as a car owner continued. His race team outside of DEI, JR Motorsports, in 2005 fielded a car in the USAR Hooters ProCup Series, winning once and qualifying for the Four Champions playoff. Mark McFarland moved to the Busch Series in 2006, driving the #88 JR Motorsports US Navy Chevrolet, with Richard Childress Racing providing assistance; however, he was fired before the fall Michigan race, the Carfax 250 . He was replaced by Robby Gordon and Martin Truex, Jr. for the rest of the year. Long-time short track racer Shane Huffman drove Earnhardt's USAR Hooters ProCup car in 2006. In 2006, during the spring weekend at Talladega Superspeedway , Junior and other DEI drivers drove with special black Paint Schemes on their cars, intended to be reminiscent of his late father's famous #3 paint scheme. On Father's Day 2006, Dale Jr. drove a vintage Budweiser car at Michigan International Speedway to honor both his grandfather ( Ralph Earnhardt ) and father, who at one point in both their careers used the number 8 car. After rain caused the race to be ended early, Dale Jr. finished 3rd with Kasey Kahne winning the race. After 17 races in the 2006 season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat 3rd in the championship standings with one win, coming at Richmond in May 2006. During the race at New Hampshire, Junior experienced the second engine failure of his 2006 season, ultimately leading to a 43rd place finish. Following New Hampshire was the race at Pocono, where Junior was running in the middle of the pack when he crashed in turn 2. These two events catapulted him to 11th in the points standing, out of the Chase for the Cup. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway , Junior and his crew made a critical decision to stay out on the final pit stop to get a much needed top-ten finish to move him up to tenth in the points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the 2006 Chase For The NEXTEL Cup after finishing 17th in the Chevy Rock And Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 9 , 2006 . His points position going into the Chase was 6th. Earnhardt, Jr. finished the season 5th in the point standings, 147 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. 2007 Earnhardt, Jr. began the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Season by finishing 32nd at the Daytona 500 . His first top ten came at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Food City 500 when he finished 7th. His first Top 5 came at Martinsville Speedway in the Goody's Cool Orange 500. He led 136 laps and finished 5th. Jr. collected his third top 10 of the season and his 8th at Talladega Superspeedway with his 7th place performance in the 2007 Aaron's 499 . On May 14th Earnhardt, Jr. was docked 100 driver championship points, car owner Teresa Earnhardt was docked 100 owner points, and his crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races due to the use of illegal mounting brackets used to attach the wing to his car. On finished with the win. http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2884595 On at Watkins Glen International , Dale Jr. was making the push into the Top 12 of the Nextel Cup standings from his #13 position. After being at the #2 position during the race, Jr. had engine problems on lap 64 and had to end his race day. After the Glen, Junior tried furiously to reach the 12th spot in standings. However, a resurgence by Kurt Busch and a blown engine during the final race at Richmond ended his Chase hopes. 2007 DEI DEPARTURE After much speculation, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced on May 10 , 2007 , that he will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his father, to drive for another team in 2008 . Earnhardt expressed that his decision was based entirely on his desires to achieve his career goal of a NEXTEL Cup Championship , and his apparent belief that he would not be able to attain that objective while driving for DEI. He said that unless he could gain majority ownership, and therefore control, of DEI, that he was not confident in the organization’s ability to field the elite level equipment that would yield the elusive title.http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/LC/082707.html On June 13 , 2007 he announced at a press conference that he had signed a five-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports , replacing Kyle Busch . On , 2007 , sources told ESPN that the National Guard and Mountain Dew are looking for a split sponsorship with Earnhardt.http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2954576 New reports as of September 3, have sources saying that Mountain Dew and AMP Energy, both products owned by PepsiCo., will split the sponsorship on the car in 2008. No word on a car number as of yet. On August 15 it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be taking his familiar No. 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports next season. His late grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt , used that number and Earnhardt picked it when he entered the Cup Series in 1999. Earnhardt's father also used No. 8 early in his career. Earnhardt blamed his step-mother for not allowing the No. 8 to move with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt Jr. said negotiations broke down when Teresa Earnhardt asked for part of the licensing revenue, along with wanting the number back after he retired. "Just ridiculous kind of requests," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We just wanted the number, but I was willing to give the number back when I was done driving. I wouldn't have any use for it personally."http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2980474 Hendrick officials didn't reveal what number Earnhardt will use when he starts his five-year deal with the team in 2008,http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/racing/08/15/earnhardt.number.ap/ though he has stated previously that he would like to use #81.http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2976267 Earnhardt Jr. will move to current #25 car, altough it is unlikely to be his number, with Tony Eury Jr. coming to Hendrick to remain as his crew chief.http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=3004004 IN POPULAR CULTURE
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