Dale Earnhardt's Last Race At DEI
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Posted by Jeremy Dunn Nov 16, 2007 |
On Sunday afternoon, Dale Earnhardt Jr will fire up the engine to the red Budweiser number 8 Chevrolet for the final time. Three years ago, this would have been unheard of. After winning six races in 2004, as well as the Daytona 500, it appeared as if Earnhardt Jr was destined to be a championship caliber driver. That all changed in 2005 when his team and fleet of cars were transferred to the 15 team.
Earnhardt Jr and new crew chief Pete Rondeau never clicked. In 2006, Earnhardt Jr had Tony Eury Jr back on his side, but they only won a single race. During the off-season, Teresa Earnhardt boldly called out Earnhardt Jr, hence, the beginning of the end for the Dale Earnhardt Jr and DEI relationship.
In May, Earnhardt Jr publicly announced his intentions to leave DEI, and over a month later, he announced that he was going to join Hendrick Motorsports, the team that has overwhelmingly dominated NASCAR in 2007. This was a sting to a lot of fans; however, it will unlikely affect his popularity or souvenier sales in a negative manner.
When the Homestead race reaches its conclusion, it will be final. So many fans spent so much time and money rooting for Earnhardt and buying Budweiser gear. Seeing Earnhardt Jr in anything other than the red number 8 will be bittersweet. We all wanted Earnhardt Jr to succeed with his father's company, but at the same time, he will be more content.
"I never thought we'd be here in 2007 with things like four consecutive most popular driver awards and having a Daytona 500 trophy with my name on it. Those are things I only dreamed about when I was living in a trailer and changing oil at my dad's dealership." Earnhardt Jr.