Last call: Driver #8

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - As Dale Earnhardt Jr. prepares to embark on the final race of his career at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and leave behind the company his father built, he was feeling a bit sad despite what awaits him at Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt Jr. clashed with stepmother Teresa, which caused him to leave DEI. But his late father, Dale Earnhardt, built the company with the idea that his son would win championships there.


"I will be sad for my father that things aren't different," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I'm sad for him - not for me, not for anybody else. I'm just sad because his vision was different. He was such a great person, and his visions were great and worthy and should be realized, and that'll be a shame."

Earnhardt Jr. said he tries not to think about what might have been had his father not been killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.

"There's a lot of meat to that, a lot of substance to that thought," he said. "There's a lot of what-ifs if he were here."

Despite walking away from the No. 8 car for the final time, Earnhardt Jr. is excited about the future and said he knows there's a solid support system at Hendrick awaiting him.

"People are like, 'You haven't won championships, and now you're going to a team who has won championships, and what if you don't?'" Earnhardt Jr. said. "That's sort of the opposite of the mentality. The mentality is, where can I get that opportunity, where can I find the chance? Where's the best shot? Put me there. Place me in that situation and give me the tools, because I want to know.

"I've got questions about my ability and whether I can get it done. I'm confident in my talent and I want to be in the best possible shape every year of my career."

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Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Since my last post, Junior had a car that he should of burned at the race track. I'm so glad tomorrow is his last time in the Bud #8. I know when I watch the race, it's going to be hard to see the final chapter and starting a new one at Hendrick. If he blows up or wrecks and doesn't finish the race, so help me god, I will go down to Homestead and beat someone up like Teresa. He needs to finish the race with everyone else. If he's a lap down, i'll still be mad.

Labels: dale jr, nascar