MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) _ Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joining Hendrick
Motorsports, hopefully moving one step closer to a championship that
has eluded him while driving for his late father's company.
Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch on his
star-studded roster of drivers. The announcement Wednesday ended
five weeks of recruiting for NASCAR's most popular driver, who
became a free agent May 10 when he said he would leave DEI at the
end of this season.
His criteria for a new team included finding a place he could win
championships, and Hendrick is the perfect fit. Hendrick has won six
championships, and has 10 wins through 14 points races this season.
``It became apparent to me the man I wanted to drive for,''
Earnhardt said at a news conference. ``He competes with integrity
and most importantly, he wins races.''
It was not immediately clear what number Earnhardt will drive,
and who will sponsor the car. Since starting in NASCAR, Earnhardt
has driven the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.
``We haven't even began to work around that and see what the
options are and opportunities are and that's something we'll work
out down the road,'' Earnhardt said.
Hendrick also has longtime ties to Earnhardt's family. He fielded
a car in 1983 for Dale Earnhardt Sr., who drove it to a Busch Series
win at Lowe's Motor Speedway. That entry was co-owned by Robert Gee,
who is Junior's maternal grandfather.
Joining Hendrick's stable could anger Earnhardt's followers
because it will team him with Jeff Gordon, a driver generally
despised by his rabid fans. Following several of his recent wins,
Earnhardt's fans have thrown beer cans at Gordon, most notably after
career win No. 76 _ in April at Talladega Superspeedway. The win
tied Gordon with the elder Earnhardt on NASCAR's victory list.
``We do have a personal competition. If you want to call it a
rivalry, fine,'' Earnhardt said. ``He's fun to race with, and
especially if you beat him, it's a good feeling. ... We can both
challenge each other to be better race car drivers.''
