Sunday, April 30, 2006

It's 'Dega, Baby!!

But first, some background.

Dale Earnhardt drove a black Goodwrench Chevy for years and years in NASCAR. He was nicknamed The Intimidator because no one liked to see that black number 3 in their rearview mirror.

On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt crashed the famous black number 3 at Daytona. Sadly, he did not get out of the car. His entire legacy shifted onto the young shoulders of his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior has grown up admirably, and has managed his responsibilities well. He is his own man, his own driver, but many fans agree he is a man his father would be so very proud of.

On Thursday evening, Dale Earnhardt was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. His family, friends and former teammates were all there to celebrate his career, and apparently it was an emotional ceremony. His company, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, unveiled plans earlier in the week to honor his induction by running all of their cars with special paint schemes this weekend--black.

Junior's normally red Budweiser Chevy is black this weekend, in honor of his late Dad. He runs today at his best track--Talledega (nicknamed Talle-dale-ga). Junior is the second-winningest driver at Talledega. Who's number one? You guessed it, Dale Earnhardt. So it is fitting that Junior will run this great special paint scheme at 'Dega today.



Yesterday, Junior's teammate Martin Truex Jr. one the Busch Series race on what would have been Dale Earnhardt's 55th birthday. He, too, ran a special black paint scheme, and it was an emotional, lovely win for Martin, DEI and the fans.



So fasten your seatbelts, strap on your helmet, and hang on--it's going to be a great ride today, and I'm crossing my fingers that we'll see a black number 8 in Victory Lane this afternoon.

GO JUNIOR!!



P.S. Happy Birthday Elliott Sadler!

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