Hendrick Motorsports announces changes for 2011

Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Junior Nation has been waiting a long time to hear this: Lance McGrew and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are parting ways.

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, Hendrick Motorsports announced the changes made for next season. Crew chiefs are being shuffled around as are garages. Although Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team have won a lot of races as well as their five Sprint Cup championships, the rest of his teammates have not won a single race this past season. Rick Hendrick, owner of the Hendrick Motorsports team and 10-time owners' champion, spoke with reporters on a telephone conference Wednesday morning. He mentioned that the idea to make the following changes started after the Texas race.

Steve Letarte will now be Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief and the #88 team will now be working with team #48’s garage. The seven-time winner of the Most Popular Driver award, Earnhardt Jr. hasn't won a race in two seasons nor has he made the Chase these past two years. He finished the 2010 season 21st in points.

Personally, I believe this will be a positive change for Earnhardt Jr. He does not need a nanny (as Terry Blount, senior writer for ESPN.com mentioned in his article) but Letarte’s optimistic personality along with Earnhardt’s boyish charm and humor will be a good mix, and Earnhardt Jr. will be in very strong hands. Both Letarte and Earnhardt Jr. are people persons, and Letarte's biggest strength is helping his driver find their confidence again.

Letarte told reporters that he is excited and proud to take on the task; you can see his comment in a video as well as his introductory video which can be found here.

Earnhardt Jr. also issued a statement on his website, DaleJr.com:

"Rick Hendrick is someone I trust wholeheartedly, and any decision he makes inside or outside his organization is something I support. He is a 10-time champion owner, and that speaks directly to his ability to lead. I am committed to give Steve Letarte and the new team 100% of my effort. I spoke with Steve last night, and his enthusiasm really pumped me up to the point I wish we were going to the track this weekend. I really enjoyed working with Lance (McGrew), and I want to thank him and everyone on that team for their hard work. I've had a lot of fun with that group, and we'll continue working together to make all the Hendrick Motorsports teams better."

Todd Warsaw / Getty Images for NASCAR

The #24 team will now be sharing a garage with the #5 team. Jeff Gordon parts ways with Letarte, but Alan Gustafson is now his crew chief. This will be Gordon’s sixth crew chief since the start of his career. Gustafson’s professional manner, engineer intelligence and positive reputation will blend well with Gordon, and Gordon will benefit by sharing a a garage with team #5 and Mark Martin.

Mark Martin will be paired with Lance McGrew. After a successful year in 2009 and a second-place points finish, Martin's 2010 season didn't go nearly as well - he finished 13th in points. Both McGrew and Martin have a professional business mindset, so the pairing could work in their favor.

Five-time Cup champion Johnson will not part ways with crew chief Chad Knaus in 2011. The two have worked well together, winning 53 races since they were paired in 2002, including six victories in 2010.

Sure, the garage will be different but not much: Letarte and Knaus are still working together as will McGrew and Gustafson. The point is to keep Team Hendrick in contention for a championship - not only for Johnson to win, but for his teammates to contend and win as well. It is clear that the Joe Gibbs Racing team has young, talented drivers in the #11, #18 and #20 cars. To stay competitive, Hendrick must make the necessary changes to keep his teams in the running.

In a statement posted on the Hendrick Motorsports website, Hendrick said:


"This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

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Dale Jr.'s racecar features 'Paint the 88' contest-winning design

Donnie Floyd, who works in the 5 and 88 shop, applies decals to the No. 88 Chevrolet
featuring the winning 'Paint the 88' design. (Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports' website)

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was offered to Junior Nation by Mountain Dew this year. It was the chance to paint and design the #88 Diet Mountain Dew-sponsored car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the race in Phoenix, Ariz., this Sunday, Nov. 14.

More than 10,000 fans entered the contest, which began in July. The final decision was made in September by Earnhardt Jr. He picked the design by Jason Corino of Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I was really interested to see what the fans would come up with and what their opinions are about what our car should look like," Earnhardt Jr. said in a press release. "You want that reaction and connection with your fans, you want them to have input into what you are doing. It was a great program and as a fan you have to get excited about something like that." 

Corino, 36, who does not have a background in design, researched past paint schemes driven by Earnhardt Jr. for ideas as to what his favorite driver would like. His design integrates the traditional green and white colors associated with Mountain Dew.

"There are no words to explain how I feel, other than it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I'm excited," Corino said. "I can't wait to see the car on the track. Thank you so much Dale Jr. and Diet Mountain Dew."

On Friday night, Earnhardt Jr. was at the Phoenix Coyotes hockey game where they showed off the car on the ice. To see a video of the racecar presentation, click here. Earnhardt Jr. also took time to meet fans, answer questions and sign autographs.

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"The Legend of Hallowdega"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving a specially painted black and yellow car this weekend to promote “The Legend of Hallowdega,” an AMP Energy Juice short film directed by Terry Gilliam. The film stars David Arquette and Justin Kirk with special appearances by Darrel Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. Tune in this Sunday before the race on ESPN to find out the truth about the legend and lore about the mystery that’s yet to be solved at the 2.66-mile track at Talladega Superspeedway.

"I hope race fans enjoy this fun-spirited film from AMP Energy Juice. It was an honor to work with Terry Gilliam. His creativity and imagination comes out in all of his work, and he is a lot of fun. I've got a great sponsor in AMP Energy, who is putting together an awesome race weekend for the fans at Talladega," Earnhardt Jr. said on his website www.dalejr.com.

Talladega is one of Earnhardt Jr.’s best tracks. In 19 of his 21 career starts in Talladega, he’s led 672 laps and won five times with four consecutive wins from 2001 to 2003. He has eight top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes. It's possible that he could win this this weekend.

Earnhardt Jr. had an exciting race last Sunday at Martinsville. He moved ahead of the line, passing teammate Jeff Gordon, and led the race for 90 laps. Instead of being upset, Gordon was heard over the radio saying that he was happy that Junior was racing really well. His other teammate Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus was heard over the radio saying, “If you hear a roar from the right side of the car it just means that Junior took the lead.” Mark Martin, his third teammate, finished in second place after crashing his car.

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Opening Day of Dale Jr.'s Corral at Victory Junction Gang Camp

On Saturday, Oct. 23, Victory Junction Gang Camp hosted an open house to show off the new Corral and Amphitheatre that was built because Dale Earnhardt Jr. donated $1 million of his own money in March.

Victory Junction Gang Camp has helped 11,000 children and families from 47 different states and three different countries since the facility opened in 2004. It's located in a town called Randleman, N.C. Victory Junction helps children with chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, hemophilia as well as many other illnesses. The camp was founded by Kyle and Patty Petty after they lost their son Adam during a practice run at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway; they knew that this is what their son wanted, so they built it to keep his dream alive. Mr. and Mrs. Petty also had help from Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip, Richard Petty and Tony Stewart.

There’s an arts and craft center and a bowling alley called Victory Lanes with Jimmie Johnson’s car on top of it. There’s a theater and an auditorium. There’s even a hair salon as well as a diner with a black-and-white checkers design. There’s a barn with goats, donkeys, horses and llamas! Yes, llamas - it was the first time I’ve seen them. There’s a Kurt Busch Superdome where kids can play baseball and other sports.

Dale Jr.’s Corral and Amphitheatre is a cool-looking town, western-themed in true Dale Jr. fashion and consists of a mock jail, general store, bank and outhouse. While the venue features playful and colorful buildings, the amphitheater's design is fashioned after the mock western town located on Dale Jr.'s property in Mooresville, N.C.

Dale Jr. took time away from Martinsville on Saturday to participate in the amphitheater's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. He took a few minutes to sign autographs and take pictures with the kids. After addressing the audience, he said goodbye and a local band played to end the day.

If you would like to find out more about my day, please visit my site, In the Driver's Seat.

All views expressed are solely those of the writer.

(The middle photo of the stage and was taken by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Facebook page; the other three were taken by Genevieve Cadorette.)

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mr. Philanthropist

Monday, Oct. 18, 2010, was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Day at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
After making a donation to his foundation, fans had the chance to meet Dale, have a sit-down question and answer session, and grab some goodies. Some lucky fans even had a chance to get a ride with him in his car for few laps.

One fan in particular was a little boy from the Make-A-Wish Foundation; he did the ride around and afterward Dale Jr. gave this little boy his (used) helmet.

Last May, during All Star race weekend, Dale Jr. gave his 200th wish to a 15-year-old with a genetic kidney disorder. Only 18 percent of his kidney is functioning and the percentage will continue to decline, unless they find a kidney donor. Dale Jr. had invited him to his house, where he had the chance to race against him and Brad Keselowski at the go-kart race track in Dale’s backyard. He got a tour of JR Motorsports and when it was race time, Dale brought him on stage during driver intros. That day was also videotaped for an ESPN SportsCenter Make-A-Wish television episode.

Dale Jr. has been racing for 10 years and during that time he’s donated to over 200 charities through The Dale Jr. Foundation. According to its mission statement, the foundation is "dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence and education, and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals.” To find out more, you can visit thedalejrfoundation.org

In 2009, fans Dottie Benedict and Pati Hazel started a Fan Club Fundraiser for Dale’s birthday. The first year they successfully raised $1,500; for his 36th birthday, they raised $2,000. That money was donated to his foundation, which benefited Make-A-Wish and Blessings in a Backpack (as well as other charities).

This spring, Dale donated $1 million to Victory Junction Gang Camp, a camp for kids with illnesses that was founded and built in Adam Petty’s memory (Richard Petty’s grandson and Kyle’s son). Adam lost his life at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during a Nationwide practice session in the spring of 2000.

The money went to build the Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre, which will be used as an interactive activity center for the campers. On Saturday, Oct. 23, Victory Junction will host a public open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to honor the opening of the amphitheater.

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JR Motorsports announces new sponsor

On Thursday Oct. 14th, 2010, JR Motorsports announced a new sponsorship with TaxSlayer.com, an internet tax preparation service, for NASCAR’s Nationwide Series for 2011. It’s scheduled for nine races: two of them are with the No. 88 Chevrolet, driven by Aric Almirola; one is with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for one race at Bristol; and the other six races are scheduled for the No. 7 car, driver to be determined at a later date.

The TaxSlayer.com car will be a red and black color scheme. Its marketing campaign and commercials featuring Almirola and Earnhardt Jr. will start airing this December.

Because of the potential for a strong partnership, Kelly Earnhardt, general manager for JR Motorsports, said this is an exciting announcement because of what they have to offer from a competition standpoint as well as a marketing and brand-building perspective. She continued to say, “We feel like we align ourselves with the best of sponsors and best people and we look forward to building a long-lasting relationship with TaxSlayer.”

Earnhardt Jr. told reporters earlier today, “From a team ownership standpoint, TaxSlayer coming on board is a significant factor in keeping our race team, particularly the No. 88 team - in the hunt for wins and championships. Our expectations have always remained high; we think we have the right guy behind the wheel in Aric Almirola.” He continued to say, “Our No. 7 program is really coming together. Tony Eury Jr. has done a really good job working with young drivers and we look for the No. 7 to be competitive next year.”

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Blog: A NHMS Memoir

Growing up with New Hampshire Motor Speedway in her backyard, new Skirts and Scuffs contributor Genevieve Cadorette wasn't a fan of racing. Today she shares with us how she went from someone who barely knew about the sport to someone who follows it religiously. What follows is her journey to the fan she is today.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the only track I've ever visited for a NASCAR race. I grew up 20 minutes away but never actually attended an event until recently. I went to a race there at the age of 14, nearly 20 years ago but I can't tell you much about it other than to say it was lots of fun. I wish I could tell you more, but I do have a lot of other stories though.

I wasn’t much of a race follower in high school. I didn’t pay much attention to any kind of pop culture during those years. One summer, I worked at a hotel in Concord, NH as part of the cleaning crew. Race weekend came along and management warned us that we had to be on our best behaviors around the drivers and teams. I didn’t mind cleaning their rooms, though had I known who’s room I was cleaning it may have made the experience more fun. But being professional, we turned a blind eye on who slept were.

Later that year, I switched hotels to start my first waitress job. Race weekend came along and my manager approached me and said, “I just sat a party of three for you but we have to talk. He’s a really rich and famous driver so I need you to be a professional about it.”

I had no idea who he and the other two were so it was easy to do my job. All I can remember is the older men had mustaches’ and the younger guy was a cocky looking kid with a baseball hat and light brown hair. He didn’t make much of an impression on me. This past summer, I picked my brain over and over again to try to remember who they were and nothing pops into mind. I wish I could say that it was Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt Junior, but I don’t believe it was; it happened in 1995.

My sister was the NASCAR obsessed fan. She was smart because her junior year in high school she decided to head to NHMS and apply for a job in parking and traffic control. She got close to the cars in the infield and one night she met a modified driver who she later married.

In 2001 my sister invited me to her (now) husband’s race. I got to hang out in the pits and visit cars in the garages. I only knew about Jeff Gordon and the Earnhardt’s. Admittedly I had a small crush on Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the time, but that was before I started paying attention to the actual racing. I had hoped to meet him and looked everywhere for him but I never crossed his path.  Instead I saw Jeff Gordon. He was surrounded by a lot of fans. “Go meet him!” My sister encouraged me. I shook my head. I wasn’t comfortable. He was signing autographs and I didn’t have a pen or paper ready. Besides, I was nervous, maybe a little star struck.

Fast forward to February 2002. My sister invited me to Florida, her husband was racing (in Modified). I was all excited, I would finally get a chance to watch a Daytona 500 live and in person and I dared to dream that this would be the time I get to meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. That dream was quickly crushed when I found out the Modified series raced at a different track in a different town. I felt stupid but at least now I look back laughing at my silly ignorance about the sport. How could I enjoy watching racing but not knowing a thing about it?

Although my brother-in-law no longer races, he still builds engines for the series. His friends are also still racing. In 2007 I was invited by one of those friends along with my cousin to watch a Modified race at NHMS from the driver’s pit box. I was excited to go and this time I was going to pay attention. I was taking a college photography class and I took out one of the cameras, I had a lot of practicing to do and I told myself I’d give shooting the race a chance. I took a lot of pictures, but the sun ruined most of my shots which broke my heart. To make a long story short, I later found out I was missing a piece to the camera, the piece my class wasn’t authorized to rent out because we weren’t at that advanced point of training. You can check out the best shots I did get on my other blogger page here.

Since then I've taken an interest in racing as a writer. I paid a little more attention each season and this past year I became obsessed and promised myself I’d become a pro. It’s the first and only sport I can watch without really having a rival, and it’s the first and only sport I’m actually interested in the sport, rather than just a team.

Last spring I started to write a movie script about a journalist who lives in Boston and isn’t familiar with NASCAR; never the less, her boss assigns her to cover the race in New Hampshire. She goes along and the story unfolds from there. During the spring, I called NHMS a million times trying to convince them to give me a media pass so I could experience being a part of the media during a race. I’d love to be a part of their team. Of course I never got my credentials and wasn’t allowed in as anyone other than a fan in the grand stands. That didn't stop me though. I visited the track all four days, just to see how close I could get.

I even visited the local seafood restaurant and when I left, I bumped into Richard Petty; it was unexpected and exciting. I wrote about it here on another blog. The next night, my parents went out for a few drinks at that local restaurant, we arrived right after Kurt Busch left. I was bummed.

That weekend, I also got to meet Miss Sprint Cup Monica Plumbo at the Sprint Experience. I also met Amanda Wright, Bob Pockrass, Jeff Gluck, Ramsey Poston, and Landon Cassill along with several others at the Tweet Up.

I'm glad I went to the race that day; it was the perfect last day in NH (I moved to NC the next day). I didn’t have my camera but I took pictures with my cell phone, though I managed to lose a large portion of them. One of my favorites is the one you see as my profile picture. At least I can say that I met "The King Richard Petty."

So that’s my story about NHMS. I’m not there this weekend. now that I do live near Charlotte in North Carolina. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to afford to go to a race again, but since I live here I’m planning on going to an All Star Race sometime soon.
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opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and may not reflect those of this site or its other contributors.

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Will Kasey Kahne win at Atlanta this weekend?

Kasey Kahne during Michigan
qualifying in August. (Jeff Zelevansky/
Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR visits Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for a series of night races.

Kasey Kahne will return to the Atlanta Emory Healthcare 500 as a defending winner in his #9 Budweiser/Valvoline Ford. In his past 13 starts at the track, Kahne has secured 2 wins, one pole award, six top 5s, eight top-10 finishes and has led a total of 297 laps.

It’s probably safe to say, AMS is Kahne’s track. Will he make it to victory lane in Atlanta this weekend?

To date, Kahne sits in 16th position, putting him -737 points behind the leader, Kevin Harvick and 136 points out of 12th position. Is there a chance for him to catch up and secure a spot in the Chase in the next two races?

There’s been a lot of media around Kahne these past few months; this is his final year with Richard Petty Motorsports, with Budweiser and possibly the #9. He signed a contract with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the #5 car in 2012 and has announced he’ll be driving the Red Bull car in 2011, number to be announced later. There’s no set crew chief at this time. Marcos Ambrose is set to replace him at RPM and Budweiser will move to Richard Childress Racing's #29, which is driven by Kevin Harvick.

Kahne told reporters Tuesday in a teleconference that he believes he has a shot of winning the next two races. He plans to make the best of his final days at RPM and plans to contend in each race, whether he makes the Chase or not.

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