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Dale Jr. leans toward Hendrick? UPDATE denied: The efforts to sign #ale Earnhardt Jr. to a NASCAR driving contract for 2008 and beyond has reached a critical point, and the top two teams on Earnhardts list are the Chevrolet teams owned by Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, according to men familiar with the negotiations. Earnhardt today is leaning toward a deal with Hendrick [NOTE: where would Earnhardt go? HMS has four Cup teams and all three drivers signed for a couple more years, unless some sort of deal with Haas CNC Racing or Ginn Racing would be worked out], largely because of Hendricks very strong engine program, sources here said yesterday. Earnhardt and veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin and close confidante as well as the man who has led him to many of his 17 Cup victories, have talked with both the Hendrick and Childress camps in recent weeks about the positives and negatives each team owner would have to offer, sources said yesterday. And Eury will have a major voice in the decision, because Earnhardts primary goal now, at age 32, is to win a championship.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-9-2007)UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Marshall Carlson told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Tuesday that his team is fully stocked with drivers for 2008 and beyond, and that he has not spoken with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., about the possibility of joining the Hendrick stable. "We have four outstanding drivers in Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, and all of them are signed to long-term contracts," he said. "Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is obviously a very talented driver, but all of our seats are filled." Asked by host Dave Moody if that meant Hendrick would not be interested in Earnhardt under any circumstances, Carlson said, "I never say `never' in this business. Again, Dale is a very talented driver that any team would be interested in having in one of their cars. But we are extremely satisfied with our four driver/team combinations, and we have contracts in place for all our key players."(Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway)(5-9-2007)
Dale Jr. to RCR? done deal? #33? UPDATE 2 RCR denies:FOX25(Boston's FOX affiliate) is reporting.......Dale Earnhardt Jr. will soon be racing under the same legendary #3 Chevy that his dad used to race in. A source with direct knowledge of negotiations tells FOX25 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finalized a deal with Richard Childress Racing Thursday night and an official announcement will be coming soon. At a press conference today to announce that he was leaving the company his late dad built, Dale Jr. said he would have mixed emotions about driving his dad's #3 Chevy, but again, FOX25 has learned that this is a done deal.(FOX25)(5-10-2007) UPDATE:FOX8 News has confirmed Junior is negotiating late Thursday night with Richard Childress to join Richard Childress Racing. An announcement could come as early as Friday. Childress has scheduled a news conference Friday at Darlington Raceway, the site of Saturday's Nextel Nextel Cup race. Sports Director Rich Brenner has also confirmed the talks between Junior and Childress include plans for Earnhardt driving the #33 Chevrolet for RCR. Budweiser, the primary sponsor for Junior's #8 car with DEI, will follow him to his new race team. (FOX8 News)(5-11-2007) UPDATE 2: been told by sources at the track that Richard Childress addressed the media at Darlington this morning and denies signing Earnhardt, details as I find any.(5-11-2007) UPDATE 3: Richard Childress said Friday morning at Darlington Raceway that he has not signed Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to drive for Richard Childress Racing and is giving the driver time and space to weigh his options. Along with Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, RCR is considered one of three front-runners to sign Earnhardt, Jr. for 2008 and beyond, but the car owner emphatically denied that a deal already had been struck, has reported by at least three television stations Thursday. "Dale, Jr. just made a major decision in his career and in his life yesterday," Childress said Friday morning at Darlington. "And out of respect for Teresa (Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team owner Earnhardt), Dale, Jr. and this situation, let´s all give him some time to make the decisions that he needs to make and be fair. He´s got a lot of tough decisions to make coming up with the direction he´s going, and I just think it´s fair if we all let him have some space and some time to kind of think about what he wants to do in the future." Childress said that while he would welcome Earnhardt on his team, the two sides have not yet begun negotiations. "We will sit and talk, I´m sure," Childress said. "I´m hoping he´s considering us, but I think right now, we just give him some time and space to do is own due diligence on the race teams he´s looking at. I´ve been friends with the family for many years and I´m sure we´ll talk." As for television reports that a deal was already struck, Childress was categorical in his denials. "There´s nothing to it ... it´s way too soon to even talk about it," Childress said.(SPEEDtv.com)(5-11-2007)
No Dale Jr. to Hendrick: Cross Hendrick Motorsports off the list of teams interested in signing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although he's spoken to Earnhardt, car owner Rick Hendrick said Saturday "there's no room at the inn" for NASCAR's most popular driver. Earnhardt is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) at the end of the season. He wants to stay with one of the top Chevrolet teams so he can contend for championships, and Hendrick is the best in NASCAR right now with eight wins in the past nine Nextel Cup races. Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are the next best Chevy teams, and both owners have indicated they are interested in speaking with Earnhardt. Only Hendrick had been silent on the issue, but as he walked toward pit road before Saturday night's Nextel All-Star Challenge, he said he was maxed out with four drivers right now and couldn't fit Earnhardt in his stable. "We're good friends and I've talked to him, because I really want him to make the best decision and do the best thing for himself," Hendrick told The Associated Press. "But right now, I'm full." Hendrick fields Cup cars for four-time series champion #24-Jeff Gordon, defending Cup champion #48-Jimmie Johnson, #5-Kyle Busch and #25-Casey Mears. All are under contract through at least 2008, and Hendrick is currently trying to extend Busch's deal. Hendrick said he's offered to help Earnhardt if he elects to field his own Cup team.(Associated Press)(5-20-2007)
Latest Dale Jr. to 'news': Depending on who one believes in the Nextel Cup garage, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is headed either to Ginn Racing with sponsorship from Budweiser or Joe Gibbs Racing with backing from credit card giant Visa. Either way, expect an announcement next month. We're trying not to comment too much on how things are going or what's going on until we can really have something to say, but I can tell you that things are positive, Earnhardt said after qualifying on Friday. I've just been overwhelmed with the personalities that I've met, with the owners and the individuals working at each company. There are certainly a lot of great people out there with good morals and good values and with great attitudes about the sport and about what they want to accomplish. It makes me feel good about where the sport's going to be in the next 5-10 years with some of these individuals I've met.(SPEEDtv.com)(6-3-2007)