LIFE FATHER, LIKE SONS; FOR EARNHARDTS, NASCAR IS WAY OF LIFE.Byline: Larry D. Croom Fort Pierce Fort Pierce, city (1990 pop. 36,830), seat of St. Lucie co., SE Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon; part of the Intracoastal Waterway); settled in the 1860s around a fort; inc. 1901 as a city. Tribune As the sun begins to set on one Earnhardt's career, the next generation is emerging, ready to step up and make the father proud, ready to carry on the family tradition of winning. Dale Earnhardt This article is about the elder Dale Earnhardt. For his son, see Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. For the racing team he founded, see Dale Earnhardt, Inc.. Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Jr., the man known simply as ``Junior,'' is working hard to make his own name in a sport his father has dominated for close to 20 years. The younger Earnhardt will start today's NAPA Auto Parts Auto parts are components of automobiles. They mainly are, in alphabetic order (only car specific articles or articles with car section):
Earnhardt Jr. had a phenomenal year, scoring seven victories, 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s in Busch competition. He clinched the title in the last race of the year at Homestead, Fla., basically by showing up and starting the car. It was a good thing, too, because his engine gave out and he finished 42nd. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for Earnhardt Jr. He started the season on his roof, sliding down the track at Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is a 2.5 mile (4 km) tri-oval race track facility with a seating capacity of 168,000 spectators. and finishing a dismal 37th. But it didn't take long for him to turn his car and his fortunes around, and now he is looking forward to one more year in the Busch Series The NASCAR Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Nextel Cup. before moving to the premier Winston Cup division. Earnhardt concedes he really wasn't surprised to see his team do so well last year, given the talent of the crew and the equipment he was using. The ACDelco team is owned by his father, who Junior said is an excellent teacher as well. ``He's an awesome dude,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ``He's done a lot for me, for my family and for the AC Delco crew. It's really amazing that he's given us the opportunity that he has.'' Like his dad, Earnhardt Jr. is already a hot commodity. He hasn't run an official Winston Cup race yet, but a corporate sponsor has already signed him to a multi-million dollar contract. Junior, meet Budweiser. Junior will unveil his red-and-black Budweiser Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (môNtā` kärlō`), town (1982 pop. 13,150), principality of Monaco, on the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera. at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in May. The car carries the No. 8, a special number in the Earnhardt family. Earnhardt Sr. purchased the number from the Stavola Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . because his late father, Ralph, used that number on his cars. The other four Winston Cup races Earnhardt Jr. will run in are: the Jiffy A fraction of time that has numerous interpretations depending on who uses it. It may refer to one computer clock cycle, one nanosecond, one millisecond or one AC power cycle. There may be others. See nanosecond. 1. Lube 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058 mile (1703 m) oval track which has hosted NASCAR racing since the 1990s. It is commonly referred to by its location, Loudon. in July; the Pepsi 400 at Michigan Speedway in August; the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in October; and the season-ending NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5 mile standard oval. in November. To preserve his rookie status for the 2000 season, Earnhardt Jr. can run no more than five races in 1999. Budweiser, however, knew a good thing when it saw it and the company latched onto him for five races this season and a full season thereafter through the year 2004. And the company made this deal despite having an agreement with Hendrick Motorsports to sponsor the No. 25 Monte Carlo driven by Wally Dallenbach this year. ``The deal with Budweiser, we are really looking forward to it,'' said Earnhardt, who will start in the 16th position for today's 300. ``Those guys are excited and I am excited. We've got some race cars we are starting to build on, and I am really looking forward to it.'' And while Junior is looking forward to getting his feet wet with Winston Cup drivers and running against the best of all divisions in IROC IROC International Race Of Champions IROC Independent Rental Owners Council IROC Independent Rental Owners Committee IROC Instantaneous Rate of Change IROC Integrated Repair Operations Center (Sprint) IROC Intrusion-Resistant Optical Cable , he's not forgetting the task at hand. There's no doubt he wants to win another Busch championship. ``We are just taking it as it comes and I am just really enjoying myself,'' he said. ``We are going to be running one race at a time and trying to win all of them we can get into.'' Earnhardt Jr.'s older brother, Kerry, is also racing a full schedule in the Busch Series this season. He'll be driving the No. 40 Channel Lock Monte Carlo. Kerry Earnhardt qualified 34th for today's race, and Junior is looking forward to running against his brother. ``That's a real neat experience to have Kerry here,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ``He's got a lot of talent, got a lot of determination and got a lot of experience driving race cars. ``I am glad to see him getting a decent opportunity and I think he's finally in good enough equipment to showcase that talent and show people what he's got.'' Earnhardt Sr. said he's happy to see both his sons getting prepared to run a full Busch Series. ``I'm excited about what Dale Jr. is doing and Kerry,'' he said. ``I think somewhere in the back of my mind it makes me think I am getting older and things are changing. I'm excited about him (Junior) being in IROC with me and racing against me in Charlotte, too.'' DAYTONA 500 Daytona International Speedway Sunday, 9 a.m., Ch. 2 CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making a name for himself in racing, winning the Busch Grand National Series last season. Chuck Burton/Associated Press (2) NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. legend Dale Earnhardt, right, says he's starting to feel older thanks to the success of Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the NASCAR ciruit. Peter Cosgrove/Associated Press |
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