Earnhardt leaves No. 8 in his rear view

by Brant Thurmond, editorial assistant

As I was recently watching ESPN, I found out that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would no longer drive the number 8 car.

In case you don’t know, Junior announced earlier in the year that he would not be driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2008. He announced he would be driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

Recently, I was watching ESPN and caught part of an interview with Jr., talking about how he will be driving the number 88 in 2008, with Mountain Dew and Amp Energy Drinks as sponsors. Also sponsoring Junior will be the National Guard.

So with Junior changing numbers in 2008, does this affect his fan base? I don’t think it will. There have been several players in various sports who have changed numbers. Kobe Bryant wore number 8 for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, and now he is number 24. His fan base is still as good as it was before the change.

With a winless streak that stretches back to his last 53 Nextel Cup starts, Earnhardt has a chance to make a fresh start with history on his side. Dale Jarrett, former driver of the 88 car, won a championship with the number 88. Darrell Waltrip won championships with Mountain Dew as his sponsor.

“ The 88 has a history of great drivers, including Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett,” Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt’s sister, Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, was given credit from Junior for brokering the deal that brought the number from Robert Yates Racing to Hendrick.

Earnhardt failed to make the chase for the Nextel Cup this year. But with the best equipment money can buy and two drivers for teammates who are neck and neck in the chase for the Cup, there will be no excuses in 2008 for Junior.

Future teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have five Nextel Cup Championships between them. Johnson now has a 30-point lead on Gordon with two races left.

Although Earnhardt has had an up-and-down season, with several DNF’s, he has a chance to make a statement in 2007. With two races left in the chase for the Cup, Junior has two races to finish off on the right foot and carry that momentum into the 2008 season.