Q&A: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Saturday, 11th February 2006

After missing last year’s Chase for the Championship, Dale Earnhardt Jr has a more familiar back-up crew for the 2006 season, a season in which Earnhardt Jr says he will definitely be a contender.

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Q.
On the public impact of being famous

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
Yeah, that's been the toughest part of this whole thing, is how each statement is – I mean, when I say things, obviously if you know me, when I say 'em, I've thought about what I'm saying, I say what I think. And a lot of times, I have -- you know, what I say may have a different impact on me than it does on you. A lot of times it digs a little deeper when I didn't intend it to.

You know, when we were talking about driving the No. 3 one day, things like that, it's all over the place the next day. And that's not my intention. My intention is to make it clear that I would like to do that at the end of my career. That's all it is to it. There's no rumours. There's no -- y'all's talking about doing it sooner. I would tell you. You're not going to keep that secret.

Q.
Your dad's legacy is growing at this time. Are you proud of that and of the Dale Earnhardt foundation?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
Well, you know, Teresa started the foundation, did a lot of things. I was kind of curious as to how the foundation -- I don't really understand everything the foundation does, don't really know a whole lot about the foundation. I know it plants a lot of trees.

But there's -- you know, I wanted his -- the foundation is a good thing, if ran properly, if it has the right people running it. But like I said, I really know nothing about it. I want his legacy to be -- to be sort of a John Wayne type or, you know, a Clint Eastwood style legacy, that he did a good job when he worked. When he worked, he did a good job. He'd give you everything he could give you. He'd try to do his best. He was respected, well mannered, treated people the way he wanted to be treated.

You know, he's very similar to Clint Eastwood in how Clint was a great actor, did a great job, was hard-nosed, started directing, has been amazing at that, and continues to maintain his personality throughout the entire process.

Q.
How would he have been as an out-of-car team owner?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
I think he would have probably occupied his time with something else. He would have never -- he would have focused maybe a little bit more time towards the team than he had while he was driving. But I think he probably would have took the focus that he used while he drove and did something else with that focus instead of 100% towards the owner's side of it.

Q.
Do you not wonder what it would be like if he was running the team, how much stronger the team might be?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
Yeah, it would obviously be -- it obviously would be different. But I don't spend a whole lot of time because that's not -- you know, it's not going to happen. We just have to do as well we can.