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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But he knows that. That's the extent of it. There's nothing more to it conversation-wise between me and him or anything. We've just made that clear to each other and dropped it. I told him -- I've asked him some questions. I've asked a lot of people questions that I get advice from. They've reiterated the same thing that I think, that I thought what I needed to do, and that's stay devoted to what I committed to, and that's working with the 8 team at DEI, working with Tony, Jr., working with Richey, showing my commitment, because up I've always sort of kept them at arm's length just in case something happened or just in case it didn't work out.

So I think to go in this year and show them I'm in the trench, we're going to do this together every minute from mile to mile, I think that will be more productive for the company than me standing there and saying, "Get it right now. I'm wanting to win."

For me to go in there and tie myself to the boat with them I think will be better for the company. I want everybody in the company to feel like I'm dedicated. See because there's certain levels in the company that we don't really get to -- we don't have heavy contact with, so they basically got to get their news and rumours from everybody else. If a guy in the engine shop thinks that I might be going to drive somewhere if something doesn't work out or somebody gets pissed off, that ain't good, that ain't good for the company. They got to know that that devotion is there and I want them to know that.

Q.
Would you like to take over at DEI?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
I'd love to take over at DEI. Me and Teresa will talk about that when the time comes. We'll talk about that before the time comes obviously. That's not in the near future. I think JR Motorsports is a natural process of a company growing from one rank to the next, and it can go as far as it wants to go. I am not going to stop it at this level or that level. We'll just see however profitable. It don't even have to be profitable. If it breaks even, we'll keep on racing.

Q.
What is Tony Eury Sr.'s role?

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.:
Tony, Sr. will kind of be back for us. He's really over the top of everything. If he sees a problem over at the 1 car, he'll be over there trying to help fix it. He's back and forth. He also handles the Busch side -- the Busch racing we'll do. He sort of oversees that a little bit.