http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/7021352
Junior will move on without Budweiser
Lee Spencer
FOXSports.com
JOLIET, Ill. - It was all Junior all the time before qualifying started Friday.
No, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not exercise his personal services contract with Budweiser next year. But it was one heck of a party while it lasted.
"I would have loved to continue working with Bud, but under the circumstances, that's not a possibility," Earhardt said. "We'll have to change our frame of mind and see what the opportunities are for our primary sponsors for next year."
Read between the lines: With Mountain Dew coming on board, there's only room for one beverage sponsor. Bud may mix well with chips, dips and peanuts. Bud and the National Guard are like oil and water.
However, the driver's love affair with Bud is not completely over.
"You don't have to pay me to drink the beer," Earnhardt said. "It's good beer and I'll always drink it."
Read between the lines: Still the official brew of Dirty Mo' Acres. Send kegs.
Junior would still love to drive the No. 8 in the future — and NASCAR stepping in several weeks ago vocalizing its control of the numbers pretty much guarantees that will happen.
"I would still like to be No. 8, but that's between the owners and obviously NASCAR," Earnhardt said. "I don't have any influence, I reckon."
Read between the lines: Along with the No. 8 Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevy making laps next year will be his teammate Casey Mears in the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevy, saying everything is "Grreat!"
Certainly, someone has the super secret Junior Master Plan that contains when his new sponsor's born-on date will be revealed.
"I don't know anything about timelines and stuff," Earnhardt said. "They'll tell me whenever it's time. Whenever it happens, it happens. I'm anxious to be finished. We've got a lot of season left. And it's really easy for me to concentrate on the Bud car. It's a piece of cake, but I'm anxious to see car designs, to see suit designs, to see apparel and what the fans will be wearing and purchasing."
Read between the lines: While management continues to string everyone along and sell merchandise, Junior would like to get back to racing — long before the Chase field is decided.
With Bass Pro Shop recently signing a three-year extension, DEI teammate Martin Truex Jr., has none of the distractions that are interfering with the No. 8 car's progress. Truex qualified on the front row for Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 alongside polesitter Mears, whose career also seems to be taking off.
As wonderful as it would be to write about the sponsor of the week, Earnhardt Nation would rather read about Junior's next victory. The No. 8 car qualified fifth on Friday. Sunday would be a good place to start.
The buzz
What does the Chrysler sell-off from DaimlerChrysler mean for the Dodge sponsorship of the Nos. 9 and 19? Good question. Apparently, neither Dodge nor its dealers want to dump $30 million from its marketing budget into racing. No wonder Ray Evernham is every bit as interested in Budweiser as all the other potential suitors in the garage. But what about retaining the manufacturer? General Motors principals, for one, have not spoke with Evernham. As for Ford, given the Kasey Kahne divorce from the blue oval, that would not be an option either.
Speaking of GM, none of the four key partners — Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. or Joe Gibbs Racing has signed contract extensions. While the former three have every intention of remaining with the bow-tie brigade, Gibbs is still hoping for a sweeter deal. Whether that's with Chevrolet or Toyota remains to be seen.advertisement
Shout out to John Andretti. Everyone expects Chevrolet to spank the field in time trials and Ryan Newman is always a Friday factor, but in just his fifth start of the season, Andretti qualified the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge ninth — the car's best start of the season.
Matt Kenseth, who has carried Ford on his back all season, was the only Fusion to crack the top 10 in qualifying. Kenseth and Bill Elliott, driving for the Wood Brothers, were the only Fords in the top 20.
The return of Bobby Kennedy continues to pay dividends for Michael Waltrip, who made his fourth race of the year. MWR teammate Dale Jarrett and both Red Bull racers will start their vacations early.