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For all those who doubt this man’s integrity, ability and guts.

Quotes from Dale Earnhardt Jr. / Driver, #8 Budweiser Chevrolet:
“There will be so many mixed feelings for me this week. It’s hard to imagine it was 1999 when we made our first Cup start (at Charlotte, May) with this team and with Budweiser. I’m excited about the off-season and jumping right into my new deal, but it’s very, very important for me to end my time with Dale Earnhardt Inc. with integrity and with my head held high. When your career is over and you look back, I think that’s critical: a measure of your character is more important than the number of wins you have. That kind of thing will last longer than any driving career.

“It’s been relatively easy to concentrate and focus so far this season when it was time to pull on the helmet, but it may be much tougher to do that at Homestead. I have so many close friends and people I’ve gone into battle with for nearly a decade, and that type of bond will stay with me forever. The same goes for Budweiser. The people at Anheuser-Busch took a big chance on me when I’d never turned a lap in a Cup race. I’ll never forget that, and we’ve had an amazing run since then. I never thought we’d be here in 2007 with things like four consecutive “Most Popular Driver” awards and having a Daytona 500 trophy with my name on it. Man, those are things I only dreamed about when I was living in a trailer and changing oil at my dad’s dealership. It’s been a helluva great time.

“It’s been a rough year for the team and I’m sure it’s been tough on my fans with everything that has happened. We’ve had such a great team that’s run so strong but has little or nothing to show for it. Whether we go out with a whimper or a bang, we’re going to do it together as a team, running as hard as we can every lap. That’s how we’ve always been, and that feeling of a collective effort is the most important thing. I want to thank everyone who has worked with me at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and sponsors like Budweiser that have supported me for so long. And the fans too - they’ve been great and have helped make me feel like they will be with me through thick or thin.”