Posted on 04/14/2009 5:59:24 PM PDT by AZamericonnie
More on the death of the 8
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—When Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing suspended operations on Aric Almirola’s team, it ensured there won’t be a No. 8 on the track this weekend for the first time in 10 years.
That falls squarely on Teresa Earnhardt.
She could have cashed in when the number was hot, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was willing to fork over a decent chunk of change to take the 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Instead she set a price so high, it figured Junior and Rick Hendrick would never meet her demands.
And for what?
The number was important to the Earnhardt family. Although it was used by 86 different drivers from 1949 until Almirola’s final ride two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway, it had become as much a part of the Earnhardt legacy as was the elder Earnhardt’s feared No. 3.
Ralph Earnhardt used the number in 51 NASCAR starts, and his son, Dale, made his Cup Series debut with the number in the 1975 Coca-Cola 600. It was Dale Earnhardt’s only Cup race using his father’s number, and it bounced around to multiple drivers for the next two-plus decades.
But when Earnhardt Jr. was ready to go Cup racing, he wanted his grandaddy’s number.
Stavola Brothers Racing had used the No. 8 with very limited success for 14 Cup seasons, but left it idling when the team left NASCAR following the 1998 season. Dale Earnhardt Inc. grabbed it for Junior, and he made his calculated Cup debut behind the wheel of the No. 8 at the 1999 Coca-Cola 600—24 years after his father’s debut in the same race.
A year later, it had grown to one of the most recognizable numbers in NASCAR.
Earnhardt Jr. made 291 starts in the No. 8, winning 17 races and the Daytona 500. He became synonymous with the number, and his die-hard fans eagerly emblazoned everything from ballcaps to body parts with his slanted red 8.
So when he left for Hendrick following the 2007 season, it was natural that he wanted to take the 8 with him.
Only Teresa Earnhardt refused.
She wanted the number back when Earnhardt Jr. was done with it, and it was a reasonable request he might have agreed to. But she also demanded a percentage of the licensing revenue, and agreeing to such a giveaway would have been a ludicrous business decision.
So Hendrick and Earnhardt Jr. walked away from the number that had come to define NASCAR’s most popular driver, and instead brokered a more reasonable deal with team owner Robert Yates for the No. 88.
Earnhardt Jr. held his tongue despite his disappointment. He instead set out to start a new brand with the No. 88, and leaving his old number behind actually gave him a clean break from the difficult dealings he’d had with Teresa Earnhardt since she took charge of DEI after Dale Earnhardt’s 2001 death.
It didn’t take long for Teresa Earnhardt to learn the number had no value without Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel.
Did ya get the TMS pics uploaded?
Glad you approve AGreatPer & thank you.
My pleasure to guest host & thanks for thinking of me ya’ll.
I’ll try to this week. Been busy househunting...
Show off! LOL
Thanks one big desk....
Nice wallpaper.
Needless to say, I have auto racing related wallpaper on two of my computers, but none of it is NASCAR. My desktop has a pic of an Audi R10 (which I took myself, btw) and my work computer has a McLaren M7A.
This will be the first NASCAR weekend in quite a while where I’ll be home to watch the race!
Wow...what a shame...
But if Jr. ever gets that number back the tatoo removal business will be busy!
If the price on 30”s ever drops, I’ll show ya what show’n off is!
Ganassi is now listed as the owner of the 8 car, not the number - Nascar leases the numbers to the teams each year. If they don’t run it next year it will be up for grabs.
Did you find anything yet?
The Subway Fresh Fit 500, which continues the stupid trend of sponsors wanting to wedge in a motto or specific branding campaign into race titles, is not 500 miles as the name would imply, but is rather 312 miles, which is roughly 500 kilometers. (So, see? People will use the Metric system, but only when they want to cheat about something. In other news, the announced attendance for the 76,800-person track will probably be 110,000 Metric people.) The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Nationwide race, on the other hand, does use Imperial measurements to determine its “race length.” Hey, if measurement system differences are good enough to cause a $325 million wreck on Mars, its good enough to confuse NASCAR fans.
Phoenix International Raceway, situated in Avondale, Arizona, is what’s called a “D”-shaped tri-oval, one mile in length. But that doesn’t really do justice to its odd shape. Just look at NASCAR’s map of the track. The backstretch has an odd-angled bend in the middle which has the effect of making Turns 1 and 2 a little tighter than Turns 3 and 4.
And the banking is odd as a result as well. The frontstretch is 3°, the backstretch is 9°, Turns 1 & 2 are 11° and Turns 3 & 4 are 9°. Purely in terms of corner banking, this technically makes it flatter than even Martinsville, although with only 1° of separation, it’s a minor distinction.
But ultimately, it’s odd shape is what gives it character. (Are you listening ISC and SMI, you purveyors of 1.5-mile ovals?) And the drivers love it. It finished second tied with Atlanta and only behind Bristol in an anonymous poll of the drivers’ favorite tracks.
The reason its popular is because the track varies things up a lot. There are lots of different lines to try on the track and the best line will often vary based on track conditions. Add to that the fact that this race starts near sunset and ends at night, and you will see changing conditions as the night progresses.
Hiya Tweeze....would ya rather watch it on TV or be working the at race????:)
Have you hooked up your flat screen TV to work as a monitor for your confuser yet?
Nice thread this week. THX for the ping.
Have a bid in...
GREAT!!
Let me know and of course will need pics. :)
Given a choice of watching a race on TV or being at a race, I always choose being at a race. Even if the race I’m at won’t be televised. :)
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