Dale Jr ......a free agent???/

[The_Dude]

omg! one of my worst fears!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he is a "free agent" and has no long-term commitment to drive for Dale Earnhardt Inc. In January, Junior said during a news conference he had reached a deal to stay with DEI through 2007. But he never signed a contract and said last weekend at Watkins Glen he has only a "driver's agreement" that runs from race to race. Junior says he wants to get the contract done-but on his terms.

"I've paid my dues to get where I am, and I feel I have to stand up for myself," he says. "There's too many security blankets on one side of the fence, and there need to be a few on my side. Right now the contract looks out totally after Dale Earnhardt Inc. rather than myself."

Junior expressed concerns that if the complexion of DEI should change through the sale of the company or the addition of a new partner, he wants the option to leave if he doesn't agree with the new ownership. Junior says he and crew chief Tony Eury Sr., an uncle, and car chief Tony Eury Jr., a cousin, are a package deal. Though Junior hopes to work things out with DEI, there are a lot of fans who would love to see him team up with Richard Childress, his late father's longtime car owner. DEI better not drag its feet. …

NASCAR and the teams were pleased with results from wind tunnel tests last week. Of the eight cars tested, Jamie McMurray's Dodge and Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet were the most aerodynamically efficient, but there was not a significant difference in downforce among the four makes of cars-even when NASCAR experimented by reducing the height of the spoilers. …

Speculation in the garage is that safety guru Bill Simpson settled his suit with NASCAR out of court in order to simplify the distribution of his new product line, Impact Racing, which features, among other things, improved helmets.

Simpson says he has pressurized the helmet with air from the top, which keeps carbon monoxide away from the driver's face and prevents the visor from getting clogged up. The helmet is a pound lighter than his previous models, which is better on the neck during impact. Joe Nemechek, Ricky Craven, Casey Mears and Rusty, Kenny and Mike Wallace are wearing the new helmets. …

Points leader Matt Kenseth might be invincible, given his combination of solid performances and good fortune. He bashed a fender, and a tire went down early at Watkins Glen, so he had to pit. A caution a few laps later got him back on a fuel stop cycle that enabled him to finish eighth, his 17th top 10 of the year.

Kenseth knew he had to improve on road courses this season, so he used two of his five official tests on them and posted two top 15 finishes. He entered the year with an average finish of 26.3 on road courses.

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Article by Lee Spencer

OMG! i cant imagine him not driving in anythin else than the #8 budweiser.
i SURELY hope dei makes a better offer for him.

[djtestudo]

If that were to happen, Dale Sr. would be spinnin' so fast in his grave that they could use him as an engine.

I honestly don't care, due to the fact that he is not much more then the hyped up son of a legend.

[The_Dude]

well, he is running #2 in the points and has led more races than anyone else this season.

[eaglek96]

It'll never happen. DEI has too much invested and it would be a PR nightmare for them. I think Dale Sr's wife is much too smart to ever let that happen.