Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 88 Hellmann's Chevrolet
What are you anticipating having Danica Patrick as your JRM teammate this
weekend?
"A lot of attention - for her, not me. This might be the first time
we don't have to weave through cameras and media reporters when
walking to our car, because they'll be in Danica's
garage. She handles it well, and we'll try to make sure it's
not a distraction this weekend. We are there to do a job. I'm
driving the Hellmann's Chevy and she's in the Go Daddy Chevy,
and we'd like both to have strong runs this weekend. It's a
big race for our sponsors, and it's a big race for our sport. A lot
of people will be paying attention to this race this Saturday."
You finished 7th at Daytona in the Hellmann's Chevrolet last year,
what does the JRM team need to do to get its first Daytona victory this
weekend?
"It's a combination of things, but we've got to handle
well to put ourselves in the right place at the right time. That's
the key. If we're not handling, the rest of the chips don't
fall into place. But I can tell you this - there's nobody I'd
rather have set up my car at Daytona than (crew chief) Tony Eury
Sr. He's the best there is."
It's been five years since you raced with "Pops" Eury
as your crew chief in the NNS. Is this going to be like a throw-back race
to the old days for you?
"Hell yeah... I'm all about throwback, especially when
it comes to racing with Pops because we won so many races. It will be fun
driving his car and hearing his voice on the radio. He's one of the
best crew chiefs in the garage, and like I said, there's nobody
better at Daytona than Pops and Tony Jr. They know what it takes to get
around that place. This is going to be fun."
Danica Patrick
No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
What's was the largest contributing factor in your decision to run
the Nationwide Series race at Daytona?
"The ARCA race was a great learning experience. Obviously
it's not the same as a Nationwide race, but I feel I have a much
better understanding of what to expect out there on the racetrack and in
the draft with the GoDaddy.com car. That had a lot to do with my
decision. The amount of uncertainty surrounding the race had dwindled.
After reviewing the options with my team, we decided it was the right
decision to race this weekend. I feel confident in our choice."
Dale Jr. is going to be your JRM teammate this weekend, what are your
thoughts on racing against your boss?
"I have to think of him as a fellow driver and teammate, not my
boss. I'm really looking forward to racing with him this Saturday.
Hopefully we'll be in a position to work together at some point,
because I know he's a master at this track. I could learn a lot
from him. It's going to be a great experience at a different racing
level, and I hope it will be as much fun as last week's
race."
After surviving 80 laps in the ARCA race, what did you learn from that
event which will carry over to Saturday's race?
"What didn't I learn? You can talk about the race all you want and
prepare as much as you can, but until you are really in the car during a
race, you'll never know. That is the true test. Our GoDaddy.com
team went through a lot that race. On Saturday I hope I'm able to walk
away from the race knowing that I didn't leave anything on the
track."
Do you have any goals for the NNS race, and what has to happen to make
Saturday a good day for Danica Patrick?
"I want to do this the right way. The biggest thing is to get the
car comfortable for me in practice. Our GoDaddy.com team spent a lot of
time in practice for last week's race and I think it paid off in
the long run. Again, I just want to run a solid race. I want tolog laps
and be part of the action. I understand the draft a bit better than
before, so I want the chance to work with some of the other
drivers."
DAYTONA NOTEBOOK:
JRM DREAM TEAM - Two of the biggest names in racing will be paired up as
JR Motorsports teammates when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick take
to the high banks of Daytona this weekend in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
opener. Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Hellmann's Chevrolet
while Danica Patrick pilots the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in her NASCAR
debut.
STARTING WITH A BANG - Patrick made her stock-car debut with much success
last week in the Lucas Oil Slick 200 ARCA race. After a 12th-place start,
the Roscoe, Ill. native maintained her poise during a spinout with 30
laps do go, and rallied to a sixth-place finish.
FIVE-YEAR REUNION - Tony Eury Sr. will be serving as Earnhardt
Jr.'s crew chief for the first time in five years this weekend. The
last time "Pops" was atop the pit box for Earnhardt Jr. in
the Nationwide Series, it was under the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. banner for
both Daytona events in 2005. The pair's best finish was third that
year. Additionally, "Pops" served as Earnhardt Jr.'s
crew chief when he clinched back-to-back Nationwide Series Championships
in 1998 and 1999.
AT DAYTONA - In 17 starts at Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. has five wins, eight
top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He has led 481 laps and earned an
average finish of 12.2.
A GUARANTEED SPOT -Patrick will be guaranteed a spot in the first three
events of the NNS 2010 season based off JRM's acquisition of points
from CJM Racing's No. 11 team, which finished 15th in the 2009
Nationwide Series owners point standings.
DANICA'S 2010 NNS SCHEDULE - Patrick will compete in 13 Nationwide
Series races in 2010, including the first three events of the year at
Daytona, California and Las Vegas. The remainder of her schedule includes
races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 26), Chicagoland Speedway
(July 9), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 14), Dover International
Speedway (Sept. 25), Auto Club Speedway (Oct. 9), Charlotte Motor
Speedway (Oct. 15), Gateway International Raceway (Oct. 23), Texas Motor
Speedway (Nov. 6), Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 13), and
Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 20).
-source: jr motorsports
