Dale Earnhardt Jr will not driver the #8 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
The number that has personified NASCAR's most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr will no longer appear on the side of his car after the 2007 season comes to an end. Hendrick Motorsports officials confirmed that they were unable to reach a suitable agreement with DEI that would allow them to carry the #8.
"We've been working hard to secure the No. 8 for Dale Jr.'s car number next season," said Marshall Carlson, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports.
"Our hope was to carry the No. 8 with Dale Jr. to his new team, but the last proposal Hendrick Motorsports received from DEI just wasn't viable," said Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, his sister and business manager.
For the myriads of Earnhardt Jr fanatics, this has been a season of change. First, Earnhardt Jr announced that he was leaving DEI, the company his late father built, and just over a month later, he announced that he would be joining Hendrick Motorsports, the same team his arch-rival Jeff Gordon drivers for. Not long ago, it was made clear that Budweiser, Junior's sponsor since 1999, would not be joining him at Hendrick Motorsports. And now, the last hope of any familiarity is gone.
So what number will Dale Earnhardt Jr sport in 2008? Just as the number 8 has been sentimental to Earnhardt Jr, the #5 is the same for Rick Hendrick. The #5 car was the original Hendrick Motorsports car when the team formed in 1984 with Geoff Bodine as the driver.
The number 81 has been linked with Earnhardt and the number 08 would be a logical choice as well.
As for who drives the #8 in 2008, they will have the unenviable task of filling the shoes of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
