Earnhardt Jr. closing in on decision on ’08 ride
06/03/07 Depending on who one believes in the Nextel Cup garage, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is headed either to Ginn Racing with sponsorship from Budweiser or Joe Gibbs Racing with backing from credit card giant Visa. Either way, expect an announcement next month. “We're trying not to comment too much on how things are going or what's going on until we can really have something to say, but I can tell you that things are positive," Earnhardt said after qualifying on Friday. “I've just been overwhelmed with the personalities that I've met, with the owners and the individuals working at each company. There are certainly a lot of great people out there with good morals and good values and with great attitudes about the sport and about what they want to accomplish. It makes me feel good about where the sport's going to be in the next 5-10 years with some of these individuals I've met." SPEEDtv.com
06/01/07 I've drawn a pretty good bead on where I want to be, with respect to a small handful of teams," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "It's been weird. I've always been gracious and tried to be respectful. I want to give everybody an opportunity, and I feel really uncomfortable saying that.
"I want to hear what these other guys say when it comes to every team, but there's really within reason a good trio or three or four teams that we're looking at and talking with extensively."
Earnhardt Jr. reiterated his stance about remaining with Chevrolet, which automatically narrows his choice to Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Ginn Racing and Hall of Fame Racing.
"Things are looking good," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We are making forward progress every day. I'm getting really excited. The time that Kelley wants something done is going to be OK. … I thought it would take a lot longer than that, but I'm bad to sit on a decision and waste a lot of time trying to make sure I make the right one. The horizon's pretty clear on what I feel like I need to."
Earnhardt Jr. said an announcement could be made within a month.