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Dale Earnhardt Junior At The Gate When Garage Opens Monday at Daytona January 7, 2008

Posted by claireblang in 2008 Season, Drivers, Track Testing.
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    Junior Shows Up A Week Early – At The Crack of Dawn

Sprint Cup teams are divided by owner points (odd versis evan points) for testing the next two weeks.

Dale Earnhardt Junior’s Hendrick Motorsports team is not scheduled to test until next week here at Daytona International Speedway- but guess what?…..He showed up a week early.

Dale Earnhardt Junior was in the garage when it opened this morning (gates opened at 7:00 a.m.)- visiting with his new team members in the Hendrick garage stalls.

“I think it says a lot and it’s smart on his part, so I’m really proud of him for doing that,” said Junior’s new team mate Jeff Gordon.

Former team mate Tony Gibson, Crew Chief for Mark Martin at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. told me, ” Early to me with Dale Junior is like five minutes before practice has started so for him to be here an hour before the gate opened up is pretty impressive. He walked up and slapped me on the back and I turned around, I thought it was somebody impersonating him……… he’s ready.” Gibson said that the guys on the teams were impressed as he spent some time talking with them.

Dale Junior decided about midnight to come to testing because, as he told folks in the garage, “he was bored,” sitting around at home. At this point, he is planning to say here in Daytona until testing next week.

Plans could change, but safe to say that Junior sent a message with his early arrival this morning.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Mark Martin was also here in the garage before the gates opened by the way.

Claire B Lang
Sprint Cup Testing @ Daytona International Speedway
1:16 p.m. EST

NASCAR – The Road Is Calling – Daytona Time January 7, 2008

Posted by claireblang in 2008 Season, Track Testing.
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A quick update (Monday Morning)- I’m back out on the road covering NASCAR – starting with two back-to-back test sessions at Daytona for the Sprint Cup Series which kicked off today here at Daytona.

I just got into town and so this will be a quick schedule update – with more to follow.

Boris Said sat next to me on the airplane on the way from Charlotte, NC to Orlando. He kept me in stitches the entire flight – and is making a short trip here to get fitted in a seat –then he’ll fly right back out today. He’ll test in the second session next week.

I’ll be broadcasting LIVE from the Media Center at Daytona International Speedway with reports today January 7th, on XMSN and a full “Dialed In” kicking off tomorrow, 4-7 p.m. EST January 8th, for the season.

I’ll be filing reports here on Infield Parking today since I will not have a full show on the air until tomorrow, January 8th. So be sure to click on this site to get hot breaking news from testing.

January 10th I’ll leave Daytona and head to Nashville for Sound and Speed which is a benefit event for the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I’m going behind the scenes in the green room and will emcee on stage as well as host a LIVE “Dialed In” show on XM 144 from XM’s Studio in the Country Music Hall of Fame on Friday, January 11th.

Following the weekend in Nashville I’ll fly straight back to Daytona for the second week of testing and then home to Charlotte for the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Media tour.

I’ll keep you posted on what’s happening throughout and, of course, take you along for the ride.

I just wanted to jot you a quick note to keep you posted…ooop the bags have arrived and so, now, I gotta fly.

It’s Daytona time – time to start it all over again!

Claire B