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Sprint Cup
CUP: Earnhardt Jr. Eyeing New Year’s Eve – And New Year
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and looks for more improvement next season…
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and girlfriend Amy Reimann attend last week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Wynn Las Vegas. (Photo: Getty Images)
Christmas and some rare down time rest ahead, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. already has two big days circled on his calendar – New Year’s Eve and the first day of the 2012 season.
Earnhardt Jr. and a collection of his pals usually gather on New Year’s Eve to wrap up the year, party-style. Last year’s Junior-hosted party had a Roaring ’20s theme; this year it’s all about the 1970s and ’70s-era music.
“I’ve been buying a lot of old vinyl records, and I like to play pool and listen to those,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We’ll be doing that on New Year’s – just going to throw some records on and let it go.”
Earnhardt Jr. said he likes albums that are quality from first cut to last, so he avoids records that contain only one or two songs he likes. “If we going to spin vinyl, we let it go from one end to the other,” he said.
Among the artists expected to grace the Junior party turntables are Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Rolling Stones, the Marshall Tucker Band and the Eagles.
Junior’s special guest at the party is likely to be his girlfriend, Amy Reimann. She attended last week’s Sprint Cup banquet with him and walked the red carpet for their splashy debut as a “couple.”
“We’ve been real private about it,” Junior said. “I’ve been protecting her from how tough the public can be at times. I think a lot of her.”
Although Earnhardt Jr. has been winless for the past three seasons, the team made some significant improvements this year and finished the schedule strong.
“We had some good runs at Charlotte and Martinsville, and those were the moments I realized I’ve improved and the potential for me to run well is back,” Junior said. “I was so upset about how I was running for the last two years. To be able to race with people and pass them is an incredible feeling for me.
“I can’t overstate how important that is. It motivates me to continue and do better next year. To [be at the awards banquet] and see pictures of everybody holding trophies in victory lane and not see my picture up there, that’s motivating to keep going.
“I’m looking forward to next year.”
Earnhardt Jr. said the work of crew chief Steve Letarte continues to impress him.
“I thought, this guy can put it together. He can give me opportunities to win, so maybe I can win some races this year and get everybody calmed down,” he said.
“People got excited. My fans saw an improvement. I kept my finger on the pulse throughout the season. Hey, man, things are getting better. We kept putting good races together. They’re really excited about Steve. He does a great job interacting with fans. He understands his role and the other extracurricular things that come along with being a crew chief.
“People got excited about us running well, but they’re getting impatient about us not being in victory lane. That’s something we’re all itching to make happen.
“I’m ready to go now.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Earnhardt Jr. and a collection of his pals usually gather on New Year’s Eve to wrap up the year, party-style. Last year’s Junior-hosted party had a Roaring ’20s theme; this year it’s all about the 1970s and ’70s-era music.
“I’ve been buying a lot of old vinyl records, and I like to play pool and listen to those,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We’ll be doing that on New Year’s – just going to throw some records on and let it go.”
Earnhardt Jr. said he likes albums that are quality from first cut to last, so he avoids records that contain only one or two songs he likes. “If we going to spin vinyl, we let it go from one end to the other,” he said.
Among the artists expected to grace the Junior party turntables are Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Rolling Stones, the Marshall Tucker Band and the Eagles.
Junior’s special guest at the party is likely to be his girlfriend, Amy Reimann. She attended last week’s Sprint Cup banquet with him and walked the red carpet for their splashy debut as a “couple.”
“We’ve been real private about it,” Junior said. “I’ve been protecting her from how tough the public can be at times. I think a lot of her.”
Although Earnhardt Jr. has been winless for the past three seasons, the team made some significant improvements this year and finished the schedule strong.
“We had some good runs at Charlotte and Martinsville, and those were the moments I realized I’ve improved and the potential for me to run well is back,” Junior said. “I was so upset about how I was running for the last two years. To be able to race with people and pass them is an incredible feeling for me.
“I can’t overstate how important that is. It motivates me to continue and do better next year. To [be at the awards banquet] and see pictures of everybody holding trophies in victory lane and not see my picture up there, that’s motivating to keep going.
“I’m looking forward to next year.”
Earnhardt Jr. said the work of crew chief Steve Letarte continues to impress him.
“I thought, this guy can put it together. He can give me opportunities to win, so maybe I can win some races this year and get everybody calmed down,” he said.
“People got excited. My fans saw an improvement. I kept my finger on the pulse throughout the season. Hey, man, things are getting better. We kept putting good races together. They’re really excited about Steve. He does a great job interacting with fans. He understands his role and the other extracurricular things that come along with being a crew chief.
“People got excited about us running well, but they’re getting impatient about us not being in victory lane. That’s something we’re all itching to make happen.
“I’m ready to go now.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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