WELCOME, N.C. (June 29, 2009) — The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo that seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt earned his 76th and final victory in will participate in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England on July 3-5, 2009.

Taylor Earnhardt, 20, Earnhardt’s youngest child, will drive the car in demonstration runs during the three-day festival.  It is her inaugural turn behind the wheel of a stock car. She will be accompanied by her mother, Teresa Earnhardt, president and CEO of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.,  founded in 1980 with her legendary husband.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual event held since 1993 at the Goodwood House in West Sussex, a place of great British motorsports history. Race cars old and new will participate in both demonstration and competition runs up the nine-turn 1.16-mile hillclimb circuit. This year’s gathering will include a number of NASCAR stock cars in honor of the 50th anniversary of Daytona International Speedway.

“I was honored to be asked by Lord March to have one of legendary RCR black No. 3 Chevrolets participate in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “This is a great opportunity to promote the legacy of Dale Earnhardt not only in the United States but throughout the world. I also think it’s great that Taylor will have the opportunity to drive the car her father made so famous.”

Earnhardt drove this particular No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet to victory in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It has been on permanent display at the RCR Museum since its grand opening in May 2003. The car was loaded onto the cargo ship Dublin Express and set sail June 6 from the port in Charleston, S.C., and is scheduled to arrive June 21 in Southampton, England.

“It is truly an honor to have Dale Earnhardt, Inc. included in this prestigious event,” said Teresa Earnhardt.  “To see this winning Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet among the legendary race cars from past and present will be remarkable.  To have Taylor honor her father’s legacy behind the wheel of this special race car will make this a memorable event for our organization.”

Taylor Earnhardt seconded her mother’s emotions about the historic event.

“It’s quite an honor to be a part of an event like this and all of the history and nostalgia associated with the Goodwood Festival.  It’s very, very exciting,” said Taylor Earnhardt.  “I’ve already spent some time in the car getting used to it, and I’m looking forward to the demonstration run.  Hopefully, the fans in the United States and around the world will enjoy seeing one of my father’s winning cars participate in this awesome event”.

The car was prepared by and will be cared for at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by former No. 3 team crew members Danny Lawrence and Rich Burgess. Lawrence is currently the assistant head engine builder/trackside manager for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines and Burgess is the shop manager for RCR’s No. 31 Caterpillar team in the NSCS.

For General Motors, the automaker behind the GM Goodwrench brand proudly carried on the hood of the car, it is a chance to celebrate the history of the partnership with Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and the legacy of Dale Earnhardt as a champion.

“The GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo brought incredible fame and prestige to the General Motors brand, and we are honored to see this racing legacy returning to action, if only for a one-time event,” said Jim Moloney, general director, marketing for General Motors’ Service and Parts Operation.  “This participation in the Goodwood Festival provides a positive, emotional rallying point for Dale Earnhardt fans and those in the General Motors racing family.  We look forward to hearing the engine fire up on the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet once again.”

About Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing (www.rcrracing.com), celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009, has earned more than 180 victories and 12 NASCAR championships, including six in the Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Its 2009 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes Casey Mears (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil), Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar) and Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper). Its 2009 Nationwide Series lineup includes Bowyer, Burton and Stephen Leicht (No. 29 Holiday Inn) and Austin Dillon and Sean Caisse (No. 2 RCR Chevrolet).

About Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Founded in 1980 by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt, DEI is headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina.  Dale Earnhardt, Inc today has several business entities focused on philanthropy, auto racing and the promotion of the Dale Earnhardt Legacy both nationally and internationally.  Since 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has formed two racing and performance joint ventures; Earnhardt-Childress Racing, to develop and build world-class Chevrolet engines for NASCAR race teams and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, created to build and manage multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup race teams.  Dale Earnhardt, Inc is also responsible for the management of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet and other business and promotional activities related to the Earnhardt Family and the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Programs.

The happy couple was recently spotted on the beach together.

“They’re not doing anything wrong,” an inside member of the Patrick posse insists.  “What’s wrong with a couple of cartoon characters falling in love?”  When reminded that Danica is an actual person as opposed to the computer generated Digger the insider snorted in reply, “Tell that to the media.  They haven’t figured that out yet.”

A further reminder that Danica is married to Paul Hospenthal generated a referral to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew at Muppet Labs who eagerly shared the following information: “Here at Muppet Labs where the future is being invented today, my assistant Beaker and I are happy to report there is in fact no Paul Hospenthal.  He, or should I say it, is one of our more brilliant creations.  It is a beautifully executed and flawlessly performing hand-controlled marionette operated by Ms. Patrick, which is why you almost never see it as she is usually too busy with race cars and photo shoots.  We have also developed a stand-alone model which Beaker operates from inside the mechanical marvel, although sadly to date we have yet to receive a request for it to make an appearance.”

A friend of Digger’s former girlfriend Annie has stated that she has moved on.  “She’s a strong gopher,” the friend said, adding that what once was harmless flirtation with the Aflac duck has now blossomed into a relationship.  “It all started so innocently,” the friend confides.  “She asked the duck if he could get her some MP3s from Carl Edwards’ record company.  Next there was a ride in the car — that blond was just a front — and one thing led to another.  It’s good for both of them, really.  The duck’s been feeling left out and lonely ever since Edwards got hitched and isn’t into hanging out with the guys anymore.”

On the rebound, they're making sweet music together.

Reactions around the racing world have varied.  Jack Roush’s only comment was, “I have a driver named Edwards?”  He said this while sitting behind his desk decorated with Matt Kenseth’s Daytona 500 amd Auto Club 500 trophies along with the heads of all parts suppliers for Kenseth’s engine at the Shelby 427.

On the IRL side, Sarah Fisher sniffed, “That woman can do whatever she wants to.  I don’t care.  I have my own race team to worry about.  Besides, Milka Duno and I are both better built.”

Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno. 'Nuff said.

A spokesperson for FOX had no comment other than, “The kids still like him. So there!”

Now that the 2008 season has mercifully reached an end, the economic realities of today are hitting hard in NASCAR.  Very, very hard.  Although the governing body itself insists it continues to sail sweet, those who put together what people actually come to see as a race — you know, race cars and drivers and stuff like that — aren’t so much wielding a scalpel in order to cut expenses as swinging a none-too sharp axe.  The talk is we could see over a thousand people losing their jobs at different teams as they either trim the fat, dramatically cut payroll as they scale back operations, or simply lock the doors and walk away.

The reasons for this are numerous and well-known.  Given the current dour environment for business, sponsors willing to pony up even a fraction of what it takes to operate a four-wheel pony are becoming a very rare commodity.  When even a Dale Earnhardt Jr. has trouble landing sponsorship for his Nationwide team, you know money’s tighter than an overwound spring on an ancient wristwatch.  Add to this the costs of fuel and materials, throw in how manufacturers are slicing team support money as they teeter on the edge of either going bankrupt or folding, toss in the growing fan apathy stemming from both an increasing number of utterly uninteresting races and how the economy is putting a hurting on once current now former ticket buyers, and what you’ve got is trouble.  Big trouble.

How this will all shake out for next year is a mystery to all.  We could see more mergers a la Ganassi and DEI, we could see one or more teams call it a day, we could see less than full fields in Cup as we’ve already seen this year in Nationwide and trucks.  We could see manufacturers drop out before Daytona or as the season progresses.  No one knows.  This, though, is known: I’ll be blogging it all.

But not here.

Next Tuesday is my last here at RPT and with SportsBlogs Nation as a whole.  Leaving was not an easy decision, and I cannot overemphasize I am not doing so because of any dissatisfaction with SBN or the people thereof.  Indeed, I could not ask for a better group with whom to be associated.  My reasons for leaving are the growing demands on my time at the workplace along with other writing, such as the book I’ve almost completed.  Also, over the past several months I have felt a growing need to start focusing more on the spiritual topics contained in my writing.  It would be inappropriate for me to use SBN as a venue for this.

I can never say thank you enough to everyone at SBN for making me feel like a welcome member of the finest group of sports bloggers on the planet bar none.  It was an honor I will always cherish; something I can point to with justifiable pride as a sign of acceptance by my peers.  There are those who sneer at NASCAR as being something other than a genuine sport.  The people of SBN said otherwise by inviting me to join their ranks.  It felt good then.  It feels good now.

As to NASCAR, I’ve dusted off the old site at diecast-dude.com and hope to have it repopulated with its back catalog of posts from August 2003 forward before the season starts next February at Daytona.  As that work takes place in the background, it will be where my modest musings on all things NASCAR and related topics (sometimes very distantly related… but I digress) will be housed going forward.  Stop by and say hi if you’re so inclined.

And now it’s time to go.  To everyone at SBN, again I say thank you.  It’s been a terrific ride, and I will be cheering you on every step of the way as you assume your rightful place as not only the preeminent sports blogs confederation but a legitimate force in sports journalism period.  I regret I won’t be there with how.  However, the still small voice has whispered, and I must go where it leads.  Time for me to unbuckle my harness and seat belt, unlatch the window screen, climb out, and walk the road less traveled.  This journey has ended.  The next one awaits.