Ten questions with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, speaks with the media during testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on December 11, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, speaks with the media during testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on December 11, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., arguably NASCAR’s most popular driver, seemed to be having a banner season in 2012. He broke a 143-race winless streak in June at Michigan and seemed well on his way to being a legitimate contender for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.  It wasn’t to be however; at a tire test in August at Kansas Speedway Earnhardt suffered a hard crash. It turned out that he didn’t esacpe that crash unhurt. A few weeks later, after another crash at Talladega, Earnhardt found himself at Charlotte Motor Speedway announcing that due to the lingering effects of a concussion, he would miss two races, including the race at Charlotte. The recovery left him out of contention for the title; he finished the year 12 in the standings.

Earnhardt returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday, but this time under much happier circumstances.  The driver of the number 88 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports took part in a test for the 2013 Sprint racecars dubbed ‘Gen 6’ by officials.  After spending the morning turning laps in the new Chevy, Earnhardt met with the media and talked about the car he hopes will help him to have a 2013 season that will leave 2012 far behind.

Earnhardt met with the media during lunch Tuesday, below is the full transcript of that interview.MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.