Daytona Speedweeks kicks off Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway and features a 10-day schedule filled with NASCAR racing, capped by the 2013 Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.
Here is some key dates and events to mark on your calendar as the 2013 season begins.

Thursday, Feb. 14

NASCAR Media Day. All Sprint Cup drivers will meet with the media, as well as many Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series drivers.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and other NASCAR stars will be on hand to offer their insight heading into Speedweeks and 2013.
More: Daytona 500 winners | Daytona 500 crashes | Daytona 500 moments

Friday, Feb. 15

The practice garage opens for the first time with practices set for Saturday's Sprint Unlimited scheduled for 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16

Sprint Cup teams hit the track and begin preparations for Daytona 500 qualifying. The Sprint Unlimited field takes the green flag at 8:10 p.m. (TV: Fox)

Sunday, Feb. 17

Daytona 500 qualifying (two laps, two positions) is set for 1:05 p.m. (TV: Fox)

Wednesday, Feb. 20

Sprint Cup teams return to practice for Thursday's Budweiser Duel qualifying races. Practice sessions are scheduled for 12-1:30 p.m. and 2:30-4 p.m. (TV: Speed)

Thursday, Feb. 21

The Budweiser Duel qualifying races to set the field for the Daytona 500 will begin at 2 p.m. (TV: Speed).
Nationwide and truck teams will practice Thursday morning.

Friday, Feb. 22

Sprint Cup teams practice twice to prepare for the Daytona 500 — 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Truck and Nationwide teams qualify, beginning at 1:40 p.m.
The Camping World Truck Series race is set for 7:30 p.m. (TV: Speed)

Saturday, Feb. 23

The final Daytona 500 practice is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Nationwide Series race is for 1:15 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

Sunday, Feb. 24

The 55th Daytona 500 is scheduled for 1 p.m.* Driver introductions will begin at 12:15 p.m. (TV: Fox), followed by the national anthem, the command to fire engines and the green flag a few minutes after 1.

Richard Childress still plans to run Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 in Sprint Cup

           

WELCOME, N.C. – The way Richard Childress talks, he sounds pretty convinced that Austin Dillon will drive Dale Earnhardt's famous No. 3 in the Sprint Cup Series.
It’s just a matter of when.

Richard Childress said he still hopes to see grandson Austin Dillon bring Dale Earnhardt's famous No. 3 back to Sprint Cup.

MORE: Harvick-Childress relationship | Burton-RCR rumors | Dale Jr. and The King
Last November, Childress said he didn’t think Dillon would drive a No. 3 car in select races in 2013 but it is a possibility when he moves to Cup full time in 2014.
Not much has happened in the last couple of months to change Childress’ mind about bringing back the slanted No. 3 made famous by Earnhardt, the seven-time Cup champion.
“This past season, with Austin running it in Nationwide as much as he did, it’s kind of re-energized a lot of the fans,” Childress said Monday during the Sprint Media Tour stop at his shop. “The fans come up and the cards and the calls and the emails we get, when we said he was going to run the 33 at Daytona, overwhelmingly people wanted to see the 3.
“Who knows? We haven’t made any decisions at this time.”
Childress said it’s probably 85 percent in favor of him running one of his grandsons (Austin or Ty Dillon) in the No. 3 car in Sprint Cup.
“We’ve got people talking about Dale more and that’s what I want to see,” Childress said. “I want to see people never forget who Dale Earnhardt was and the great things he did in the 3.
“If it’s in the family with Austin and Ty or a young Earnhardt someday, who knows?”
This season, Dillon is scheduled to run the full Nationwide schedule and select Cup races, possibly even more than six since he can run as many as he wants this year and still be eligible for the Cup rookie title in 2014.
“Right now we don’t have any plans of running the 3 anytime in the future,” Childress said. “But who knows what may happen between now and the next few months?’

Dale Earnhardt Jr., an engaged driver

January 13, 2013, Kenny Bruce, NASCAR.com

Crew chief Steve Letarte welcomes driver's input, involvement

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is engaged. Hold off on the congratulations, though.

Make that more engaged.

NASCAR’s most popular driver appears happy in his current relationship, but wedding bells weren’t the topic of Earnhardt Jr.’s conversation during a break in testing Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

It seems the Hendrick Motorsports driver has become more involved in what most drivers see as the day-to-day drudgery of testing.

"The day goes by fast when you are plugged in like that."
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While crew chiefs, crewmen and engineers buzz around Sprint Cup cars during Preseason Thunder, a driver’s workload consists of pushing the car to its limits, then reporting how the car reacted. The process is repeated often as adjustments are made throughout the day.
For drivers, much of their time is spent sitting behind the wheel on pit road, waiting for the opportunity to make a solo run on the track unimpeded by traffic.
Boring?

“Yeah, it can be,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “As a driver, and this is specific to the Daytona tests only, you don’t really have to pay attention to what they are putting on the car, what they change.
“If you don’t ask and if you don’t really get into it, rarely will a crew chief include you in that conversation.”

Now, however, Earnhardt Jr. said he has gotten more involved in what takes place when he isn’t in the car.

“I just plug into what they are doing,” he said of his No. 88 team.
Not only does it give him a better idea of what changes are being made, but why each is being made as well. And that, he said, “helps me because we have been doing this a long time, and something they are doing might dig up a memory of a test or something we tried on some cars back in the DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) days that worked.

“It’s good for me to be involved as much as I can," he said. “So that helps me get to clicking; the day goes by fast when you are plugged in like that.”
Fourth on the speed chart after Saturday’s final session, Earnhardt Jr. had much to occupy his time. Although involved in a 12-car accident on Friday that sent several teams home a day early, his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet escaped the incident unharmed.

Crew chief Steve Letarte said his driver, whom he has worked with since 2011, “always seems relatively involved, pretty interested in what we’re doing.”

“He’s got quite a knack for speedway racing, so he’s always put his two cents in,” Letarte said. “We’ve had some good speedway cars down here … we just try to back that up.”
The Daytona 500, Letarte said, is a different animal, and additional input from his driver is welcome.
"The other three (restrictor-plate races) are impounds (where only minor changes can be made to the car following qualifying). You just show up and race them. If you survive them, you’ll be pretty good. February’s not like that.”

NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts big wreck during Friday’s test session at Daytona

Stock-car racing’s most popular driver was trying to bump draft with Marcus Ambrose on the back straightaway when he lifted Ambrose 'like a forklift' and turned him into the wall.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Friday, January 11, 2013, 5:51 PM

John Raoux/AP

Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls wreck a 'big mess' and says drafting at Daytona not like it used to be.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - New cars, same results at Daytona International Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. started a 12-car accident at Daytona on Friday that essentially shut down a three-day test session designed to hone NASCAR’s redesigned cars.
Stock-car racing’s most popular driver was trying to bump draft with Marcus Ambrose on the back straightaway when he lifted Ambrose “like a forklift” and turned him into the wall. Ambrose’s Ford bounced back across the track and triggered a pileup that collected a host of others.
“It was a big mess and tore up a lot of cars down here trying to work on their stuff,” Earnhardt said. “Definitely the drafting is not like it used to be. You can’t really tandem certain cars; certain cars don’t match up well.”
Two of Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, also were involved. So were defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, new teammate Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola and Regan Smith.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

The damaged car of Kasey Kahne after 12-car wreck during Daytona test session.

There were no injuries, but the wreck caused several teams to leave Daytona. At least 10 teams, including Michael Waltrip Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports, packed up their haulers and headed back to North Carolina.
“It is unfortunate, but sometimes you have to wreck them to learn,” Keselowski said. “The sport is rewinding. That is the important thing to say. The sport advanced to the two-car tandem three or four years ago, and there were certain things you could do then that you couldn’t do in the past without wrecking.
“Now the rules package is back to where we were in the early 2000’s when the fans enjoyed the racing better. We as drivers have to rewind to how we used to drive these cars. This is how you do it. You make mistakes and learn and that is part of it. I might be the guy who makes the mistake next time, so I can’t be mad about it.”
Manufacturers Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are using new cars in 2013, ones that have unique front ends that make race cars more closely resemble those on the streets and in the showroom.
The new cars have considerably less downforce than their predecessors and perform differently on the track. The previous models had identical designs that made it easier for bump drafting because the front and rear bumpers lined up squarely.
But with redesigned parts in low supply as vendors try to keep up with demands, many teams came to Daytona without backup cars. Drivers took a cautious approach to the test, trying to gain information about speed and handling while hoping to avoid the kind of huge wrecks typically associated with racing in tight-knit packs at nearly 200 mph.
NASCAR asked teams to simulate race conditions Friday by forming the large drafting packs, and there were 18 cars on the track when Earnhardt triggered the big one.
“ You can’t push, which I think is a good thing,” Gordon said. “The bad thing is you can still get to the guy’s bumper, but the cars just don’t line up very well. ... It’s something that is going to have to be dealt with very carefully. You are going to have to be cautious when you do it and do it with the right guys, but most of the time you’re going to need to stay away from it. That is certainly something we learned.”
Backing up Gordon’s sentiments, Earnhardt said the nose of his Chevrolet slid under the rear bumper of Ambrose’s Ford.
“It’s going to take a lot more care and concentration and just knowing kind of what is at stake,” Earnhardt said. “Certain cars you line up OK with and can push fine and for whatever reason mine and Marcus’ car didn’t line

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/dale-jr-starts-big-wreck-daytona-test-article-1.1238536#ixzz2HibDR35I

Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting his own line of potato chips!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has partnered with KLN Family Brands to create "Dale Jr. Foods," which will distribute four flavors of potato chips. / Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

 

At this point, 14 years into NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. craze, you'd think every conceivable product known to man already had the driver's name or car number attached to it.
You know, like Dale Jr. pajamas, Dale Jr. bowling balls (seriously) and Dale Jr. pet safety harnesses (no joke!).
There's really nothing else Earnhardt could possibly endorse, except for maybe potato chips or something.
What's that you say? A Minnesota-based company announced Wednesday that it's creating four flavors of Dale Earnhardt Jr. potato chips?
Well, I'll be darned.
According to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Earnhardt Jr. has partnered with a company called KLN Family Brands to create "Dale Jr. Foods," which will distribute four flavors of potato chips: Crispy Original, Carolina Barbecue, Zesty Jalapeno and Creole & Green Onion.
You'd have to think Carolina Barbecue would be the best out of those - Junior being a Carolina boy and all that - but Creole & Green Onion also sounds intriguing.
That should pretty much complete the world of Dale Jr. products, unless he decided to endorse a vending machine cheeseburger or something.
What's that you say? That already exists?!
Well, I'll be darned.

Season Review-Preview: Hendrick Motorsports

By Pete Pistone | NASCAR Blogger

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his four-year victory drought at Michigan in June. (Getty Images)
Season Review
Hendrick Motorsports put all four of its drivers in the Chase but ultimately fell short of the Sprint Cup Series championship.
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne all found Victory Lane and qualified for the playoffs, but none were able to bring team owner Rick Hendrick an 11th Sprint Cup title.
"I'm still very proud of this team and the effort everyone put in," said Hendrick. "It's a special year for us for what we did accomplish even though we weren't able to win the championship."
Hendrick was able to reach the 200th-victory milestone when Johnson took the checkered flag at Darlington over Mother's Day weekend.
"I just want to thank everybody and those folks that gave it their all and gave their lives in '04, my family and friends," Hendrick said of the tragic plane crash that happened at Martinsville eight years prior. "This is a special night, and we're going to remember them."
Johnson's season did include five wins, 18 top fives and 24 top-10 finishes as well as four poles. He was in the middle of the race for a sixth championship until the last race of the year at Homestead, only to be derailed by a missing lug nut and subsequent mechanical failure to end the quest.
"Definitely a disappointing finish to it all," Johnson said after the season finale. "We were putting the pressure on like we needed to. We had strategy on our side, really in position to make it interesting there at the end. A couple of little problems -- well, one problem, and then a fatal issue got us at the end."
Gordon also had a shot at winning the title after enduring an up-and-down regular season. He made the Chase but got off to a bad start that he was never able to recover from.
He did score his 87th career win at Homestead, but it wasn't enough to get a fifth title. His year was also punctuated by a feud with Clint Bowyer, which boiled over in Phoenix.
"You know, our team has worked so hard this year, and I'm so proud of them," Gordon said. "We've had great race cars this year. But, yeah, we kind of do need a reset, and I'm looking forward to the 2013 car. I tested it a couple weeks ago. I thought it went really well. I think we've got some great things in store for that."
Kahne's first season in the Hendrick stable got off to a frustrating start, but he was able to turn it around for a career-best fourth-place finish in the standings.
Kahne teamed with crew chief Kenny Francis to drive his way into the Chase as a wild-card entry. Though he wasn't able to mount a championship charge, he was proud of the 2012 effort.
"As a team, our greatest accomplishment was battling back from a poor start and making the Chase," Kahne said. "I have to thank Kenny for his vision and his preparation of our race cars. He and I and a lot of guys on the 5 team have been a lot of different places in recent years, but we've stuck together and, through hard work, were able to have a great season."
Earnhardt had a memorable season as well for both the right and wrong reasons.
He ended a four-year victory drought with a win at Michigan in June, the site of his last previous checkered flag in 2008.
"They've stuck behind me all these years," Earnhardt said of his legion of fans. "I know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've wanted to get back to Victory Lane. This is for them. I appreciate their loyalty and support."
Earnhardt made the Chase and was poised to make a serious run at the title until he was unexpectedly sidelined for a pair of race.
Involved in a 24-car, last-lap crash at Talladega, Earnhardt was diagnosed with a concussion, his second in less than two months, after an August testing accident at Kansas Speedway.
He was forced out of the car to recover, ending any hope of a championship.
"You know your body and you know your mind, and you know when something is not quite right," Earnhardt said of his decision to seek medical help.
But Earnhardt is optimistic about what lies ahead in 2013 and ready to get back on track.
"I really enjoy being at the track and driving cars," he said. "It's been a good year, but this should be par for the course. It's been a good year, but we want to be a lot better than this. I'm not ready to stop trying to be better."
2013 Preview
The Hendrick brigade will once again be a force in the coming year, and the quartet of drivers has a solid opportunity to all return to the Chase.
Johnson's disappointment of how 2012 ended might be even more motivation for the 48 team's quest for a sixth title. Gordon enjoyed a rebirth of sorts last season and is determined to add another championship trophy to his collection. Kahne should be even better after a year in the organization under his belt. And the pairing of Earnhardt with crew chief Steve Letarte will continue to keep the 88 team competitive.
Smart money says Hendrick's depth and resources will help the organization make the transition to the new 2013 Chevy SS Sprint Cup car faster than its competitors. A fast start to the season is definitely in the cards.
There isn't a team as strong as Hendrick right now in the garage area, and the quest for an 11th Sprint Cup Series title will be very much alive next season.

Five reasons Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains NASCAR's most popular driver

By: Jerry Bonkowski, Bleacher Report on January 8, 2013

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC - Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be challenged for NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award by Danica Patrick this season.

It's hard enough to win one election, let alone two. But there is one figure in NASCAR who transcends the sport, who has been its face for more than a decade and seemingly makes national news for even the smallest happenstance or change in his life.

He is to NASCAR what Michael Jordan was -- and still is, to a degree -- to the NBA, a pair of superstars known the world over. Go to a far away land like China, mention the NBA and Jordan's iconic name almost immediately still comes forth from respondents. Ditto with the red-haired wonder of stock car racing: even if they're not race fans and know only one thing about NASCAR, it's his name. To them, he IS NASCAR.

Of course, we're talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But just how has Junior, who has just one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the past four years, been able to sustain as the sport's most popular personality for a decade?


Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130108/nascar01/130109890#ixzz2HPbY6QsR