Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be driving the No. 8 next year! This is lame! GRR!

Ok… I’ve taken a few breaths and I’ll get over it, we’ll move on. But please tell me he doesn’t have to drive the No. 5. That would just be too wrong for words.

HENDRICK WILL NOT FIELD NO. 8 ENTRIES IN 2008

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 15, 2007) – Hendrick Motorsports will not have the ability to field No. 8 entries for Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver joins the organization in 2008.

“We’ve been working hard to secure the No. 8 for Dale Jr.’s car number next season,” said Marshall Carlson, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Obviously, he has a tremendous history with that number, and we know how important it is to his fans. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach a point where the terms made sense, and now we have to move forward with other options.

“We appreciate the efforts of Max Siegel and his team (at Dale Earnhardt Inc.), and are excited about unveiling our plans for 2008 in the near future.”

No timetable has been set for an announcement of Earnhardt’s car number or team sponsor