 Earnhardt News
2000 Season
Three E's Race Mich.
By Beth Koziol
(August 15, 2000)
NASCAR Winston Cup history is in the making again this weekend for the Pepsi 400 at
Michigan Speedway. Dale Earnhardt hopes for the first time in his racing history, to be
racing with his two sons, Dale, Jr. and Kerry, who will attempt to make his first Winston
Cup debut this Friday in Michigan.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. who owns the #8 Budweiser car driven
by son Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will team up with Dave Marcis Racing to field the #71 Team
Realtree car with Kerry Earnhardt as it's driver. This will set the stage for their first
Winston Cup Race together when the green flag drops in Michigan this Sunday.
"Dave and I talked about the possibilities of doing
this with Kerry a couple of months ago," the elder Earnhardt said. "After he won
at Pocono we talked about it again. We presented it to Realtree and they said yes. We all
agreed this would be a good thing, so as it stands we'll provide the car. Dave will
provide tremendous experience, and Kerry, well he has to provide a good qualifying time.
Hopefully it will be a big plus for everyone involved."
"We support Dave and Dale in their effort to give
Kerry the best opportunity for his debut Cup appearance," Realtree president Bill
Jordan said. "We have enjoyed a long relationship with the Earnhardt family. Aside
from Dale, Kerry is the next best hunter in the family, so it's only natural that we
support this effort. There is no doubt he'll do a good job representing Realtree."
Kerry will attempt to qualify for his first Winston Cup
race this Friday in the #71 Realtree-sponsored car normally driven by Dave Marcis. It will
mark the second time in NASCAR history that a father and two sons have been in the same
race. The first time three members from the same family raced against each other was when
Lee Petty raced against sons Richard and Maurice, almost 40 years ago.
You know Kerry is excited about the opportunity to race
against his father and brother. "I couldn't be more pleased," Kerry Earnhardt
said. "There'll be a lot of pressure, but it's all worth it for the shot that I'm
getting."
Dale, Jr. said, "I can't wait for this - racing
against my dad and my brother. Kerry and I started racing at the same time. We sold a
go-kart for $500 and bought an old car to go racing. We lived together in a double-wide
trailer and always had fun together, but it seemed like I got the breaks with my racing
career. Kerry had a rougher time of it, but I always believed that if he got the right
equipment that he could do it. Look at his ARCA record this year. He won at Pocono and he
has run up front almost every race he's entered."
Kerry Earnhardt, who has been the black sheep of the racing
family, has come to the forefront recently. Kerry has competed in five ARCA events this
year, finishing in the top-3 four times, finally getting a victory at Pocono this past
June. This set's the stage for his debut in Winston Cup this weekend.
This will make for an exciting race if Dale, Dale, Jr. and
Kerry Earnhardt take the green flag together this weekend in Michigan. Be sure to watch
the "BUD Pole Oualifying" this Friday afternoon on ESPN2 to witness another
great story in the making for the Dale Earnhardt family.
T h e E a r n h a r d t C o n n
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