America’s biggest motor sport star, Dale Earnhardt Jr, was the guest of honour at Phillip Island [Sunday]. Earnhardt is the most popular driver in NASCAR racing and earns more money than the entire V8 Supercar field combined. But unlike the media circus that surrounded David Beckham’s recent visit to Australia, Earnhardt was able to slip under the radar. The only people clamouring to meet the racing celebrity were the V8 Supercar drivers and team managers as he walked down pit lane. The American had a close look at the cars and was impressed with the technology and craftsmanship. “I didn’t anticipate the cars to have so much preparation because they race them so hard,” Earnhardt said. Having just signed a multi-million dollar deal with NASCAR’s leading team, Hendrick Motorsport, Earnhardt is highly unlikely to quit any time soon but admitted he would like to try his hand at V8 Supercars. “In a perfect world, I would come and race in the V8 series for a year and I would enjoy it,” he said.(Herald Sun [Australia])(12-3-2007)
