Dale Earnhardt Jr. plans to make his Australian racing debut in a V8 Supercar at Sydney’s Oran Park this December [2008]. Earnhardt will race a Holden Commodore in V8’s junior feeder category, the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, at Oran Park’s curtain-closing Grand Finale before it is torn down to make way for redevelopment. Fujitsu V8 series team boss Scott Loadsman confirmed on Monday he will expand his current one-car team to two cars. He has purchased a Commodore from Paul Morris Motorsport, nicknamed “Gidget’. With Loadsman’s existing driver, series leader Steve Owen, more likely to use this newer chassis, Earnhardt is set to drive Owen’s current car. Coincidentally, its nickname is “Earnhardt’. Earnhardt first visited Australia at the 2007 V8 Grand Finale at Phillip Island during his end-of-season holiday as a guest of former V8 champ Marcos Ambrose. Morris gave Earnhardt a test in a V8 Supercar ride car at his facility on the Gold Coast, and Earnhardt has since remained in contact with the V8 driver. With the final NASCAR Sprint Cup race being held on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Earnhardt will be able to fly to Australia in time for Oran Park on December 4-7.(Wheelsmag.com)(6-29-2008) UPDATE Many a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan has written Marty Smith of late to get the lowdown on his reported offseason jaunt to Australia to compete in the V8 Supercar Series. They want to know how and where they can see it and what time it airs stateside and what number he’ll be and what his car will look like and, above all else, just how excited he is about it. Well, there may not be a lowdown. At this point, it’s just in the discussion stage. A recent column posted on wheelsmag.com.au cited Earnhardt’s plans to make his Australian racing debut at Sydney’s Oran Park in early December, racing a Holden Commodore owned by Scott Loadsman in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. But when Smith casually told Earnhardt how cool the deal sounded, his response was anything but giddy. Junior told Smith and Morris have indeed had candid discussions about Earnhardt racing in Australia, but that’s where the story ends. There are no specific plans at this time for him to run the season finale. He may ultimately race in Australia. He’d like to. But there’s still many variables that must be finalized before that will happen.(ESPN.com)(7-3-2008)
