The folks at Dale Earnhardt Inc. are working at bringing the #8 car to both the Nationwide and Cup series next year. The plan would be for Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of Dale, to drive the #8 car in the Nationwide series and have that team based out of the DEI shops in Mooresville, N.C. If sponsorship can be found, the #8 car would return to Cup and be based out of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing shop in Cocord, N.C. “We do have plans to bring the #8 car back for next season,” Jeff Steiner executive VP and general manager at DEI, told me [Dustin Long] Wednesday afternoon. “We are working with a number of sponsors. It’s not a for sure deal. We haven’t announced that we are officially bringing it back. As for Jeffrey Earnhardt: “That would be something we would be looking at running him in an #8 fulltime in the Nationwide level,” Steiner said. “We’re still working on sponsorships. Our intention … having him in a family number. I think we’re hopeful (of a fulltime schedule for Jeffrey). It’s not in the can for us yet from a sponsor’s standpoint but we have a lot of positive activity with six or seven different sponsors that are all very, very interested in working with the program. We’re pretty bullish on that potential for 2010.”(Roanoke Times)(9-23-2009)
