By Staff
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – It's official.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will move to Hendrick Motorsports following the 2007 season.
Earnhardt Jr. will replace Kyle Busch, who has reached a mutual agreement with team owner Rick Hendrick about seeking other opportunities.
Henrick joined Earnhardt Jr. at JR Motorsports on Wednesday morning to make the announcement. It was the same shop that Earnhardt announced he would leave the team his late father built to find a team with which he felt he could contend for championships.
Originally, Hendrick said that there was no room for Earnhardt Jr. because of NASCAR's mandate of only four cars per team beginning in 2008.
But when it became clear that the team and Busch could not reach an agreement on a contract extention, the attention turned to landing NASCAR's most popular driver and one of its be marketing tools.
No immediate announcement was planned as to what car Earnhardt Jr. would drive or who its sponsor would be.
It is possible that Dale Earnhardt Inc. could release the No. 8 or see it to Hendrick Motorsports. Budweiser, a former Hendrick sponsor and the only sponsor Earnhardt Jr. has ever had on his car, also has made no announcement about its plans for 2008 and beyond.
Busch, whose contract was through 2008, will be released from Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season.
"We had been working on a contract extension for me to remain at Hendrick Motorsports, but after prolonged negotiations, we mutually agreed that a fresh start was in order," Busch said in a released statement. "I have been granted a release after the 2007 season.
"I have tremendous respect for Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports," he continued. "It's where I grew up, and I have a lot of great memories. I kind of feel like I'm graduating. I'm excited about my future, and I know a lot of opportunities await because of what everyone at Hendrick did for me – on the track and off.
"I still have a job to do this year, and will give it my all – just as I've always done – to make sure we put the No. 5 car in victory lane a few more times before the year is out."
With the announcement of his future plans now behind him, Earnhardt Jr. heads off to Michigan for this Sunday's Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway.