Dale Earnhardt Jr., who currently sits ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points, and Hendrick Motorsports will be together through the end of 2017.
HMS announced today the five year extension of NASCAR’s most popular driver in a statement.
"We’re excited to have everything formalized and announced," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "Junior and I had a handshake agreement months ago, and we let other people work out the finer points from there. It was as simple and smooth as it gets.
"My feelings haven’t changed since the day he first signed with us. I’m committed as ever to putting him in the best possible situation to be successful and compete for wins and championships."
Even though Earnhardt has been winless since June 2008 he has been improving his standing in NASCAR since obtaining crew chief, Steve Letarte. In 2008 he was 12th in the points, then 25th in 2009, and 21rst in 2010.
"It’s great to have it all wrapped up so quickly and far in advance," said Earnhardt, who currently is ninth in the Sprint Cup standings. "Rick and I were on the same page from the first time we talked about it, so there wasn’t any sense in waiting. There were never any questions or hesitations from either of us. It was just, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
"I’m really happy at Hendrick Motorsports and enjoy working with everyone here. The team’s been very competitive this season, and we’re all excited about the direction of things. I want to make sure we’re giving our fans something to cheer about for a long time."
HMS announced today the five year extension of NASCAR’s most popular driver in a statement.
"We’re excited to have everything formalized and announced," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "Junior and I had a handshake agreement months ago, and we let other people work out the finer points from there. It was as simple and smooth as it gets.
"My feelings haven’t changed since the day he first signed with us. I’m committed as ever to putting him in the best possible situation to be successful and compete for wins and championships."
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick at Daytona International Speedway, in February - Photo: nascar.com |
Even though Earnhardt has been winless since June 2008 he has been improving his standing in NASCAR since obtaining crew chief, Steve Letarte. In 2008 he was 12th in the points, then 25th in 2009, and 21rst in 2010.
"It’s great to have it all wrapped up so quickly and far in advance," said Earnhardt, who currently is ninth in the Sprint Cup standings. "Rick and I were on the same page from the first time we talked about it, so there wasn’t any sense in waiting. There were never any questions or hesitations from either of us. It was just, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
"I’m really happy at Hendrick Motorsports and enjoy working with everyone here. The team’s been very competitive this season, and we’re all excited about the direction of things. I want to make sure we’re giving our fans something to cheer about for a long time."