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Ignition problem: without a sponsor, Kerry Earnhardt is stuck playing the waiting game

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005 by Paul Grant

Kerry Earnhardt is on the other end of the phone, determined to hide the frustration. But the reality is that every minute of his seat time lately has been a make-or-break situation.

"These days, it's all about the young guys," he says. "And I'm 35 years old--they don't consider that young anymore. That's old. It's difficult with sponsors who're mainly looking for the 20-year-olds and younger, so it's just hard. ...

"When I do get the opportunity to do something, I try to make the best of it and maybe open some eyes and get people interested and hopefully get a sponsorship and do more races."

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Earnhardt, oldest son of the late seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and half-brother of Dale Earnhardt Jr., opened eyes when he won the Craftsman Truck Series pole at Daytona. But early in the race, a passing truck took the air off his rear spoiler and spun him into a multi-truck wreck, instantly ending his day. At California, he worked his way up from 32nd and finished 17th.

With the experience of his two-race deal under his belt, he'll know better what to expect if he does get back in the seat.

"It'll be a period of time before he gets it down real well, but I think he'll be successful," 2000 trucks champion Greg Biffle says.

Time, however, is not on Earnhardt's side. Owner Billy Ballew says he's doing everything to get a sponsor for Earnhardt, although Shane Hmiel is running the team's No. 15 at Atlanta. "He's got a great last name, he's got a great fan base, and he's a great guy," Ballew says of Earnhardt.

But until somebody buys Earnhardt a truck ride, his great name will be spotted only at the remaining Nextel Cup restrictor-plate races--on Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 car. (He missed qualifying for the Daytona 500 by one spot.)

In the meantime, Earnhardt is putting a broader spin on the most valuable piece of racing advice his dad gave him.

"He preached to me about patience," he says. "Patience with your car if it's not running to your standards--just be patient with it. You've got a long time to work on it, and the guys on the pit crew can make a lot of adjustments and get it better for you before the end of the race. And that's when it really counts, toward the end of the race."

When you're near the end of the race known as your career, patience can be in short supply.

Contributing: Matt Crossman

A win for the ages

Kerry Earnhardt's favorite memory of his late father, Dale Earnhardt, winning a race:

"I definitely know the (1998) Daytona 500 was the biggest win. ... Just to see the response from all the crew members and car owners when they lined up on pit road; they just came down and congratulated him. It was just like a big burden off his chest--you could see the big relief when he won that race.

"It's something he'd been trying for years, and he'd lost it several times on the last lap, just running out of fuel, blowing a tire or something.

"Daytona's the big one."--P.G.

TSN's power poll

1. Bobby Hamilton The 2004 series champion, Hamilton has picked up where he left off. A victory Friday at Atlanta, where he won last year, would give him the checkers at two of the first three races.

2. David Reutimann

3. Ricky Craven

4. Ted Musgrave

5. Matt Crafton

6. Johnny Benson

7. Steve Park 8. Jimmy Spencer

9. Dennis Setzer

10. Ron Hornaday

--After two races

A Jr. MOMENT

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on being influenced by a legend as he grew up:

"If you're a prodigy and you're around racing all your life, you're likely to be successful in some area of it, having the knowledge you had as a child. If you're really observant as a teenager and not goofing off, then you can get involved in it.

"You have to involve yourself at a young age. I think that has a lot to do with it. It was an easy avenue for someone like me, or like Ken Griffey Jr. to get involved in baseball like he did. Like his father did. That's what he watched all his life. That's what he plugged into. Same for me."--Lee Spencer

Ignition problem: without a sponsor, Kerry Earnhardt is stuck playing the waiting game

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005 by Paul Grant

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