BUSCH: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to be at Motorsports 2000

NEWS FROM THE PENNZOIL MOTORSPORTS 2000 AUTO RACING TRADE SHOW

EARNHARDT JR. WILL MAKE A SECOND VISIT TO PENNZOIL MOTORSPORTS

FORT WASHINGTON, PA NOVEMBER 15, 1999 . . . One of the "young lions" of motor sports, NASCAR stock car racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make a second visit to the Pennzoil Motorsports Auto Racing Trade Show come January 15-17, 2000. Earnhardt, representing Outlaw Additives, was a very popular attraction at the Pennzoil Motorsports 1999 show. And he enjoyed meeting the fans, being part of the show activities, signing autographs so much that he has agreed to return to the three day show at the Fort Washington, PA Expo Center for a second time. In just two full seasons of competition on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit, Earnhardt Jr. has won two championships , 13 races and finished in the top-five an impressive 34 times (including the season finale at Miami-Homestead Speedway). "We won the championship last year and there wasn't a lot of pressure to win because we were rookies," said Earnhardt Jr. "If we had lost it, that would have been our excuse. "When you win the championship, people as well as yourself, expect you to run like champions every year or the year after. That little added pressure is there. I feel like at times during the year, I made mistakes that cost us some points. When you see the guys working hard at the shop and providing you the best race car you can have, you want to put it up front." Earnhardt's season did not start off as a championship effort. He finished 14th in the season opener at Daytona. He failed to win a race until the June race at Dover Downs International Speedway, some 15 races into the season. The 1999 NASCAR Busch Series champion tabbed six wins, 12 other top 10 finishes and wrapped up the title at Phoenix International Raceway with a second place finish to Jeff Gordon. He closed out the Busch Series season with a second place to Joe Nemechek at Miami-Homestead Speedway last Saturday. "I wanted to go into Winston Cup as the champion of the Busch Series for a lot of reasons, " said Earnhardt Jr. "There were probably 40 other guys out there that wanted to be champions. We had a good year. Back to back, I never thought....I ran four or five years of late model cars and won three races out of about 115 races. Maybe I'm a better driver than I give myself credit for, I don't know." Many fans know that Earnhardt is a better driver than he gave himself credit for. In fact many feel that Earnhardt Jr. is the best young talent in the sport. He will be moving to Winston Cup competition in 2000 with a well financed effort sponsored by Budweiser. He has no plans to include any Busch Series competition in his 2000 schedule. Earnhardt Jr. will be joining such other sports notables as A.J. Foyt, Steve Park, Scott Goodyear and others at the Pennzoil Motorsports 2000 Auto Racing Trade Show. Additional appearances by well known racers and personalities will be announced in coming weeks. Pennzoil Motorsports 2000, covering more than 275,000 square feet of show space at the Fort Washington, PA Expo, includes everything motorsports. The most popular attractions include the MotorMax Extreme Motorsports Garage, a variety of seminars, U.S. Tobacco Ms. Motorsports Beauty Pageant, L'il Miss Motorsports, and more. Over 150 motorsports vehicles of all types are expected to grace the show floor during the three days. Adult tickets are available for just $10.00 and youngsters, 6 through 12, are admitted for $3.00. Under six with a paying adult are admitted free. A three day adult ticket is available for $25.00. For information telephone 609.888.3618. Exhibitor information is available at the same number. Discount lodging arrangements at several area hotels may be made by contacting Marilyn Saxton at 215.752.2392 or Plaza II Travel, 215.943.0190. The Fort Washington, PA Expo Center is located just off Exit 26 of the PA. Turnpike.