Earnhardt Jr Darlington preview

Gibson, maker of some of the world's finest guitars, has produced a limited edition Dale Earnhardt Jr. model of their legendary Les Paul guitar. The guitar was designed by artist Sam Bass, and includes the Budweiser logo plus the familiar stripes and number 8 from the Bud race car. Dale Jr's signature is inlaid down the neck of the guitar.

Dale Jr. sent several of the guitars to his favorite rockers, including Matthew Good of the Matthew Good Band and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. Grohl, who was also a member of Nirvana, was so thrilled with the guitar that he has been playing it in concert in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt and in support of Dale Jr. Grohl also played the guitar during the taping of an upcoming MTV "Rock the Vote" special.

True Life MTV has delayed the airing of "True Life: I'm A Race Car Driver," the one-hour documentary about Dale Jr. The special was scheduled to begin airing this week, but has been postponed until sometime in April.

Injury Update Steve Wolfe, the Bud crew member that suffered a deep laceration on his left ring finger during Sunday's race at Atlanta will attempt to practice pit stops Friday to determine if he will be able to go over the wall Sunday at Darlington. Wolfe received three stitches but x-rays showed that the finger is not broken.

Dale Jr. at Darlington
Winston Cup Starts: 2
Best Start: 10th(Spring. 2000)
Best Finish: 11th (Fall 2000)
Notable: Dale Jr. led 16 laps of last year's rain-shortened fall race at Darlington.

Race Details
What: Dodge Dealers 400 293 laps, 400.2 miles, 1.366-mile oval
Where: Darlington Raceway, Darlington,SC
When: Sunday, March 18 1:00pm Eastern
Watch: Fox-TV Pre-race:12:30 pm Eastern

Bud Pole Qualifying:

Bud Pole qualifying will be seen live on the Fox Sports Network Saturday at 10:30 am Eastern Time. The Winston Cup Happy Hour will also be seen on the FX Network Saturday afternoon at 3 pm Eastern.

What to Watch

The odd-shaped Darlington track has a number of nicknames that hint at the difficulty of the circuit: "Too Tough to Tame" is the most common. The old track surface is abrasive and chews tires like no other track on the circuit.

The team that is best on long runs will usually win the race.

-Busweiser Racing