Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the bold personality of NASCAR's new generation, is now a part of the Sharpie team and no one is making a bigger mark on racing than Junior.

"I have signed a lot of autographs during my career, and I think all of them have been with a Sharpie marker," says Dale, Jr., who drives the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. "Now, it's official - I am a part of the team. I can't wait to get started and make our mark in 2007. I will have Sharpie markers everywhere - the house, the shop, the hauler at the track, the airplane, my personal car; you name it, I will take them everywhere I go."

Sharpie inked the associate sponsorship agreement with Dale Earnhardt, Inc in January of this year. As a part of the partnership, Dale, Jr. will drive a special Sharpie car in the Sharpie MINI 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 24, plus a new line of "No. 8" Sharpie markers will hit stores nationwide in April.

Sharpie is also special to Dale, Jr., because he won one of NASCAR's most coveted NEXTEL Cup Series races -the Sharpie 500 at Bristol in 2004. That trophy is only one of two that sits inside his home. It is no secret that he loves Bristol.

Junior is NASCAR's top star reeling off four consecutive "Most Popular Driver Award" honors. His face has donned more than 100 magazine covers, including People Magazine, Men's Health, TV Guide and Sports Illustrated. He has been profiled in many others, including Rolling Stone and Maxim. He appeared on Forbes Magazine's list of "Top 100 Celebrities," and People Magazine selected him as one of its "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2004. He also appeared in People's "50 Most Eligible Bachelors" issue in 2002, and "Sexiest Men" issue in 2000. In 2006 polls and surveys, he received a top-five "Q" rating among all athletes, and rated among the top-five athletes in corporate endorsements by Forbes Magazine.

His modern, pop-culture appeal is not limited to race fans, either. He was selected the fifth, "most-liked athlete in America" according to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll. He has been among the top-10 most-liked athletes in the poll three straight years.

Junior's eclectic taste in music is reflected in the diverse list of artists that have featured him in their music videos, including Jay-Z, Staind, Sheryl Crow, Three Doors Down, the Matthew Good Band, O.A.R. and Trace Adkins. In 2006 he created Hammerhead Productions, which produces a weekly radio show, "Dale Jr. Unrestricted," on XM Satellite Radio, and SPEED Channel's "Back in the Day with Dale Jr.," a television show that provides a unique glimpse of NASCAR's roots. Dale Jr. is executive producer and host of the shows.

He enjoys hanging out at his new home and working on his ever-growing collection of street cars and race cars. His hobbies include music, computers and computer gaming in addition to an acute ability to "chill."

On the track, Dale, Jr. is in his eighth full season of NASCAR Nextel Cup competition. Entering 2007, the 32-year old native of Kannapolis, N.C. has amassed more than $42 million in career winnings and 17 victories, including the 2004 Daytona 500. His four consecutive "Most Popular Driver" awards place him with Richard Petty and Bill Elliott as the only drivers to win the award four consecutive seasons since 1956.

Dale Jr., who didn't begin his racing career until age 17, is the only third-generation NASCAR champion, achieved when he won the 1998 and 1999 Busch Series titles. He follows his legendary father, Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup champion, and grandfather Ralph Earnhardt, who was selected among NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers of all-time in 1999. His maternal grandfather, Robert Gee, was a renowned NASCAR fabricator and mechanic. Dale Jr.'s 17 career victories in 255 starts rank him 23rd among NASCAR's race winners in the 'modern-era' (1972-present). He has four "non-points" wins and six Bud Pole Awards. Six wins in 2004 marked his career-best season, and his victory in 2006 at Richmond International Raceway continued a string of at least one win in each of his seven seasons.

Dale Jr. dominated the Busch Series for two seasons winning two championships, 13 races and more than $2 million in 1998 and 1999. Since then, running a very limited schedule, he has an additional nine Busch Series victories in 19 starts. His 22 total victories tie him for fifth on the all-time Busch Series wins list. Fans and media selected him as one of the top-three Busch Series drivers of all-time in a 2006 NASCAR poll. Dale Jr. started the Chance2 team in 2002, and was co-owner of the 2004 and 2005 Busch Series championship teams with driver Martin Truex, Jr. He is now the owner of JR Motorsports, which completed its first full season in Busch Series competition in 2006 with the #88 Chevrolet.

Dale Jr. is part-owner of a dirt track in Paducah, KY (with fellow NASCAR star Ken Schrader) and a new multi-purpose motorsports complex being developed near Mobile, AL.