"The momentum is back on our side, and we're really working well as a team right now. I think we all have stepped up and it's paying off. Two good runs in a row is something we haven't had since early in the season. With the way Tony Jr. (Eury, car chief) and the guys are working, it should stay that way the rest of the season. The points have gotten away from us for this year, but we're going to end strong and work toward living up to the championship expectations in 2003."
        Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Darlington race preview)

Sept. 1: Mountain Dew Southern 500, Darlington Raceway, Darlington S.C.
TV: 12:30 p.m. TNT; RADIO: 12:30 p.m. MRN

Dale Jr. at Darlington
Winston Cup starts: 5; best start: 10 (Mar. 2000); best finish: 4 (Mar., 2002)
This race last year: Start: 18; finish 17

Beginning in 1999 with five starts in the Budweiser No. 8, Dale Jr's Winston Cup career reaches 100 starts this weekend at Darlington.

Weekend schedule:
Aug. 30: Bud Pole qualifying, 3 p.m. TNT/MRN
Aug. 31: NWCS Happy Hour, 3 p.m. SPEED
Aug. 31: South Carolina 200 Busch Series, 1 p.m. TNT/MRN

*All times eastern

Aug. 24: Dale Jr. and the Bud team finished 3rd at Bristol Motor Speedway, their first top 5 since April. Laps led: 140; Started: 2nd

2002 stats
    Wins: 1
    Top 5s: 7
    Top 10s: 8
    Current points standing: 15th

NEW!
Bristol high point: A top 5 finish for Dale Jr.
Bristol low point: Not enough of those 'from the stands' camera shots. Those were awesome, putting TV viewers right there with the fans.

If you have a high and low point from the weekend you'd like to share,
drop me an e-mail.

Sept. 2: Greenville Pickens Speedway, Greenville, SC; autographs
Sept. 4: Dick's Sporting Goods store, Chesterfield Plaza, Richmond, VA, 5 to 7 p.m. appearance
The word: Word is "Driver #8" will be going paperback and on shelves in time for Christmas.

Have information on a Dale Jr. appearance? E-mail me and the information will appear in the next newsletter.

Fan of the Week
This week's fan spotlight is on Paula, who lives in Alabama. One look at her personal Web site and it's easy to see she's one huge fan of Dale Jr. (Not to mention that she actually works at 'Dega!) Check it out.

It's no secret that Dale Jr's fans are fierce and fun. Fan photos and stories about their favorite driver can be found at the newsletter's Home site. Tell me why you should be Fan of the Week (think 'How bad have you got it?'). Every newsletter will feature a different fan. Or submit your story and/or photo and you might just see it here as part of a Fan of the Week feature.

Voices
Got something to say? If it's racing-related, it belongs here! Check out the contact section below for submission information.

Which Dale Jr. paint scheme has been your favorite? Cast your vote here. The final results will be posted here every week. If you have an idea for a poll question, please e-mail me.

Last week's poll
Which veteran driver would you like to see Jr. have a one-on-one battle with at the finish line? If it came down to a last lap duel, 43 percent of fans would rather see Jr. battle it out with Rusty Wallace. Dale Jarrett finished second with 30 percent of the votes. Bill Elliott, Jimmy Spencer and Terry Labonte rounded out the top five. Thanks to all who voted!

Trivia question
Congrats to Joan Campbell of Washington, N.C. who was the first to correctly answer last week's question: Dale Jr. made his Winston Cup debut in what race? Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

This week's trivia
At age 17, Dale Jr. spent time racing in the street stock division at this short-track (sister Kelley raced here too). If you know the answer and are the first to reply, you'll see your name here in the next newsletter. (Please include your location.) Submit answer

NEW! Challenge
If you had to choose one song for Dale Jr. to listen to in the car during a race, what would it be? (I know a popular answer will be "#1" by Nelly, so let's choose something else.) I'll pick out some of the best answers and include them in the next issue.

It wasn't a matter of if, but when. Jeff Gordon won the 'demolition derby' at Bristol, his first win in 31 races and also the first time he's won a night race there. It also marked a first for our favorite driver: Dale Jr. got his first top 5 since April. Fans knew it wasn't going to take long before Junior and the Brew Crew were running up front again. Proud? Heck yeah. It's been a rough season, but as the quote up top states: the road to victory requires the heart of a champion. We know Junior and his team have heart. They've showed it to us time and again. Good job, guys.

Thanks to everyone for the great responses I received after the first issue of the FBDJ newsletter went out. Fan feedback is what makes this newsletter so great, so keep the e-mails coming. Notice I've added a few small things, and as always, any input on what you, the reader, would like to see is encouraged. I'm currently debating on running a contest, to end at the conclusion of this racing season, with an actual prize being given out. You'll know something in Issue #3.
If you're wondering why this is being sent out on Wednesday instead of Friday, it's simple: I thought a mid-week newsletter would be more timely, smack dab between race weekends. My only reason for sending on Friday would be to include qualifying results, but that's too close to racetime and too far from the previous race. (Besides, the die-hard race fan will know where Dale Jr. starts before I can get this newsletter out!) If anyone has a convincing idea, let me know.

Til next time, go Junior!
Jackie

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DISCLAIMER: Fans Behind Dale Jr. is in no way affiliated with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc., or NASCAR®. Winston Cup® and NASCAR® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. All photos/articles are property of their respective owners and protected by copyright law. The views expressed in articles posted here are not necessarily those of Fans Behind Dale Jr.