Earnhardt's grandson among drivers in GM program/ Associated Press Posted: 14 hours ago
The third and final stage of GM Racing's Development Driver Evaluation Program is scheduled next Tuesday and Wednesday at Nashville Superspeedway.
The program places a group of young drivers in a controlled environment to give Chevrolet NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series racing teams the opportunity to meet the drivers and observe their on-track skills.
Sixteen drivers with a wide variety of racing backgrounds were invited to participate in the first two stages of the program: Jeffrey Earnhardt - grandson of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt - Chase Austin, Colin Braun, Landon Cassill, Jeremy Clements, Marc Davis, Jay Gerst, Drew Herring, Woody Howard, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Joey Lagano, Tim McCreadie, Chad McCumbee, Josh Richards, Jason Sarvis and Kody Swanson.
"Unlike other programs of this nature, there are no winners or losers," explained Pat Suhy, NASCAR program manager for GM Racing. "Our program provides opportunities for both the drivers and the teams to connect if an opening exists in someone's driver roster.
"This evaluation program is designed to allow these drivers the opportunity to showcase their talent and adaptability in equal cars in a controlled environment."
The first stage was Sept. 12-13 on the .455-mile asphalt oval at Caraway Speedway near Asheboro, N.C., using Busch cars prepared by Richard Childress Racing. Veteran driver Ron Hornaday Jr. set the baseline of the cars on that track and was on hand to answer questions and coach the drivers.
Stage two was Sept. 19-20 on the one-third mile banked clay track at the Dale McDowell Dirt School at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga. McDowell, a veteran dirt late-model driver, set up three different dirt track cars for the youngsters to test.
With more than 1,000 laps completed by the competitors on each of those tracks, there were no serious incidents.
"It is quite amazing to see so many talented, young drivers in one place at one time," said Alba Colon, GM Racing program manager for Nextel Cup. "This is exciting for all of us at GM Racing to see the future prospects for our teams and our program look so bright."
The drivers will be back in RCR-prepared Busch cars at the Nashville track.
Well let's hope Jefferey gets his talent from Grandpa and not dad (Kerry). Maybe we'll be seeing another Earnhardt on the track someday.
GLADEVILLE, Tenn. -- The invitation surprised Jeffrey Earnhardt.
Son of Kerry and grandson of the Intimidator -- the late seven-time Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt -- 17-year-old Jeffrey didn't expect Dale Earnhardt Inc. to nominate him with another driver for GM Racing's second driver development-evaluation program.
"But I guess they thought I would do pretty good, so they stuck me in," Jeffrey said.
The name and family connections might have gotten him into the 16-driver group compiled by GM Racing for a three-track evaluation program to help its teams identify the next generation of drivers.
The latest Earnhardt to hit the track has done the rest on his own.
He made the cut with nine other drivers for the final stage of testing that concluded Wednesday at the Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile concrete tri-oval that certainly is a far cry from the dirt track he started on three years ago.
Alba Colon, GM Racing's NASCAR Nextel Cup program manager, said Earnhardt surprised everybody with his driving skills.
"He did very good. ... You see him, it's like an Earnhardt Junior. He's like a little Intimidator, the same way he acts, everything. He reminds me a lot of his grandfather really," Colon said.
Earnhardt acknowledges he leans toward a hard-driving style, which he said cost him a couple of wins in the limited Late Model Series where he races at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. He said he's been calming down, allowing him to pace himself better and run stronger at the end of races.
Does he mind being compared to his grandfather, who won 76 NASCAR races before his death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500?
"That could be a good thing," he said.
"He was one of the best drivers out there. I mean, I look at it as a positive side. I'm sure the people he raced against and competed against wouldn't look at it too positively. I think that's a good thing to hear for me. He was one of the best out there."
The surprise would have been if Earnhardt had decided not to race cars. Slipping behind a steering wheel has been the family business since his great-grandfather Ralph, long before his grandfather started DEI in 1980.
Jeffrey Earnhardt had to convince his father, Kerry, that he really wanted to race. It wasn't an easy process, and the high school junior has to keep his grades up to continue racing. His best finish was second place two weeks ago.
His father knows how tough racing can be with his own limited success in the Nextel and Busch series. He's now competing in the trucks series and watches his son race when he can. Uncle Dale Jr. has thrived at the Nextel Cup level. Jeffrey Earnhardt has watched them both and believes he understands the challenges.
"It ain't easy by no means. One of the main things I've learned is wait on having a family and settle down in racing first," he said.
All the top GM teams have monitored these three stages, which started Sept. 12-13 with laps in Busch cars at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., and followed with two days at the North Georgia Speedway, a dirt track. They also drove Busch cars at Nashville.
Jeffrey Earnhardt called it a big learning experience with a car 400 pounds heavier, with a much stronger engine, than what he has been driving.
GM Racing put together this program as its version of "Star Search," to save teams money by concentrating resources while trying to identify the next generation of potential stars. The drivers include Ryan Hunter-Reay, a two-time Champ Car winner, and Marc Davis and Joey Logano -- already under contract to Joe Gibbs Racing.
GM teams at all three NASCAR levels have the right of first refusal on these drivers.
That includes DEI, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite the family connections to DEI and RCR -- which won six Cup titles with the Intimidator -- Jeffrey Earnhardt doesn't expect to sign a contract with anyone soon.
His uncle would like to put him in a late model at his shop, but thinks Jeffrey's father has a plan for his son. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he thinks his nephew has a chance to make something happen.
"I think he'll make the right choices," he said. "His dad is definitely the man for the job as far as leading him in the right direction. I feel like that's going to be a great situation, and we'll have some more Earnhardts on the track down the road."
That fits exactly into Jeffrey's plans. He wants to drive in some Late Model races at various tracks next year. He has no set timeline and his next moves will be played by ear, though racing in NASCAR's top series is his eventual plan.
"That's one of my goals to make it that far and be a championship winner," he said.
