Full Throttle

Ya know how a drop of water sizzles and dances on a skillet coated with a film of oil?

I get the feeling NASCAR driver’s seats are about the same temperature about now. Oh sure, Biffle and Boywer are staying put but at this point they may be two of the few.

Mr. Judd has been ousted from his for lack of funding and Casey Mears was jettisoned for, insert your favorite reason here ________ . (for the record mine is for lack of performance, but your mileage may vary.)

Now a couple or rumors have come to fruition.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. has confirmed Aric Almirola will have The Joie of Seating in the #8 ride full time in 2009.

That apparently, possibly and potentially frees up Mark Martin to shift his “retirement” to Hendrick Motorsports and the #5 ride in place of the vacated Casey Mears. Allegedly that will be officially announced Friday at Daytona International Raceway.

That leaves only a couple still dancing on the hot skillet, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, and probably a few dozen that slip my feeble mind at the moment.

Oh… and then there’s this; For the first time in his career, Kerry Earnhardt, the son of seven-time NASCAR Champion Dale Earnhardt, will drive a Dale Earnhardt Inc. entry in a NASCAR race.

Earnhardt will pilot the #8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the July 4 Daytona 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

“I’ve won several races with DEI in an ARCA car, but I’m really looking forward to driving a fast car at Daytona under the DEI umbrella,” Earnhardt said. “I appreciate DEI giving me the opportunity to get back in a car; especially one that I know will be fast and competitive. I love running the speedways (Daytona and Talladega) and can’t wait for the weekend to get here.”

Technorati Tags: DEI, Hendrick Motorsports, Kerry Earnhardt, NASCAR, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin