Full Throttle

Members of Green & White Nation (or is it the Blue & White Nation or the more generic #88 Nation?), all know where Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t this week.

I doubt many know where he actually is while NYC’s klieg lights shine brightly on NASCAR Nation.

Dale Jr. has gone on a walkabout looking for a little Aboriginal spiritual enlightenment. Eschewing out of necessity the traditional shoe leather used in a walkabout (he might be a god but not a one using capital “G” and doesn’t walk on water), Dale Jr. used a private jet and chopper from Melbourne to drop into Phillip Island site of the final round of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship.

Presumably a guest of the Holden’s motorsport hierarchy (GM/Chevy to us Yanks, or “septic tank” rhyming with “yank” right Peter?), Jr. said: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and the chance to see the Aussie V8s in action at a great track like Phillip Island was too good to pass up.”

He couldn’t have chosen a better year with a four-way fight for the Aussie panel beaters championship.

Ford’s Jamie Whincup leads by seven points over Holden driver Garth Tander. Third is Graig Lowndes (Whincup’s Triple Eight Racing team-mate), 21 points arrears with Tander teammate and defending champ Rick Kelly the long shot 48 points back.

Dale Jr. fans and other members of the NASCAR Nation should recognize a familiar pattern to the just finished NEXTEL Cup Chase that featured two teammates going for the gold to the last checkered flag.

Four drivers, two sets of teammates and with the added bonus of two different manufacturers involved.

None of this has been lost on the four involved as the barbs and accusations are already flying as a result of last years controversial ending to the season and championship.

However it ends it should be an exciting show for Dale Jr. Even if it isn’t there’s all the beautiful blonde sheilas to gaze upon, not to mention the opportunity to down a few stubbies while doing so.

He might even find that “Special Sheila.” That would piss off a lot of NASCAR Nation’s Pit Lizards.