NASCAR's new Mt. Rushmore?

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Richmond - - Technically, the boys from Hendrick Motorsports got together on Friday at Richmond International Raceway to announce their continuing partnership with Chevrolet. In truth, it looked more like a photo shoot for a NASCAR version of Mount Rushmore than a press conference.

For the first time since announcing he'd be leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the stage with his new teammates. Four-time Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon, defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick driver Casey Mears and legendary owner Rick Hendrick were along side.

"We welcome Dale," Hendrick said. "This is the first time we've had a chance to have him with us all together in one of these, so hopefully we're sitting here Saturday night late."

That will happen if those drivers finish in the top four.

"Their belief in me as a driver gives me a lot of confidence, and I'm glad that I'll still be in Chevrolets for many more years," Earnhardt said.

READY TO RACE

Earnhardt's soon-to-be-former-team, DEI, officially settled its four-car lineup for next season Friday by announcing the addition of Regan Smith. Smith, who has started six races this season for Ginn Racing, will drive full-time for DEI in 2008. Ginn merged with DEI earlier this summer.

Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard return to DEI as full-time drivers next season, while veteran Mark Martin and rookie Eric Almirola will share the famed No. 8 Chevrolet.

Earnhardt currently drives the No. 8. Martin has raced 17 times this season for Ginn.

"Our lineup is a perfect blend of veteran leadership and youthful promise," said Max Siegel, DEI's president of global operations. "Mark Martin's leadership and his desire to mentor our drivers is huge for us."

QUOTE OF THE DAY Richard Petty, Nextel Cup's all-time winningest driver, commented on the hand wringing about the Car of Tomorrow's debut in February in the Daytona 500.

"We used to go down there every year – 1958,'59,'60,'70,'80, whatever – with a different car. We didn't never go to the wind tunnel. We did no tests. We just took the cotton-pickin' thing down there and put it on the racetrack and ran. Whatever we had is what we had.

"I don't see it being any different now. Everybody's just making it more complicated than it was then."

THIS AND THAT

Tonight's race will be the 32nd consecutive Cup sellout at RIR. …Hendrick said today that he doesn't know what Earnhardt's number will be next season. He added that he does expect an "8" to be one of the digits in it and that he'll probably know what the number will be in about two weeks. …Kenny Wallace is treating his substitute gig in place of injured Ricky Rudd as an audition with Robert Yates Racing. "I'm dead focused because I'm fighting to have a ride next year and hopefully I'll be able to prove my self-worth."

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