PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR. (NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET)
VENUE: LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE QUAD-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 12 OF 36)
DATE: MAY 25, 2008 (400 LAPS, 600 MILES)

AT LOWE'S: In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. The Kannapolis, N.C., native has one win at the 1.5-mile track -- when he claimed the 2000 all-star, non-points event. He has led 236 laps overall and recorded 175 during the 600-mile event on May 28, 2000 when he notched his only pole position at the track. He finished fourth that day.

POCONO TESTING: Earnhardt and the No. 88 team will participate in the NASCAR-sanctioned test at Pocono Raceway on May 27 and 28 to prepare for the June 8 Cup race. This will be the first outing for the Chevrolet Impala SS at the 2.5-mile triangular track known as the "Tricky Triangle."

600-MILE CHASSIS: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevy engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-499 for Sunday night's race. This is a new car that Earnhardt and the crew tested earlier this month at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

HENDRICK AT LMS: In 48 races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has posted 15 wins, 43 top-five finishes and 65 top-10s. Earnhardt's teammates Casey Mears and Jeff Gordon won both points-paying events at the 1.5-mile track in 2007, marking the third time in four years that Hendrick Motorsports has pulled off the LMS sweep.

DALE JR., REPORTING: In an effort to enlighten himself and his fans, Earnhardt has decided to forego the role of interviewee to play reporter for his official Web site. The interviews will be conducted monthly and featured exclusively on www.dalejr.com. Earnhardt's interview with owner Rick Hendrick is available now.

WE SALUTE YOU: Earnhardt will run "Salute the Troops" decals on the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet for Sunday's 600-mile event at Lowe's. The decal, placed on the hood and in front of the rear wheel, represents the United Service Organization's program honoring the United States military. The USO and Speedway Children's Charities are the major parties working together to promote the Salute the Troops Memorial Day Tribute and support the event's fundraising efforts.

ARE YOU OLD SCHOOL OR NEW?: The Old School, New School promotion, which runs from May 19 through Aug. 11, gives consumers the chance to win "Cars, Kicks and More" and then choose their old school or new school prize, like a 2009 Corvette or a vintage one. To enter, fans must punch in the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy, Mountain Dew or Sobe drink purchase. Consumers can learn more about the challenge by visiting www.oldschoolornew.com.

BUY AN AMP, 'RIDE WITH DALE JR.': If Earnhardt goes to Victory Lane in the Oct. 5 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, Ala., he will bring the names of more than 70,000 members of JR Nation with him. Earnhardt fans can simply take the code found on the bottom of any AMP Energy can, log onto www.AMPEnergy.com and register. The first 70,000 will have their names featured on the special No. 88 AMP Energy "Ride with Dale Jr."/National Guard Chevrolet paint scheme. AMP Energy also will include each and every person who signs up to "Ride with Dale Jr." by the July 1 deadline by featuring additional names on Earnhardt's pit wall banner, car cover and other areas around Talladega Superspeedway during the AMP Energy 500 weekend.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF AMP: Earnhardt and his No. 88 Chevrolet currently are featured on cans of AMP Energy, which recently launched three kinds of energy drinks. The line will include AMP Energy Elevate (mixed berry flavor), AMP Energy Relaunch (citrus flavor) and AMP Energy Traction (grape flavor). Visit www.AMPEnergy.com for more information.

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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON THE LONGEST RACE OF THE SEASON.): "As a driver, you definitely notice it's another 100 miles. All of a sudden you're riding along and a switch kind of flips on you where you start to feel like you could lose focus or concentration. Physically and mentally, it's a tough race. Some races go better than others as far as that goes. There are times you get mentally exhausted but I know I've never completely lost concentration. It's a challenge, that's for sure."

EARNHARDT (ON SETTING UP THE CAR FOR THE TRANSITION FROM DAY TO NIGHT.): "I don't think I know anyone who has a real lock on how you set your car up perfectly for starting in the day and finishing at night. The track obviously gets a lot faster, and you know that you have to anticipate a lot. The good thing is that it's longer, and you have a better chance of hitting the nail on the head with the setup because you have a longer time to think about it and more opportunity to work on the car. Patience is a key, too."

EARNHARDT (ON RACING ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.): "It's an honor for me to represent the National Guard on Memorial Day weekend. I've got some buddies that have served overseas. I talk to them on IM (instant messenger) and e-mail. It's insane what they go through. They send me pictures -- crazy, crazy pictures. Knowing people like that, you really get some inside information. It makes me embrace the relationship with the National Guard even more."

EARNHARDT (ON HIS SCHEDULE IN MAY.): "My schedule is really, really busy this month. The best way I handle it is to attack it and challenge it. A real busy schedule is easier to handle if you are prepared and ready for it. Last-minute surprises and schedule changes really wear me out; thankfully I have a good group of people around me helping me prioritize."

TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON WHAT HE LEARNED AT THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "Driver feedback is very important to us during the race, and Dale Jr. is great at giving detailed feedback. He lets us know what's going on. I think we were all surprised at how much the handling of the cars changed over a 25-lap run the other night during the all-star race. We're going to have to build some adjustability in the race car. Saturday night the car started out tight and then went bad loose. It's going to be a tough, long race. I think people will pit at every opportunity to work on these cars. We are taking a brand new car this week to Lowe's. We tested the car and it was really fast so I'm hopeful. I'd love to win at Charlotte; it's my hometown track."