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What a start for NASCAR’s super team. Hendrick Motorsports not only has taken the pole for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (50th running I might add, Jimmy Johnson winning pole) but also celebrated a victory with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his first race with his new team. While Junior took the checkered flag for Saturday’s Bud Shootout, a race which is run just for fun! It goes to show that Hendrick will be the team to beat this year in NASCAR.

ESPN last week aired the first episode of “Shifting Gears” a documentary covering Dale Jr.’s move from DEI to Hendrick. The show took viewers behind the scenes of making the new deals with Pepsi/Mt. Dew/AMP and The National Guard, as well as interviews with key decision makers in NASCAR. Here is the preview of the first episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aNGYdC2mYI

One fan gets an idea and then it becomes the paint scheme for the most popular driver. No it wasn’t produced by a graphic artist in some high rise building but by a guy who is one of Dale Jr.’s online racing buddies. Junior had mentioned that he was switching teams and the guy sent Junior a couple ideas on what his car should look like. Dale Jr. took the renderings to Hendrick and away they went. Where else in sports could a fan be a part of something so big ?

On this show we talk about marketing and merchandise sales. So one has to wonder how DEI is doing with all of its old Dale Jr. stuff. ESPN's David Newton looks at DEI and Hendrick and how the move has affect both teams.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=newton_david&id=3211450

“Shifting Gears” is a five part series that will air over the course of the season on ESPN.

Dale Jr. and AMP Energy Drink have a new commercial out running on national television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL6oewkf848