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New Series Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears On ESPN Goes Behind Scenes

NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the focus of a new television series on ESPN, Dale Jr. ? Shifting Gears,
premiering prior to next month?s opening of the 2008 NASCAR season. The five-part series chronicles
Earnhardt?s move from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father, to Hendrick Motorsports, in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The first episode airs Friday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The series provides viewers with a behindthe-
scenes look at the personal, corporate and competitive ramifications involved with the five-time
NASCAR Most Popular Driver award recipient changing teams. Dale Jr. ? Shifting Gears is produced by
Earnhardt Jr.?s Hammerhead Entertainment, a division of JR Motorsports, in cooperation with Hendrick
Motorsports and is presented by the National Guard.

The new program is part of an exclusive, multimedia agreement between ESPN and Hammerhead
Entertainment.

?We were working on a new DVD about my life and the guys kept getting more and more footage, so
they decided to put a whole TV show together to document the biggest career decision I?ve ever made,?
Earnhardt Jr. said. ?The past year of my life has been a roller coaster, and it?s pretty cool that we?re
giving everyone an inside look at how everything came together.?

Three of the five episodes of Shifting Gears air on ESPN2 in the nine days prior to the Daytona 500,
including following ESPN2?s live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 15,
and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 at Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 16. The final two
episodes air on ESPN in prime time the week of the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN?s first live
NASCAR Sprint Cup event of the season.

The pre-season episodes reveal never-before-seen footage from the 2007 press conferences and fan
response to the announcements. Shifting Gears also chronicles the design process of the new paint
schemes, the makings of Earnhardt Jr.?s Adidas fire suit and how the driver of the No. 88 Mountain Dew
AMP/National Guard Chevrolet handles the pressure of working with new sponsors as he prepares for his
first season with Hendrick Motorsports.

The final two episodes, each one hour in length, will catch up with Earnhardt Jr. and the Hendrick team
as he chases his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

?Dale Jr.?s move to Hendrick Motorsports is obviously one of the most intriguing storylines heading into
the 2008 NASCAR season,? said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. ?This new series
will not only help NASCAR fans gear up for the new season, but also will present a side of Dale Jr. that
fans have never seen before.?

Previews and additional video from the show will be made available on ESPN.com Video and DaleJr.com
starting next week and the full episodes will be made available shortly after they air on ESPN2 on ESPN
MobileTV and ESPN.com Video.

The air schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, Feb. 8 7-8 p.m. ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 15 6:30-8 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 16 4:30-6 p.m. ESPN2
Thursday, July 24 7-8 p.m. ESPN
Friday, July 25 7-8 p.m. ESPN

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