“You can have 88”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares how he picked his Hendrick Motorsports number

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series whose career has spanned several different stages. From making his debut in the highest echelon of the sport alongside his father to driving for his own team in the Xfinity Series nowadays, Earnhardt Jr. has seemingly seen it all and done it all.Looking back at one such instance during his days with Rick Hendrick, the 48-year-old gave fans of the sport a unique peak into how he decided his car number. After moving on from Dale Earnhardt Inc. and driving the now famous #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined one of the winningest teams in the history of modern-day NASCAR.NASCAR PICTURES@NascarpixturesOn this day in 2001, in the first race at Daytona since his fathers tragic passing, Dale Earnhardt Jr won the Pepsi 400!42348On this day in 2001, in the first race at Daytona since his fathers tragic passing, Dale Earnhardt Jr won the Pepsi 400! https://t.co/ebuDUC5SZzA decision he had to make while switching teams was which car number to run for the 2008 Cup Series season. He elaborated on what went on behind the scenes on his popular podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, and said:&quot;We called Yates up, Robert, and they actually talked to Texaco, and Texaco said hard no. But something about the history and heritage and the legacy of that number was important to them. They were like 'You can have 88' and I'm thinking 'That's perfect.' Instead of one 8, two 8s, and we got the font as close as we could without getting a lawsuit and there you have it.&quot;Ryan Ostrander 8 🏁@RyanOstrander_815 YEARS LATER WE FINALLY HAVE A FULL EXPLANATION ON THE HMS NUMBER DELIMA OF 2008 from @DaleJr himself in today's Ask Jr segment 🏻🏻🏻 #AskJr #NASCAR75 #NASCAR #JRNation #SoundUp144818415 YEARS LATER WE FINALLY HAVE A FULL EXPLANATION ON THE HMS NUMBER DELIMA OF 2008 from @DaleJr himself in today's Ask Jr segment 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 #AskJr #NASCAR75 #NASCAR #JRNation #SoundUp https://t.co/lqKRMtbzBKDale Earnhardt Jr. initially wanted the number 28 as an incorporation of his old number, 8.NASCAR PICTURES@NascarpixturesOn this day in 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr won at Daytona!48044On this day in 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr won at Daytona! https://t.co/AKCtCfNFrrHowever, upon being denied the number 28 by former sponsor Texaco, the future Hall of Famer stumbled upon a number he liked even more.Dale Earnhardt Jr. launches new podcast series around his fatherWith Dirty Mo Media producing some of the best NASCAR content online, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went ahead and added yet another series to the ever-growing list at his media outlet. A new podcast series, 'Becoming Earnhardt' talks about his father's 1979 NASCAR Cup Series season.Dirty Mo Media@DirtyMoMediaBECOMING EARNHARDT -- OFFICIAL TRAILER A New Series From @DaleJr and Dirty Mo Media.49076BECOMING EARNHARDT -- OFFICIAL TRAILER 🎬A New Series From @DaleJr and Dirty Mo Media. https://t.co/9WvQSL0ogMThe eight-part series is going to be narrated by Earnhardt Jr. himself, with him sharing personal stories surrounding the Earnhardt family. The first episode of the series also seems to have been well-received by the fans. Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted:&quot;Love seeing all the mentions in my timeline about people waking up and listening to the first episode of “Becoming Earnhardt: 1979” @DirtyMoMedia&quot;Dale Earnhardt Jr.@DaleJrLove seeing all the mentions in my timeline about people waking up and listening to the first episode of “Becoming Earnhardt: 1979” @DirtyMoMedia45516Love seeing all the mentions in my timeline about people waking up and listening to the first episode of “Becoming Earnhardt: 1979” @DirtyMoMediaFans of the sport can hear more about the legendary racing family's exploits throughout the years as more episodes are released.

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