Last year, when Chevrolet teams were dominating the Nextel Cup Series, one announcement shook the sport.  And that is the announcement by Dale Earnhardt Junior, the most popular NASCAR driver today, that he will be leaving DEI, the company that his late father started.

This year, Jr. is no longer with DEI and Mark Martin has joined the outfit.  Martin will be driving the No. 8 car which he will be sharing with rookie driver Aric Almirola.

Naturally, Martin is fascinated with the idea of racing in the No. 8.  "When I think about driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the No. 8, the first picture that comes into my mind is the mid-1980s, Dale Earnhardt driving the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Late Model Sportsman owned by him and Teresa Earnhardt," said Martin.

"Dale was a fierce competitor and he gave me some driving lesson in that race car, with his hands and with his bumper. So, heck yeah, it has significance. I’m very proud to be a part of that organization," added Martin.

Martin has had some success in NASCAR and it will really benefit Dei to have a talented driver like Martin.  He just has to hope that this year, the No. 8 car will not be blowing engines like it did last year showing that the engine is not as reliable as Acura PCV valve.

For his part, Jr. said that he is pleased that Martin will now be driving the No. 8.  "I’m a Mark Martin fan from when he was racing the No. 2 back in Nashville," said Jr.  "I remember when he came over to my dad’s house with a couple of tapes from his races in Nashville and played them on a Beta VCR. We watched those races and he was trying his hardest to show my dad how good a race car driver he was. He was trying hard to get a good ride," he added.