Rain Doesn't Stop Dale Jr. From Experiencing 2-Seater
Rain cancels Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Indy Racing Experience 2-seater ride from Dan Wheldon, but both National Guard drivers still put the popular passenger car in the spotlight Thursday at the Brickyard

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INDIANAPOLIS (July 9, 2009) – Rain, rain, go away.  Come again any other day except the one when NASCAR’s most popular driver was to take a spin in IndyCar’s most popular ride!  But despite being washed out by steady morning rains on Thursday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. still managed to find his way into the cockpit of the Indy Racing Experience National Guard 2-seater at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The initial plan, however, called for Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion and 2009 runner-up, to drive Earnhardt around the famed 2.5-mile Brickyard in a simulated 4-lap qualifying run.  NASCAR’s top star was to then get behind the wheel of the No. 16 Noc-Out Hose Clamp Special that Mauri Rose and Floyd David co-drove to victory in the 1941 Indy 500.

But it rained.  And rained some more.  And some more.

“Dan Wheldon was here with his National Guard IndyCar, the 2-seater,” Earnhardt said.   “He was going to give me a lap or four in that thing, and that was going to be pretty exciting.  But we'll have to do that another day, as well, I guess.”

Although the star 2-seater pairing of Wheldon and Earnhardt, both of whom are sponsored by the National Guard, did not occur on the track, Indy Racing Experience co-owners Scott Jasek and Joe Kennedy helped strap Earnhardt into the driver’s seat while Wheldon gave him a quick tutorial on IndyCar 101.

“You've got to ask him what it drives like, what it feels like, what it does, how it works,” said Earnhardt.  “And, you know, in the first seconds we had out there, I picked his brain as hard as I could. That's all me and Dan would probably do if we had our choice today, was just sit around and talk about it.  But, you know, it definitely interests me.”

Granted his seat time was less than 10 minutes and the car was parked underneath the roof of the IMS media center instead of out on pit lane, but the popular NASCAR driver noted that this may not be the last time he gets behind the wheel of an IndyCar machine.

“I'm intrigued how the IndyCar drives, what driving an IndyCar feels like,” he said. “I would love to drive one, to go to a track and put some laps in.”

As for now, Earnhardt is focused on the laps he’ll make at the Chicagoland Speedway this weekend before he returns to the IMS in two weeks for the 16th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 26.

“I'm looking forward to coming back,” he said as he concluded his press conference Thursday.  “Thanks for today, and thanks to the guys who brought the two-seater and all you guys from the Guard.”

Thank you Dale.

Next time you provide the sun, we’ll provide the fun.

About Us: Founded in 2001, the Indy Racing Experience provides fans the ultimate opportunity of a lifetime by experiencing the high speeds of IndyCar racing with our purposed-built 2-seater and cars that participated in the Indianapolis 500.  The Indy Racing Experience operates daily at the Walt Disney World Speedway, more than 20 dates annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and at every IndyCar Series track in North America each year. Experiential Marketing Incorporated is an experiential marketing company dedicated to providing clients innovative marketing units designed to enhance brand identity.  Through its show car program, interactive marketing trailers and simulators, as well as its quality custom fabrication shop, EMI has expanded its client base to include some of the top organizations affiliated with the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, NBA and NFL. Indy Parts provides quality parts and service to teams in the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Light series, and is the sole North American distributor for Dallara – a worldwide automobile designer and manufacturer for a number of premier motorsports series.