BUSCH: Earnhardt Jr. Phoenix preview

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"I like the configuration (of Phoenix International Raceway). It's not a perfect oval - it has a dogleg on the backstretch -- and I think that adds a little excitement for me as a driver and for the fans as well. This is one of the tracks that I really like. We did pretty well here last year." (Earnhardt Jr. clinched his second Busch Series championship at Phoenix last year with a second-place finish.)

"The track is relatively flat - and we've struggled on flat tracks this year. We've been improving as a team, and I think the challenge is to get a handle on it in the short time we have to practice. I think we'll be good, but if you miss the set-up, it can be a wild thrash all weekend."

BUD Pole qualifying will be live on TNN on tape delay at 9:00 am Saturday morning. To follow the qualifying live Friday afternoon, you can tune into your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate or online at NASCAR.com. Following Sunday's race, Dale Jr. will jet to Los Angeles for two days of national television appearances.

He will appear as a special guest on "The X Show" on the FX network Monday night, November 6. The show will air at 11 p.m. Eastern time.

He will also be the featured guest on "Turn Ben Stein On," the 30-minute talk show that is seen on Comedy Central. The laconic Stein once wrote speeches for Richard Nixon but is now more famous for appearing in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Win Ben Stein's Money" on Comedy Central. The show is scheduled to air sometime in January.

While in LA, Dale Jr. will also tape a segment with the Fox Sports Network for their "National Sports Report."

This will be the first Winston Cup race for Dale Jr. and the Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) Budweiser team.