Earnhardt Jr. doesn't feel he's famous, despite early success in career

The most popular driver on the Nextel Cup circuit says he's just one of the guys.
By JIM BENTON
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to look in the mirror.
He might be the most popular driver on the Nextel Cup circuit, but he simply considers himself one of the guys.
"I don't really look at myself as a celebrity," Earnhardt said recently. "When we get asked to do [Jay] Leno or something like that, my PR guy is sort of like a parent pushing the kid into the kindergarten class the first day of school.
"I don't like doing that type of thing because I just don't feel on that level yet. I don't really feel like a celebrity; there have only been a couple times when I sort of felt that way, but for the most part, I just feel pretty normal."
Radio and TV shows
Earnhardt might not feel like a celebrity, but not everyone has radio [Dale Jr.'s Unrestricted on XM Satellite Radio] and TV shows [Back in the Day on the Speed channel].
"It's a great way for my fans to see -- maybe not a different side of me -- but a little bit more of things that interest me and know a little bit more about what interests me," he said. "I don't think I appear to be any different on those shows than I do walking up and down pit road."
Well, not every host can claim a recent interview with NASCAR president Mike Helton.
"When it comes to a NASCAR-related show, that's a real good guest to have . ..," Earnhardt said. "We asked some questions I felt like were interesting and some answers that I wanted to know and some things that I think people find interesting about his career prior to his involvement in racetracks and motor sports."
Earnhardt's career
There's more interest, however, in Earnhardt's career, which stalled last season when he failed to qualify for the Chase for the Championship. His shortcoming seemed to bring out those fans who dislike seeing all the No. 8 paraphernalia around the circuit.
"You're always going to have some people that pretty much despise you , despite what you do and what you're about," Earnhardt said. "Last year was every hater's opportunity to throw stones if they wanted to, and a lot of them did."
He is seventh in the standings this season heading into Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega, a superspeedway where he has won five times and his late father, Dale Earnhardt, won 10 times.
Earnhardt's car will have a special, predominantly black paint scheme in honor of his father's birthday. Earnhardt, who died 2001 in an accident at Daytona, would have been 55 on Sunday.
"The car looks good, and it's a cool way to honor my dad," Earnhardt said. "It going to be fun to be behind the wheel of that car and see the reaction it gets from the other drivers on the racetrack. Hopefully, I can get a little more help on the draft than we've been getting in the last couple races on plate tracks."