Start the printing presses, the ones ensconced in the U.S. mint.  The question is, will they be able to keep up with all the money that's about to be made?

Now that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a new car number, new sponsors, and new colors, along with the previously announced new car owner, his divorce from DEI, Inc. is complete.  At least it will be at the end of the current Nextel Cup season.  And everyone associated with Junior and NASCAR, with the exception of DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt, will be richer for it.

Thanks to the tenacity of Junior's sister and legal counsel, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, and the graciousness of car owner Robert Yates, Earnhardt will drive the 88-car next season.  The car's primary sponsor will be PepsiCo's Mountain Dew Amp energy drink, with the Army National Guard filling a secondary role.  The new green and blue color scheme will supersede the all-red Budweiser car Junior has been wheeling around the track since he first entered Nextel Cup racing in 2000.       

Earnhardt is the most popular driver in NASCAR, as voted by the fans for the past four years.  And although the relationship between Earnhardt and his current sponsor, Budweiser, has been extolled as a marriage made in sponsorship heaven, it's difficult to gauge the impact Junior has had on the sale of the company's products.  Budweiser was the leading beer brand prior to sponsoring Junior's ride, and is expected to remain so even after switching its sponsorship to Kasey Kahne next year. 

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