Dale Earnhardt Jr. unveils his new car

Credit: Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was at the Hendrick Motorsports shop Wednesday September 21, 2011 and had the privilege to unveil the new 2012 Diet Mountain Dew paint scheme for his No. 88 Chevrolet on ESPN's Sports Center. It's a rare opportunity for any driver in NASCAR.

The No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet will make its debut at the 2012 Daytona 500 set for its new, later date of Feb. 26, 2012.

Earnhardt Jr. had the chance to help out with design of the car and it will be the main paint scheme of the season. There are a variety of Diet Mountain Dew paint schemes that Earnhardt Jr. has raced in the past, most recently at Kentucky Speedway last July. A variety of Diet Mountain Dew schemes will also be on Earnhardt Jr.'s car starting this weekend at the Sylvania 300 in Loudon, New Hampshire, and again at these tracks: Talladega, Martinsville and Phoenix.

Amp Energy will remain a major associate sponsor for the team, but Diet Mountain Dew will replace most of the Amp Energy paint schemes. Additionally, the National Guard will remain Earnhardt Jr.'s sponsor. The schedule of paint schemes and races for each sponsor has not been released as of yet.

Brett O'Brien, vice president of marketing for Mountain Dew and Amp Energy, made this comment on the Hendrick Motorsports website:

“The time is right to put the power of Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind Diet Mountain Dew as our lead brand on the 88 car. Diet Dew is one of the fastest-growing carbonated soft drinks in the United States, and Dale Jr. is the embodiment of the person we’re trying to target with Diet Mountain Dew — it’s a perfect partnership. Additionally, AMP Energy will continue to be a significant part of our sponsorship activity with several AMP Energy paint-outs in 2012.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now fifth in points for the Sprint Cup championship. Having visited eight of the upcoming nine tracks in the Chase earlier this season, Earnhardt Jr. has the highest average finish at these tracks out of all 12 Chase drivers.

Credit: Hendrick Motorsports