Team Dale Earnhardt Inc. Car/Make No. 8/Chevrolet Sponsor Budweiser Crew Chief Tony Eury Sr.
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	3	3*
Wins	2	9
Top 5	13	38
Top 10	21	58
DNFs	4	19
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: After the disappointing season he had in 2002, including the controversy generated by racing for nearly three months still suffering the effects of a race-related concussion, Earnhardt Jr. rebounded strongly in 2003 to enjoy his best season ever in his four-year Winston Cup career. He was one of the primary challengers to Matt Kenseth for most of the season. Earnhardt Jr. was arguably the second-most consistent driver on the circuit in 2003 behind Kenseth. In fact, he never dipped lower than fourth in the standings in the final 29 races, with much of that streak being spent in second-place right behind Kenseth. The biggest highlights of his season were wins at Talladega in April and Phoenix in November.

The bad: Try as hard as he and his team could, they could never catch Kenseth. On a more specific basis, one of Earnhardt Jr.'s other key disappointments was starting on the outside pole of the season-opening Daytona 500, yet wound up finishing a poor 36th.

Key stat: Earnhardt Jr. was recently voted Most Popular Driver in a vote by fans, supplanting perennial winner Bill Elliott, who removed himself from the balloting this past season.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Very little needs to be done. Dale's father, the late Dale Earnhardt, and his widow Teresa, have built a championship-caliber team, with Dale Jr. at the forefront. All the pieces are in place for Junior to win his first Cup championship in 2003. He's become more mature, more focused on his racing, isn't as influenced by distractions as he was in the past, and has developed the legendary Earnhardt family hunger for winning championships. That will be the team's focus without a doubt in 2004.

Key change: None. There's been very little movement within the DEI organization, and rightly so. People sense that this team is on the verge of superstardom, not to mention winning the first of what could be several championships in the next 20 years. Why would anyone want to leave such a promising situation like that?

Guarantee: Earnhardt Jr. will be right in the thick of the championship chase from the Daytona 500. In fact, given the sour taste left in his mouth from last year's disappointing finish there, what better place to make a statement or to throw down the gauntlet showing how serious he is about contending for the championship, than in NASCAR's biggest race. Earnhardt Jr. has already won once at Daytona (July 2001), not to mention dominating at Talladega (Ala.) the last three years. Other than winning the title, the only piece of the puzzle missing for him is to win a Daytona 500.

Prediction: Look for Earnhardt Jr. to win the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500. What's more, look for him to be among the top challengers for victory there on Feb. 15. Furthermore, if Earnhardt Jr. can have at least as equal a season in 2004 as he had in 2003, he's a shoo-in for yet another top-three finish by season's end, if not winning the championship outright. And, given how much his father meant to Winston Cup racing, Junior could be on the verge of setting his own significance and dominance in the new Nextel Cup Series.

Did you know: Junior began his racing career when he and half brother Kerry Earnhardt sold a go-kart for $500 and used the money to buy a $200 street stock Chevy Monte Carlo. The rest, as the saying goes, is motorsports history.

Your take
Could 2004 finally be Earnhardt Jr.'s year to win the elusive Cup championship? As much as he came into his own in 2003, and with all the maturity and levelheadedness he showed, is it possible that Earnhardt Jr. will be even more focused and serious, with just one thing on his mind, namely a championship in 2004? Will anything less mean a disappointing season? Share your thoughts on Earnhardt Jr. and his prospects for 2004.