Junior's decision motivated by heart as much as head

	The personal touch Rick Hendrick offers his drivers from Victory Lane to living rooms was central to Dale Earnhardt's decision to join NASCAR's most successful team. AP

He got it all, everything he wanted.

Now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has signed a five-year contract with the most powerful team in NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt will be driving the best cars and will be supported by the best personnel in NASCAR starting in 2008. No longer will he have to complain about a lack of horsepower or a lack of research and development, which were two lingering problems he confronted at Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). In short, with a stroke of a pen, Earnhardt has been transformed from a longshot into a serious title contender.

As I wrote last week when I first learned that Rick Hendrick was going to sign Earnhardt, Hendrick will now boast a dream team of drivers in '08: Little E, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Earnhardt, by any measure, is the most popular driver in the sport, followed by Gordon, Tony Stewart and Johnson. Though to Earnhardt fans it may seem like their driver is crossing over to the dark side to drive for Hendrick, who was one of Earnhardt Sr.'s greatest rivals, this move makes perfect sense for Junior -- both on a professional level and, more important to him, on a personal one.

The relationship between Junior and Hendrick stretches back more than two decades. Earnhardt was friends with Hendrick's son, Rickey, who tragically died in a plane crash in '04, and Rickey once boldly told his father that Earnhardt would eventually drive at Hendrick. So there's a special connection between Hendrick and Earnhardt. I wouldn't characterize their relationship as being like a father and son, but I think it's fair to say that it falls in that zip code.

On the day that Earnhardt announced he was leaving DEI about a month ago, he told me that he wanted an owner who would be hands-on, who would be there to greet him in Victory Lane, who would be, in effect, the anti-Teresa Earnhardt. Well, he's found that person in Hendrick, who always gives his drivers a big bear hug the moment they hop out of the car after winning a race.

To make room for Earnhardt in his stable, which was already at the NASCAR limit of four drivers, Hendrick is releasing Kyle Busch a year early from his contract. Busch will likely end up driving at DEI next year in what could amount to a driver swap. Earnhardt will have little problem sliding into Busch's spot at Hendrick, because he's close to both Gordon and Johnson.

The top two Hendrick drivers have combined to win eight of the 14 races this season, and the duo is famous in the garage for their willingness to share information with each other. What's more, their crew chiefs Chad Knaus (Johnson's crew chief) and Steve Letarte (Gordon's) are best friends. How Junior fits into this dynamic will be one of the most intriguing plot lines of '08.

But what's clear is this: The biggest winner in the Dale Earnhardt Jr. free agency sweepstakes is Earnhardt himself. Starting next season, for the first time in his career, he'll be a legitimate threat to win every week. At 32, he's finally on the path to a championship.