Fans headed to Phoenix International Raceway for the November 11 running of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil already know that the event will be their last chance to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Now, under whose banner Earnhardt will run beyond 2007 has been made clear.

Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award winner in each of the last four seasons, will join Hendrick Motorsports beginning with the 2008 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, in an attempt to move one step closer to the championship that has eluded him while driving for his late father’s company. The move to Hendrick Motorsports ensures that Earnhardt Jr. will remain behind the wheel of a Chevrolet.

At a news conference at the JR Motorsports headquarters in Mooresville, N.C. on Wednesday morning, team owner Rick Hendrick said Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch on his star-studded roster of drivers. The announcement ended five weeks of recruiting for NASCAR’s most popular driver, who became a free agent on May 10 when he said he would leave DEI at the end of this season.

His criteria for a new team included finding a place he could win championships, and Hendrick Motorsports is the perfect fit. Hendrick’s stable has won six series championships, and has 10 wins through 14 points races this season, including a win by Jeff Gordon at PIR in the April 21 SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™.

“It became apparent to me the man I wanted to drive for,” Earnhardt, a two-time PIR race winner, said at the news conference. “He competes with integrity and most importantly, he wins races.”

In 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events at PIR, Hendrick Motorsports has three wins, good for second best all-time.

It is not clear what number Earnhardt will drive, nor is it known who will sponsor the car. Since starting his career in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, Earnhardt has driven the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.

“We haven’t even began to work around that and see what the options are and opportunities are and that’s something we’ll work out down the road,” Earnhardt said.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.