Bid for the chance to ride with Dale Jr. in the No. 8

Launching on Thursday night on eBay, the Wrangler brand is auctioning the chance to win the opportunity to ride with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the famous No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet.

Bidding opens at 11 p.m. ET and the auction closes at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Wrangler will donate 100 percent of the final bid to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a NASCAR-themed camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

Earnhardt will drive the winning bidder on a 160-mph ride on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The winning bidder also will participate in the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

"This is an once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity to ride with Dale Jr. before he parts ways with the No. 8 racecar," said Craig Errington, vice president of Wrangler marketing. "This may be the last time a fan has the opportunity to sit shotgun in the car, which is so special to so many race fans, with an Earnhardt at the wheel -- all in the name of a great charity."

In 2008, Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet -- and the Wrangler logo once again will appear on his car and race suit. The brand first became a sponsor of Dale Jr. in 2004, and has since worked with him to raise more than $120,000 for charity. The denim icon auctioned a similar experience last year and, in cooperation with Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports, donated more than $50,000 to the VJG Camp.

"Thanks to the creativity and generosity of Wrangler, last year's auction and donation was enough for 25 children to attend our camp for a full week at no cost to them," said Kyle Petty, co-founder of the VJG Camp. "We are honored Wrangler is once again donating auction proceeds to the camp and look forward to watching the bids come in. Our sincere thanks go to our friends at Wrangler for making it happen."

About the Auction

The 10-day Wrangler auction begins Sept. 20 at 11 p.m. ET and ends at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Fans can view additional auction details and place their bid by going to www.wrangler.com and following the "bid now" link or by visiting www.ebay.com/wranglerdaleearnhardtjr.

The Wrangler brand is donating 100 percent of auction proceeds to VJG Camp and will provide the winning bidder with (see rules for complete details):

• Three high-speed laps in the famous #8 Budweiser Chevrolet around Lowe's Motor Speedway with Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 (winning bidder only).

• Footage from the in-car camera during the ride with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winning bidder only).

• Roundtrip air travel to Charlotte, NC, ground transportation and hotel accommodations for one night (winning bidder and guest).

• Participation in the Richard Petty Driving Experience to learn from the professionals how to drive a NASCAR-style racecar (winning bidder and guest).

• Autographs and photographs with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winning bidder and guest).