1on1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (cont'd)

Q: You know you're a racecar driver, you're not supposed to have any outside interests. What do you think about all the people who say and think that?

Earnhardt: What's that all about? I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have my good friend J.R. Rhodes. But you're right. There's a stigma about how drivers can't do anything. They have to focus and this, that and the other. Anytime you do anything or want to do anything or talk about anything else, people want to question your focus or whatever.

I wouldn't have this bar if it wasn't for J.R. He was a bartender back in Daytona. We've been talking about this for five years. It's literally been worked on for three years. As much as I'm happier than [crap] about it, I think he might be even more excited than I am.

You have to look really hard for clues that Whisky River, a new nightclub in town, is owned by someone famous in racing.

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Q: So you think people should see the business man side of you and realize that this is not taking away from your focus as a driver?

Earnhardt: It doesn't bother me if somebody comes up and says what you're doing isn't right, you should focus here. That doesn't bother me. I couldn't care less. What bothers me is they don't appreciate the people like J.R. and [public relations man] Mike Davis, the people who are really pulling the levers here. J.R. is the guy who worked to put everything together like it is here. ... He's been here every day. J.R. is the guy. People just don't understand that. People think I'm on the phone wheeling and dealing, ordering the beer and liquor and positioning everything like I want it. I'm not the one doing that. I'm racing in Phoenix, for crying out loud.

Q: Have you ever been to another professional athlete's bar?

Earnhardt: No. Maybe. Hell, I don't know.

Q: You seem to be expanding on the business side with Hammerhead Productions and JR Motorsports and now this. Why are you doing this? What's your next project?

Earnhardt: You never really know what the next one is. As you know, people come up with ideas all the time. They give you these crazy adventures and these interesting deals to do. You just dive into the ones that you're interested in. You move around and you meet people and you go, 'Nah, these guys are a bunch of clowns;' or 'This might be kind of fun. Let's try it at least.' I've never gone into anything like this thinking, 'Oh, I've got to make this much money,' or 'This would be awesome if I can make some money.' If I can break even and have a good time, then it's worth it. That's the way I've always treated everything. That's why I don't make any money owning [Nationwide] cars. If I can just break even, I'm happy to be able to enjoy it.

Q: What do these business opportunities provide for you?

Earnhardt: Hopefully you find that one that does help you establish what you want financially after you retire from driving a racecar. If I'm going to race until I'm 50, you know I don't want to push my luck, but I'd like to think I'm going to live until a pretty old age. It'd be nice to have some other things going on, some other things I'm involved in.

What do I have after I'm done driving? What do you do? What are you supposed to do? I guess you do what you want and do things that interest you. I'm sort of lining those things up. Some of those things might be gone by then, but maybe there'll be one that's sticking around and is still profitable. Hopefully that's the case.

Q: Does this resemble your old basement bar at all -- the one that used to be called Club E?

Earnhardt: No, not at all. That one was ridiculous. It was just black and purple everything. The tile was black and purple. The walls were black and purple. It was just ridiculous. It was nothing like this. This is way better. That one was a lot of fun to build and to play in, though. It was a good time.

Q: You said you and J.R. Rhodes had been kicking this idea around for three years. How did the idea come about? Were you guys just sitting around drinking some beer or something and it came to you, or what?

Earnhardt: I had the bar in my basement and we built a saloon on my property [just outside Charlotte]. I've always entertained friends and family in the house and at the pool or whatever. I knew J.R. had some experience in the bar business. He had a good idea of what I would be getting myself into. We trust each other so much. I just talked about it. I want to get into this business. I wanted to own a bar one way or another, but I want it to be done safely. I don't want to jump in with a bunch of hooligans, and do it just to be doing it. I wanted it to be a good, solid situation. I wanted it to fit me.

I wouldn't want y'all to come in here and say, 'Why would you own this place?' or 'Why would you make it look like this?' I want you to come in and say, 'Yeah, this seems just like Junior.' That seems to be what's happened here. I just trust J.R. to help me through this and make sure we're doing it right. (Continued)