Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Probably not coincidentally, Wrangler was the initial sponsor of his father's #3 Chevrolet from 1980 until 1987. It is also one of the highest scoring states on advanced placement tests. He was also featured in a commercial for Wrangler jeans that used the aforementioned song as its background music. It has one of the lowest high-school dropout rates in the nation and is tied with New Jersey for having the 2nd highest percentage of students who go on to college after high-school. has appeared in print advertisements for Drakkar Noir Cologne, one of the sponsors of his race car, and in the video for Sheryl Crow's song "Steve McQueen", which pays tribute to the late film star famous for his car chase scenes. Massachusetts is known for having one of the best public school systems in the nation. Dale Jr. Massachusetts also is home to well-known independent research institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

He has expressed interest in pursuing an acting career. Music schools include Berklee and the New England Conservatory. Dale Jr.'s looks have helped his media presence. Other notable Massachusetts colleges include Hampshire College and the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts). Fans have alleged that the change was approved, in the hopes of saving NAPA Auto Parts as a team sponsor. In addition to MIT, technology-oriented universities include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and University of Massachusetts Lowell, which includes the former Lowell Institute of Technology ("Lowell Tech"). Many of Earnhardt's fans have criticized the leadership at DEI, especially Teresa Earnhardt for her approval of the crew change. Massachusetts is home to one Ivy League university (Harvard) and four of the Seven Sisters (Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe College (now a research institute at Harvard), Smith, and Wellesley).

Teammate Michael Waltrip took the pole position for the Pocono 500, further bolstering the argument that Waltrip may have gotten the better end of the crew change. News & World Report, 10 of the nation's top-50 colleges and universities are located in Massachusetts: Amherst College, Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Williams College. A recovery seems unlikely, considering that Johnson and second place Greg Biffle have dominated most of the first 13 races of the season. According to U.S. Earnhardt must be within 400 points of the leader by the 26th race to qualify for the Chase for the Championship. Massachusetts hosts more prominent colleges and universities than any other state in the U.S. is 15th in the points standings, 414 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. The population of metropolitan Boston surges noticeably during the school year due to the concentration of colleges and universities in the area (see list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston).

As of June 11, 2005, Earnhardt Jr. Eight Boston-area institutions (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass/Boston) call themselves "research universities;" they became, according to them, "engines of economic growth" following World War II, and currently contribute $7 billion annually to the local economy [3] (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/econimpact.html). finished fifteenth in the Aarons 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, suggesting that DEI may have lost its advantage at the restrictor plate tracks to rival Hendrick Motorsports. population, but is home to many of its most renowned preparatory schools, colleges, and universities[2] (http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/) (see full list of colleges and universities in Massachusetts). At one point he was as far back as 29th. Subsequently, Earnhardt Jr. Massachusetts contains only 2.5% of the U.S. On February 20 2005, Dale fell short of winning back-to-back Daytona 500 races, placing third after struggling with an ill-handling car for much of the race. Massachusetts cities and towns of historical or cultural importance include.

Rondeau served as Earnhardt's crew chief until the Coca Cola 600 weekend when he was replaced with DEI chief engineer Steve Hmiel. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 50 cities and 301 towns, grouped into 14 counties. Peter Rondeau, a Chance 2 employee who also helped Earnhardt win the Busch Series race at Bristol in August, became the crew chief for Earnhardt in 2005. See also: List of Massachusetts counties; List of cities in Massachusetts. became the crew chief for the DEI #15 driven by Michael Waltrip for the 2005 season. Barnstable and Dukes Counties have adopted modern county charters, enabling them to act as efficient regional governments. would be promoted to the team manager position for the DEI corporation, while Tony Eury, Jr. The governments of Bristol, Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties remain substantially unchanged.

At the close of the 2004 season it was revealed that Tony Eury, Sr. This law was later amended to abolish Hampshire County on January 1, 1999; Essex County on July 1 of that same year; and Berkshire County on July 1, 2000. Chapter 34B of the Massachusetts General Laws (http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/gl-34B-toc.htm) provides that other counties may also vote to abolish themselves, or to reorganize as a "regional council of governments", as Hampshire and Franklin Counties have done. Truex went on a charge late in the 2004 Busch Series season, and clinched the championship at Darlington, with a strong finish, making Earnhardt the winner of both a driver's championship (1998 and 1999) and an owner's championship (2004). The law abolishing Middlesex County also provided for the elimination of Hampden County and Worcester County on July 1, 1998. Earnhardt as an owner was more proficient. Later that year, the Franklin County Commission voted itself out of existence. That incident, combined with two consecutive DNF's in the playoffs, eventually dropped him out of the running, and finished fifth in the 2004 Nextel Cup playoff. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997.

However, he was penalized 25 points for use of an obscenity during the television broadcast, in violation of a NASCAR rule prohibiting participants from using obscene language. Mismanagement of Middlesex County's public hospital in the mid 1990s left that county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of the county. He was able to qualify third for the NASCAR ten-race playoff, and won his fifth Nextel Cup win of the season (a career high) was also his fifth win at Talladega (another record). The government of Nantucket County, which is geographically coterminous with the Town of Nantucket, is operated along similar lines- the town selectmen (executive branch) act as the county commissioners. In the fall, Junior became the first driver to sweep the weekend meet at Bristol by winning both the Busch race and Cup race in the same weekend. Thus, residents of the other three Suffolk County communities do not have a voice on the county commission, but all the county expenses are paid by the city of Boston. The burns did not affect Junior in the long run. The government of Suffolk County was substantially integrated with the city government of Boston more than one hundred years ago, to the extent that the members of the Boston city council are ex officio the Suffolk County Commissioners, and Boston's treasurer and auditor fulfill the same offices for the county.

and his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt) and his DEI team mate (John Andretti) in the middle of the races. By the 1990s, most functions of county governments (including operation of courts and road maintenance) had been taken over by the state, and most county governments were seen as inefficient and outmoded. The burns prevented him from finishing two races where he was replaced by Martin Truex, Jr. (driver for Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. However, many residents also identify with neighborhoods, villages, or other districts of their towns. He suffered second and third degree burns on his neck, chin, and legs. Census Bureau, which in most data products considers towns to be minor civil divisions, equivalent to townships in other states (usually with much weaker forms of government). The car burst into flames with Junior still inside. This complicates comparisons with other states, as most residents identify strongly with the town or city in which they reside, and not with the "populated places" as defined and used in the U.S.

crashed the Corvette he was testing for an American LeMans Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. In contrast, the cities and towns of Massachusetts divide up all of the land between them and there are no "unincorporated" areas or population centers. won the Daytona 500, 6 years to the day after his father won his only title in the "Super Bowl Of Motorsports." In July, during on off-weekend from NASCAR, Dale Jr. County governments have significant importance, particularly to those living outside towns, and often perform major functions such as operating airports. In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. In contrast, the state is completely apportioned into counties. Still, Junior rallied to score two more wins at Talladega, a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the final standings. Between the towns are unincorporated areas, usually quite large, which do not belong to any town.

finished no better than 30th. In many states, a town is a compact incorporated area. In the three races following Fontana, Earnhardt Jr. Massachusetts municipalities are subject to a budgetary law known as "Proposition 2½", by which they may not increase expenditures by more than 2½% per annum without the approval of the voters in a plebiscite. He struggled after enduring a concussion at Fontana in April -- an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. Massachusetts has a very limited home rule mechanism; in order to exercise jurisdiction outside of these bounds, a municipality must petition the General Court for special legislation giving it that authority. In 2002, Junior had a roller-coaster season. These cities are legally styled "the City Known as the Town of X".

The season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles. There are now a number of municipalities which are legally cities and thus have city councils, but retained the word "town" in their names, including Agawam, Methuen, Watertown, Weymouth, and Westfield. That Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This distinction dates to the 1820s; prior to that, all municipalities were governed by Town Meeting. The second victory came at Dover, Delaware, in the first race after 9/11 and the third was in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega--the site of his father's final victory. Politically, the only difference between a town and a city is that a town is governed under the Town Meeting or Representative Town Meeting form of government, whereas a city has a city council (and may or may not have a mayor, a city manager, or both). The first win came when the series returned to Daytona, the same track where Junior's father had died a few months earlier, for the Pepsi 400. Massachusetts law maintains a distinction between "cities" and "towns"; the largest town in population is Framingham.

He didn't stay down for long, though. Junior scored three emotional victories and came back to finish eighth in points. Massachusetts shares with the six New England states, plus New York and New Jersey, a governmental structure known as the "New England town.". Just as his father would have done, Junior raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but crashed on the first lap and finished in 43rd-place. The three largest Protestant denominations in Massachusetts are: Baptist (4% of total state population), Episcopalian (3%), Methodist & Congregationalist (tied 2%). As Junior finished second, his father died on impact with the wall. The religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts are:. The first major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500--Junior's father crashed. The five largest ancestries in Massachusetts are Irish (22.5%), Italian (13.5%), English (11.4%), French (8%), German (5.9%).

came into the season assuming that the biggest obstacle he would face would be a sophomore slump, instead the year proved to be one of the most tumultuous and memorable seasons the young driver has experienced. Historically, the coast has been much more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is very rural, save for the cities of Springfield and Worcester. In 2001 Earnhardt Jr. The bulk of this population surrounds Greater Boston, with approximately 5,800,000 people, and the North and South Shores. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat. The population of Massachusetts is 6,433,422 (US Census, 2003). That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. See the list of Massachusetts places by per capita income.

Junior did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Other sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, health care, financial services and tourism. Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race. Thanks largely to the Ocean Spray cooperative, Massachusetts is the second largest cranberry producing state in the union (after Wisconsin). It didn't pan out that way, as frequent challenger Matt Kenseth outran Junior in the Daytona 500, and never let up in his run to the title. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing, and publishing. Before his Winston Cup rookie season in 2000, many thought Earnhardt Jr. was the front-runner for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award. Its agricultural outputs are seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables.

With his father's guidance and his own experience on the short tracks throughout the Carolinas, he was ready to take a bold step forward. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $39,504, 4^th in the nation. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 & 1999. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov/) estimates that Massachusetts's total state product in 2003 was $297 billion. Earnhardt Jr. See the articles on same-sex marriage in the United States and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and their sister Kelley. Following a November 2003 decision of the state's Supreme Court, Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses on May 17, 2004.

Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. When informed that the Democratic National Convention would be in Boston, House Majority Leader Dick Armey remarked, "If I were a Democrat, I suspect I'd feel a heck of a lot more comfortable in Boston than, say, America." While campaigning in the western part of the country, President Bush would often jab, "My opponent says he's in touch with the West, but sometimes I think he means Western Massachusetts." The stump speech that he used at many of his campaign stops included many such disparaging remarks directed at Massachusetts and New England in general. His first race car was a 1978 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with older brother Kerry. During the 2004 Presidential Election, Massachusetts was the target of many GOP regionalist attacks along the campaign trail. began his professional driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. During the Colonial period, Massachusetts was one of the leading states in the fight for independence. Earnhardt Jr. The liberal tendencies of Massachusetts extend throughout American history: in the 19th century, Massachusetts was a center of abolitionism, having been the first state to abolish slavery by law.

He currently drives the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Two of these governors, Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift took office when their predecessors resigned to take other positions. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974 in Kannapolis, North Carolina) is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Although Republicans have held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to the present, many of these (especially William Weld, the first of the recent lineage of Republican governors) are considered among the most moderate or progressive Republicans in the nation. NASCAR. Congress. List of famous NASCAR drivers. state represented by one party in the U.S.

It is the home of the Kennedy family of political fame, and routinely votes for the Democratic Party in federal elections. As of 2004, it is by far the largest U.S. Massachusetts has a reputation as being a politically liberal state, and is often used as an archetype of liberalism in the U.S. The most populated part of western Massachusetts is the "Pioneer Valley", alongside the Connecticut River, which flows across Western Massachusetts from north to south. Western Massachusetts is more rural and sparsely populated, especially in the Berkshires, the branch of the Appalachian Mountains which forms the western border of the state.

Most of the population of the Boston metropolitan area (approximately 5,800,000) does not live in the city; eastern Massachusetts on the whole is fairly densely populated and largely suburban. Boston is the largest city, located at the inmost point of Massachusetts Bay, at the mouth of the Charles River, the longest river entirely within Massachusetts. A few cities and towns on the Massachusetts–Rhode Island border are also adjacent to Narragansett Bay. Massachusetts is known as the Bay State because of the several large bays that give its coastline its distinctive shape: Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay on the state's east coast, and Buzzards Bay to the south.

The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket lie to the south of Cape Cod. At the southeastern corner of the state is a large, sandy, arm-shaped peninsula called Cape Cod. Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts is commonly referred to by residents both as "the state" and as "the Commonwealth." For example, on March 22, 2005, one Boston Globe story said that opponents of a proposal saw it as "burdening the state with more law schools than it needs," while another published the same day noted that "the Commonwealth faces difficult spending choices.".

In his "Life and Works", Adams wrote: "There is, however, a peculiar sense in which the words republic, commonwealth, popular state, are used by English and French writers, who mean by them a democracy, a government in one centre, and that centre a single assembly, chosen at stated periods by the people and invested with the whole sovereignty, the whole legislative, executive and judicial power to be included in a body or by committees as they shall think proper." Source: [1] (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). In this draft, Part Two of the Constitution, under the heading "Frame of Government", states, "that the people...form themselves into a free, sovereign, and independent body politic, or state by the name of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The first draft of the Constitution, and all acts and resolves up to 1780, had used the name "State of Massachusetts Bay"; but since the adoption of the second draft of the Constitution the state has always been referred to as The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "Commonwealth" for Massachusetts can be traced to the second draft of the state Constitution, written by John Adams and accepted by the people in 1780. There may have been some anti-monarchic sentiment informing the use of the word Commonwealth, which was also used to mean 'republic'.

In the era leading up to 1780, when the state Constitution was ratified, the word Commonwealth was the preferred term among political writers for a whole body of people constituting a nation or state. federal government's use of the term "commonwealth" to refer to the status of certain insular areas such as Puerto Rico. states that use the name "Commonwealth"; the others are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky; this is distinct from the U.S. It is one of four U.S.

Massachusetts is officially termed "the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (rather than "State") by its constitution. Retrieved March 24, 2005)
* Celebrated only in Suffolk County (Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop). Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts web page (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). (Galvin, William F., (2005).

Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday it is observed on the following Monday. Constitution, Amendments, Article CXX (November, 1990). Mass. 1.