Shayne Graham tours NASCAR facility
Cincinnati Bengals placekicker Shayne Graham took time out of his
off-season Wednesday to take a tour of Dale Earnhardt Inc. Graham, a
self-described car-guy and life-long NASCAR fan, was impressed by the
facility. “Everything was first-class and it is easy to see why DEI is one of the
premier race teams in the world,” Graham said. “The thing that impressed
me most was how nice everyone was and that they took time to show me
around.”
Graham was accompanied by his fiancee Heather Syme and publicist Tim
Carley. Graham and his entourage met the crew chiefs of the #1 Bass Pro
Shops Chevrolet, Kevin Mannion, and the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Tony Eury
Jr. “I have tremendous respect for the athletic ability of Martin Truex Jr.
and Dale Jr.,” Graham said. “But Kevin and Tony are vital to the
success of the team. What most fans don’t see is the hard work by the crew that
goes into getting a car ready to race. I saw that on Wednesday.”
Besides visiting the race shops, Graham saw the showroom of DEI winning
cars, the trophies and firesuits worn by Dale Earnhardt and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. “It was like seeing the history of NASCAR,” Graham said. “It was
awesome.” After Graham had lunch in the DEI dining room, he and the crew went to
JR Motorsports for a tour. JR Motorsports is the Busch Series Team owned
by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Graham talked racing with the crew members of the #88 Navy Chevrolet and
toured the brand-new race shop. He was equally impressed with JR
Motorsports. “Anything associated with the Earnhardt family is first class,” Graham
said. “DEI and JR motorsports are no different.
