CHARLOTTE, N.C. In a garage-turned-theater a couple of weeks ago at the sprawling Hendrick Motorsports complex (smaller than Montana, bigger than Waikiki Beach times the King Ranch), seven banners commemorating NASCAR championships hung from a crossbeam at the back of the room -- but nobody hung Dale Earnhardt Jr. out to dry.

Oh, the guys ragged him a little about riding a camel during an offseason commercial shoot, but mostly they reprised their open-arms embrace of the circuit's lion king. Why, they even arranged themselves on stage so as to have Little E occupy the middle of five chairs.

Not that being the center of attention is alien to the man.

The upcoming Celly Cup season? It's all about Junior, period, exclamation point, drop the green flag. You can talk other storylines if you'd like -- the Hendrick stable's domination (get used to it), Toyota's progress (you think Tony Stewart's gonna drive junk?), the open-wheel invasion (overrated other than Ashley Judd), the Car of Brian (nobody's buying) -- but what 2008 boils down to is Junior, Junior, Junior.

And more Junior.

There's a hitch, though. Earnhardt is by many kilometers NASCAR's most popular driver and pitchman extraordinaire -- but he's in a slump, and so are the tour's TV ratings and turnstile counts. If you listen to Brian France, those conditions are intertwined.'Course, if you listen to France, pigs and two races a year at Fontana can fly -- but the fact remains that Earnhardt is vital to the product, and he knows it as much as anyone. Doesn't shy from the calling, either.

"If the chairman of NASCAR makes that kind of statement, it makes you feel like you've got to be the luckiest guy on Earth," Earnhardt said. "That's where you want to be, other than holding the championship trophy. I feel fortunate and really blessed to be in that situation."

He's on the spot, too. Hendrick drivers won 18 of 36 races on the 2007 schedule. Earnhardt didn't scratch. He has steered into victory lane only twice over the past three seasons, in fact, and missed the playoffs twice.

Now, after a public and nasty falling out with his stepmother and a pullout from the organization his legendary daddy birthed and branded, Junior has relocated to his sport's gold standard. Inquiring minds want to know if he'll win big. The better question is: Does he have a choice?

"There's always pressure on him, but I don't think there's ever been more pressure than now," four-time champ and new teammate Jeff Gordon observed. "The cool thing is, he asked for it. He signed with the team that won the last two championships [with Jimmie Johnson] and a team that has a history of winning championships. I think he has to prove even moreso why he came here."

Ergo, the stakes are enormous for Earnhardt -- and, by extension, for NASCAR. If he soars, everybody wins. But if he tanks . . .

"It's not going to happen," said crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. "If we come in and take the resources offered us and use them to our advantage, there's no reason why we can't win the championship. It's up to us to make it happen."

And up to Earnhardt to show there's more to him than 17 career wins and runaway celebrity status.

"I always think I've got something to prove," he said. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be no reason to come here. There wouldn't be any reason to even race. We've done a lot of things on the race track. People just have short-term memory, I reckon. I want to prove I'm a great one. I would agree with everyone, like, maybe I haven't proven that."

This is his best -- and maybe last -- shot. More than one No. 88 Chevy is riding on it.
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or blipper@timesdispatch.com.