DARLINGTON, S.C. - While Dale Earnhardt Jr. waited out the rain in his motorhome, NASCAR inspectors found an illegal part on his Chevrolet.

The rear wing on his Car of Tomorrow was mounted incorrectly, and NASCAR confiscated the brackets used to hold it in place during the pre-race inspection Saturday night at Darlington Raceway.

It was the first misstep this week for Junior, who dominated nearly every conversation in the garage during a heavy rain storm that delayed the race that was eventually postponed until Sunday at 1 p.m.

The same question was asked in every corner of the garage: What’s Junior going to do?

At least five car owners are officially interested, including newcomer Bobby Ginn, who promised to vigorously pursue NASCAR’s most popular driver to his upstart team.

“We would stretch as hard as we could stretch to do it,” Ginn said. “You want the best, the absolute best, and I love the idea that Dale wants to win championships. He could accomplish that here with us.

“We’re in play.”

Junior was silent Saturday, two days after announcing he would leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season. It makes him the most coveted free agent in NASCAR history, but his options might actually be limited.

Ray Evernham said Saturday he wanted 15 minutes to talk with Earnhardt, but doubted it would get him anywhere.

“It’s like trying to get a date with Jennifer Aniston — if you see her, you’ve got to at least ask,” he said.

Because Earnhardt wants to stay with a Chevrolet team, Dodge owners Evernham, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi know they don’t have much of a chance. But Evernham, who fields a red No. 9 for Kasey Kahne, thought he could make the loudest pitch among the Dodge camp.

“I’ve got a lot of red paint,” he said, “and we both want to win championships.”

Junior cited his desire to win a championship, and his belief that DEI is not currently capable of doing that, as his reason for leaving his late father’s team.

Three Chevrolet teams are believed to be the front-runners, and car owner Richard Childress has already expressed his interest. Hendrick Motorsports has been silent on the Junior debate, and Joe Gibbs Racing indicated it might not be a good fit for Earnhardt.

Although Earnhardt is close with JGR drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, team president J.D Gibbs said they aren’t currently looking to expand to four teams. JGR also fields a car for J.J. Yeley.

And, the Gibbs’ focus on promoting a family values image would make it difficult to bring Budweiser on as a sponsor, he said. Budweiser, Earnhardt’s longtime sponsor, is expected to go with him wherever he lands.

“Personally, that would be hard for us,” Gibbs said. “I’d just leave it at that right now. I’m not sure that would fit for us.”

Gibbs said the team has no immediate plans to pursue Earnhardt, but wouldn’t lock the door if the driver came knocking.

“Who wouldn’t want a chance to talk to Dale Jr.? When the time’s right, we’d love to sit down and talk,” Gibbs said. “I’m watching it unfold like you guys are.”

Earnhardt’s rivals are anxiously watching every development, knowing that his signing could start a domino effect.

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Several other drivers have already been thrown into the rumor mill: Ryan Newman to JGR, David Gilliland to DEI, Yeley out at JGR, Martin Truex Jr. looking for an out at DEI. It doesn’t matter if none of its true — until Junior signs, the gossip will fly.

And as the car owners try to be tightlipped, only Ginn is strongly on record to be interested.

The Florida land developer bought a midlevel team last July and markedly improved it in just a few short months. Following an aggressive long-range plan, Ginn snagged Mark Martin and expanded the operation to three cars.

Then Martin nearly won the Daytona 500, while opening the season with the best start of his career.

He briefly led the points standings before bowing out on top. He’s running a partial schedule this season and is currently ranked 14th despite sitting out three of 10 races.