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Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/Mountain Dew/AMP Chevrolet, practices for the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

updated 7:23 p.m. ET Feb. 8, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It’s been years since Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated Daytona International Speedway, where he’s won 10 times in two series.

With a powerful new Chevrolet built by mighty Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt hopes to return to his winning ways starting with Saturday night’s exhibition Budweiser Shootout. The first test of the most scrutinized move in NASCAR history is here, and Earnhardt is ready to get rolling in his new ride.

“I want to go out and run in the top-five regularly, I have to prove that to myself,” he said. “Once that is cool, I am fine. All I really wanted was to run up front every week and to go to the race track knowing that my car is good, my team is good.”

That’s not in question now that Earnhardt is driving for Hendrick, which won 18 of 36 races last season. He signed with the team last June, after making the difficult decision to leave his late father’s company.

Choosing HMS capped a whirlwind six weeks in which all of NASCAR’s top teams chased the sport’s most popular driver. He picked Hendrick because of the potential the team gives him — he insists his resume stands on its own, but knows this pairing could make him one of the greatest drivers in history.

“I don’t think we have to prove I’m a good race car driver,” NASCAR’s most popular driver said. “I want to prove I’m a great one. When they make the next 50 greatest drivers list, I want to be on it.”

To get there, he’ll need to start winning again. Earnhardt hasn’t been to Victory Lane for 62 races, and he last celebrated at Daytona with a Nationwide Series win in 2006. He’s eligible for the Shootout as the 2003 race winner.

His lack of competitiveness can be pinned on a drop-off in performance at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Barring an early stumble by the No. 88 team, Earnhardt shouldn’t have the same problem at Hendrick.

“I feel like I am in a better place. I feel like I have a better opportunity,” he said. “The odds are better for me to win championships at Hendrick. That is obvious between what they have been able to do already and the track record at DEI.

“I still had great race cars and a lot of fun and a lot of success at DEI, but statistically, the odds are better at Hendrick. You can’t deny that.”

Earnhardt was just OK in the first Shootout practice Friday afternoon, where he was 18th out of 23 cars. Tony Stewart paced the session, going 191.290 in a Toyota Camry. Toyota drivers claimed three of the top four spots on the speed chart in the morning, giving the manufacturer hope that its first victory is right around the corner.

It unraveled in the second session, though, when Stewart tangled on the track with Kurt Busch.

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As both Joe Gibbs Racing cars headed back to the garage, Busch deliberately hit Stewart’s car several times. Stewart then stopped his car in an attempt to block Busch from entering the garage, and several JGR crew members went out to pit road to calm the two-time champion.

Both Busch and Stewart were then called to the NASCAR hauler.

It was the second accident of the session, as an eight-car wreck opened the session. That one started when Clint Bowyer nudged the rear of Ryan Newman, sending Newman into a spin across the track.

Newman’s car skirted directly in front of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, David Gilliland, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. None could avoid it and all had to rush to the garage to repair their cars.

“I got under him, and I tried to let off and there wasn’t no more room,” Bowyer said.

In all, 11 of the 23 cars in the field were damaged to some degree, and when the track reopened for more practice time, nobody wanted to get back out there.

“It’s been a wild practice — it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds,” Earnhardt said after deciding not to resume practice. “We weren’t going to run too much. We liked our car. We weren’t going to change too much. That was a good enough reason to quit right there.”