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It’s official — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 car next season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

Earnhardt confirmed the number during a news conference in Dallas on Wednesday.

“I’m really happy with that. It’s a great choice,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “This was a number we actually didn’t think we’d have a chance to get.”

Earnhardt, who is leaving his late father’s company, Dale Earnhardt Inc., after this season to move to Hendrick Motorsports, had been driving the No. 8 since he began racing in the Cup series in 1999. He was unable to work out a deal with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, to take the number with him.

The No. 88 comes from the Robert Yates Racing team. Terms of the number transfer were not released.

The Chevrolet driven by Earnhardt will be sponsored next year by Pepsi products Mountain Dew and Amp Energy drink, and by the National Guard.

Budweiser, Earnhardt’s former sponsor, will become the primary sponsor for the No. 9 Dodge driven by Kasey Kahne.