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--> --> Little E has mind, style of his own By Associated Press Dale Earnhardt Jr. smiles down from large Budweiser billboards, pretty women on either side of him. He walks the carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards and tells Playboy magazine about losing his virginity. And, yes, that was Earnhardt making an obscene salute on national TV to his late father's teammate, Mike Skinner - caught by Dale Jr.'s on-board camera in the Southern 500. It's hardly the image the old NASCAR might prefer, but even that might be changing because Earnhardt is a free spirit who now gets the loudest applause when drivers are introduced. "I'm a better representative for Budweiser, I guess, than I am for NASCAR," he said. But the 26-year-old driver, who once liked to stay up all night and party, has scored high marks for the way he has carried himself since his father was killed seven months ago in season-opening Daytona 500. He also had to withstand talk that his victory at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July was a fix. Through it all, Little E has flourished, becoming the most popular driver in NASCAR and a solid top-10 fixture. Heading into the New Hampshire 300 on Sunday, he's seventh in the chase for the Winston Cup championship - something his father won a record-tying seven times. Still, he manages to maintain that rough-around-the-edges image that makes him so attractive to the twentysomethings in NASCAR's massively growing audience. Last year, Rolling Stone called him the "rock and roll NASCAR whiz kid." Dale Jr. said in Playboy that he was big into computer games. And his father's advice on sex? Use a condom. "He was adamant about that," Little E said in the interview. He realizes his responsibility, but concedes his openness can make him vulnerable. "Everywhere you go as a driver, you represent NASCAR, you represent your sponsor, you represent yourself," he said. "A lot of times you can let your guard down and forget that, let yourself, the person you really are, come out a little too often. "Luckily, I got a sponsor that doesn't mind." Neither do some influential people in the sport. "I think that's cool, to borrow Little E's phrase," said International Speedway Corp. vice president Jim Hunter. "I think that's super cool. He just relates to a lot of people that otherwise wouldn't even go to an event." His style is not that of his father, but Earnhardt Jr. has one of The Intimidator's traits. "Dale Sr. was his own person and Dale Jr. is his own person, and that's extremely good for the sport," Hunter said. "The sport doesn't need to be vanilla. There are other flavors." Earnhardt Jr. said his Budweiser group is a nice fit. "Most of the guys that I know really well in the company like the same things I like," he said. "They are real honest and blunt about things and, I mean, that's kind of the way I like to be." When Darlington president Andrew Gurtis playfully chided Earnhardt Jr. last month about telling Playboy that the track is the worst on the NASCAR circuit, Little E shot back, "You've sold more tickets in the three weeks since that interview came out." And he entertained those who like an occasional reminder of his father, bumping several times with Stacy Compton in the Southern 500. "I guess he finally accomplished what he wanted to do, knock me out," Compton said. Earnhardt also made an obscene gesture after tangling with Skinner, and was ordered by NASCAR halfway through the race to keep away from the other drivers. His father - who once similarly saluted Jeremy Mayfield - escaped such orders. There was Earnhardt, however, sliding at the head of a last-lap pileup that ended Ward Burton's victory under caution. Then Earnhardt charged into NASCAR's hauler, angry about a late red-flag that cost him a top-five position. "The dumbest thing I've ever seen," he said of the stoppage. The day after the race, a calm, friendly Dale Jr. was at the Upper South Carolina State Fair in Greenville, signing autographs. While Jeff Gordon sat in the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" hot seat in a sports stars edition, Dale Jr. became the first NASCAR driver to present a statuette at the MTV video music awards. Would his father have approved? "He would have loved Dale Jr. at the MTV awards," said J.R. Rhodes, spokesman for the late Earnhardt's team. The elder Earnhardt spoke to the blue-collar fan of his day, Rhodes said. "Dale Jr. represents that next generation, and he's doing things they would do," he said. Earnhardt isn't sure that three years ago NASCAR head Bill France and president Mike Helton would have approved. "They might not have been very favorable toward having somebody do those things, say those things or whatever," Earnhardt said. "But I think it's really turned out for the better. "In a way, I guess, it's doing your own little part to promote the sport." 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