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 today at noon

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.