DALE, JR & DANICA HOOK-UP

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and gorgeous Danica Patrick have a racy future together!

The 27-year-old beauty announced Dec. 8 that she's hooking up with Earnhardt's JR Motor sports racing team and is revving up a NASCAR career. She picked a spectacular place to make her Feb. 6 debut - the Daytona International Speedway, the granddaddy of NASCAR tracks.

Dale, 35, sees Danica as the antidote to his own faltering career - and an opportunity for him to someday slip into retirement as a driver, say sources.

"Danica is beautiful, famous and marketable, but racing in the IndyCar Series, she doesn't have near the visibility she would have on the NASCAR circuit," a source tells The ENQUIRER.

"She was smart joining Dale's team, and it was quite a coup for Dale to get her."

The ENQUIRER recently reported that Dale's friends feared he was having a breakdown and was attempting to drink away his troubles.

"Dale's really had a tough time of it lately," a friend told The ENQUIRER. "He's been performing poorly as a driver, and it's really taken a toll on his psyche."

As 2009 drew to a close, Dale had no wins on the year and just two top five finishes. He finished a career low No. 25 among NASCAR drivers.

But NOW Danica has come roaring onto his team.

"Everybody wanted her - Dale got her," a source says. "They've been friends for years, and he really played that up. He told her, 'If this goes well, Danica, I'm more than happy to ride off into the sunset and put all my resources behind you.'

"Dale and Danica are the two biggest product endorsers in racing - advertisers are going to beat down their door to have the two of them appear in TV commercials together. It's like Michael Jordan joining forces with Derek Jeter."

And with Tiger getting axed all over,  there's plenty of opportunities for racing's new dynamic duo.