Scarborough’s Ryan Moore has been job shadowing since November.

And one of the people he has been shadowing has been NASCAR’s best-known driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 21-year-old Moore, in addition to vying for the points championship in Busch North this season, will run as many as seven Busch Series races for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

“The biggest thing is building up a good relationship with everyone. I’m getting to know the crew members and the guys in the shop. I’ve been going to the racetrack. There’s quite a difference between the Busch and the [Nextel] Cup cars. I’ve been trying to do as much as I can,” said Moore.

“It’s been good. It’s been a lot of fun,” added Moore who has been traveling back and forth between Maine and North Carolina.

The Busch Series is one step away from the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.

Moore has enjoyed spending time with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“He’s a pretty cool guy to hang out with. We’re both pretty quiet. We listen to what’s going on,” said Moore.

Moore had been scheduled to test DEI cars on two occasions but he said they were postponed either by inclement weather or time constraints.

He will eventually do some testing for the team.

It hasn’t been determined which Busch races Moore will run. They are trying to line up sponsors.

He is hoping to be a full-time Busch driver for DEI in 2006 but said “nothing is set in stone. We’ve got to get through this year [first].”

His DEI teammates in the Busch Series will be defending points titlist Martin Truex Jr., a former Busch North racer, and Paul Menard.

Moore finished sixth in the Busch North points standings last season after winding up 11th and earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2002.

His father, longtime Busch North racer Kelly Moore, will manage Ryan’s Busch North team. Kelly Moore, who finished fourth in the Busch North points last year, will run three Busch North races and said he also intends to drive “five or six PASS [Pro All-Stars Series] races.”

Kelly Moore said he is looking forward to his diversified roles.

“At first, it was hard to swallow. But Ryan felt strongly about having me looking over him. If you look back on history, when he won two races on the ACT [American-Canadian] Tour, I was his crew chief. I know what he’s feeling and what he’s thinking. I can relate to his driving because I taught him,” said Kelly who divided up the crew members of their two Busch North teams based on level of commitment.

“The guys who want to race every week are with Ryan and the ones who don’t want to race all the time are with me,” explained Kelly Moore.

Jamie Lorfano, Kelly’s crew chief last season, will have the same role for Ryan’s team and Steve Sullivan will be Kelly’s crew chief.

“Steve has worked for me before. When I won the [Busch North] championship in 1995, he was with me,” said Kelly Moore.

Moore said he and his son will also have “a little more help in the shop this year.”

Ryan Moore has four Busch North cars, his father has two and the Moores will have a pair of pro stock cars between them.

Ryan Moore will run his first race on April 21 in the NASCAR Grand National Winston West series’ Casino Arizona 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Kelly Moore is recovering from a broken ankle suffered in a snowmobiling accident 12 days ago.

But he said he’s hoping to be in a pro stock car for the PASS race at Oxford Plains Speedway on April 30.

The 18-race PASS schedule opens at the White Mountain Motorsports Park in No. Woodstock, N.H. on April 17.

The 14-race Busch North series gets under way on May 15 at Lee USA Speedway (N.H.).

Ryan Moore will also run a few pro stock races.

“I’ll get to run a couple of those pro stock races against my dad. That’ll be fun,” said Ryan Moore.