Dale Jr caught by police in Texas.

A dramatic police chase has taken place involving Dale Earnhardt Jr and two police cars from the Roanoke Police Department, with Earnhardt Jr getting a pat on the back and a handshake from the officers instead of a ticket.

The chase, which was staged, took place on the infield road course at the Texas Motor Speedway and was part of a training exercise with the Roanoke Police Department.

Earnhardt Jr., wheeling a silver 2005 Chevrolet Corvette, was the chase subject as Roanoke's finest were in hot pursuit in fully loaded squad cars with the sirens blaring and lights flashing.

Roanoke Lt. Robert Crawford, Officer James Johnson and Traffic Officer Gary Stroud joined Earnhardt Jr. during the simulation with Lt. Crawford and Officer Johnson driving the squad cars. Traffic Officer Stroud helped end the pursuit by pulling his vehicle across the road course to block Earnhardt Jr.'s path as well as throw down a "spike" strip to simulate an actual highway situation.

Earnhardt Jr. admitted that this was the first time he has been involved in a police "chase."

"I have had them pull some lights on me, but I always pull over and the cut the job short for them," Earnhardt Jr. joked. "This was a lot of fun. The officers were really excited about it and I had a lot of fun with it. I think they learned some things they can use on the streets every day. It was an experience for them. I had a lot more power, but those guys definitely cornered with me. I am sure if we were on a highway or interstate, they would have been more crafty cutting corners and keeping me in sight."

Although it was a publicity event for the upcoming Dickies 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway, it had an educational side for the officers, especially chasing perhaps the most talented driver they may ever confront.

"When we get on the street as law enforcement officers, we wouldn't chase somebody of this calibre," Lt. Crawford said. "At least I hope not. It would be a challenge. It was a good experience for our officers and me.

"I will take some of the information I learned from him (Dale Jr.) and take it back to the police department, items such as cornering techniques. We always want to prevent an accident from happening, taking the safest approach to the situation. We learned a lot about positioning today, be it on the track or the highway. But with him being in a sports car, it was easier. The police car was like driving a tank compared to the Corvette."

Added Officer Johnson: "We probably wouldn't have done anything different in a real-life situation. We kept him in sight and kept matters safe. I think our lines through the corners were about the same as his, he was probably a little quicker getting into the turn as our cars are a bit longer and heavier. The handling is a lot different, but we kept up with him. We chase different cars all the time, I was proud of our officers. We kept up with Earnhardt Jr!"

Earnhardt Jr.'s pursuit ended with Traffic Officer Stroud blocking the road, and the NASCAR star then broke into a series of doughnuts in the 'Vette, filling the speedway infield with tyre smoke.

"Doing doughnuts is always a good time," Earnhardt Jr. said with a smile.