Dale Jr Ready for Richmond
Earnhardt & Eury Ready for Richmond
One year ago at Richmond Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading the race with just 3 laps to go when Kyle Busch lost control of his race car and sent Dale Jr into the wall, turning want looked to be a win into a 15th place finish.
“It was pretty wild,” said Junior. “You know, that was pretty disappointing how the first race finished. I don’t know. I like racing Kyle. He’s a real tough competitor. But hopefully we don’t have any of that going on this weekend. Hopefully we can all try to win a race and not be bouncing off each other.”
Dale Jr has 3 Sprint Cup wins at Richmond, and he says a lot of it is that he just enjoys racing there.
“I like Richmond a lot. We always thought we run good there ’cause it’s a lot like Myrtle Beach, where I ran a lot in the late models,” said Dale Jr. “There’s a lot of similarities. But I just like short-track racing. We seem to do really good on the short tracks. It’s got a lot of different grooves that you can run. You can move around. I think it puts on one of the more exciting races in the season. It ranks right up there as some of the best.”
“You’ve got to have a good drive off of 2 over there, noted crew chief Tony Eury Jr on what it would take to win Richmond. The biggest challenge is that the practice is in the middle of the afternoon and we race at night, so you really have to guess where your setup should be and make sure you are free enough for the night time.”
Earnhardt admitted he has had some problems on pit road, but he and Tony Eury Jr feel those are behind them now.
“We just have to finish like we did Sunday, and not have any problems, said Dale Earnhardt Jr. ”I think we’re doing a better job on pit road. I think we changed some things around with individuals. We got a little bit faster pit crew. We did a real good job this weekend. I think they were the best team on pit road this weekend. I think they were the best.
Earnhardt is 15th in the Sprint Cup points standings heading into Richmond, and he is already thinking about making it into the Chase.
“This year we started out so slow and terrible, we’re in a hole now,” said Earnhardt. “We’re going to be fighting our way to try to get in the Chase all year, I’m pretty sure. So we’re gonna have to step our performance up in the summer way beyond what we were capable of doing last year. That’s gonna be what decides whether we make the Chase or not.”
“But I think, you know, I feel pretty confident, and I feel like we can definitely do better than we did last year in the summer races, you know, with Pocono, the road courses, all those things.”
Eury was highly confident on his drivers abilities at the ¾ mile short-track “He’s awesome there. I think he has a lot of success there because it’s a lot like the track he grew up racing at Myrtle Beach. Richmond just fits his style.”
Who are you picking for the win at Richmond?
Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR Writer David Poole Dies
NASCAR Journalist David Poole Dies
NASCAR has lost one of its very best writers and broadcasters. David Poole passed away Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at his home in Stanfield, North Carolina.
David was the lead Motorsports writer for the Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com. He also hosted The Morning Drive on Sirius Satellite Radio.
David was a fixture in the NASCAR media center at racetracks almost every week.
He had a reputation for being tough, but fair. And always having his facts straight. David was highly respected by NASCAR officials from Brian France on down, as well as team owners, crew members, drivers and fans.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had this to say about Mr. Poole: “David was as much a fixture in this sport as the actual cars themselves.”
David Poole was 50.
NASCAR Must Put Fan Safety First
Safety at All Costs
If NASCAR does not put fan safety first there will be no NASCAR.
After Sunday’s Talladega race Carl Edwards asked the question “What if the car goes up in the grandstands and kills 25 people? Look, at some point they have to change this thing around.”
If that happens it will be a sad day. NASCAR can never let a car go over or through that fence. It would be a certain tragedy for the fans and their families sitting there, and the number would be more than 25.
It was extremely unfortunate that 8 race fans were injured when Carl Edwards No. 99 Ford got airborne and slammed into the catchfence at Talladega Sunday.
Fortunately none of the injuries were serious or life-threatening.
NASCAR promises it will put safety first.
Safety is Job 1
“Safety is, and always will be, NASCAR’s No. 1 priority,” said Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s Vice-president of Corporate Communications. “We are glad that each of the safety devices at Talladega yesterday worked properly, including the roof flaps and the catch fence. As most of you know, we are constantly evaluating safety initiatives.
“We are going to take whatever measures we need to in order to ensure the races are as safe as possible for everyone.”
Cost No Issue
When asked if NASCAR would do so regardless of cost Mr. Hunter simply replied “yes.”
According to fans sitting in the stands where the wreck happened there was a sign attached to the fence. Carl’s car hit the sign and knocked the sign into the stands. NASCAR won’t confirm that.
“I don’t believe it was a piece of the car,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice-president of Competition, but it has not been confirmed; we won’t speculate on what it was.”
The catchfence did its job. The car didn’t go into the grandstands. But 8 injured people is unacceptable.
A tragedy like that would bring scrutiny NASCAR had never seen before. Sponsors and TV networks would shun NASCAR. Lawyers and vultures would start circling. Congress and the President would bring new regulation to the sport.
NASCAR must do everything within its power to assure fan safety and the safety of drivers, crew members and officials.
Keselowski Wins in Wild Talladega Finish
Brad Keselowski Wins in Wild Talladega Finish
Brad Keselowski did exactly what he had to do in the final two laps at Talladega. He tucked his nose under the rear bumper of Carl Edwards’ fast No. 99 Ford and drafted past his mentor and Nationwide series car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr as they came to the white flag, then Keselowski waited until the last possible moment to attempt a pass on the leader.
When Keselowski moved high on the track Edwards moved up to block. Edwards tried to block again when Keselowski moved to the low side – and Keselowski held his line, and held his foot on the gas, while making sure he did not cross Talladega’s double yellow line which would have disqualified him.
Carl Edwards’ block sent him spinning across the nose of Brad Keselowski’s car – then flying backwards into the catchfence in the tri-oval. The car didn’t miss going across the catchfence and into a spectator filled grandstand by much, which reminds us why NASCAR mandates restrictor plates at Talladega. 
“He blocked and I wasn’t going to go below the yellow line,” said Brad Keselowski about the race-winning move. “I felt bad. I was watching Carl wreck in my mirror — but he put himself in that spot. I hope he’s OK!”
Dale Earnhardt Jr had to feel good with the 2nd place run – he would have been even happier to win – but the 2nd place finish should silence a few of the Dale Jr doubters who say he can’t win. Earnhardt’s pit crew stepped up their game, and gained Junior some positions on pit road in the race.
“The 99 and Brad hooked up,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. “They are just a little bit faster and they moved up. They were coming they were catching us and running the middle, and the middle had been a little quicker I guess we showed our hand a little early, maybe a lap or two too early and everybody saw what they was going to have to do if they wanted a shot at winning.”
You would think Junior had actually won the race judging by the big smile on his face when he congratulated Keselowski in Victory Lane.
Brad Keselowski put NASCAR Nation on notice that he is the real deal by capturing his first win in just his fifth Sprint Cup Series start. Keselowski isn’t even running a full-time schedule in Sprint Cup.
The win puts Brad Keselowski in the All Star Race. Keselowski is a future star.
So was this a wild ride at Talladega or what?
Bubba Says Dale Jr Can’t Win
Bubba Says Dale Jr Can’t Win Talladega
Controversial radio shock jock DJ Bubba Clem has called out not just Dale Earnhardt Jr – but the entire Junior Nation.
When Bubba made his predictions for Talladega, he made the statement that “any Hendrick driver can win, except the 88.” He went on to say that “the new car of tomorrow has accentuated that Junior is a mediocre driver.”
Obviously, Bubba hasn’t been paying attention. Dale Earnhardt Jr has 5 wins at Talladega, including 4 in a row at the 2.66 mile Superspeedway, and he almost always runs well there.
So what makes Dale Jr so good at Talladega? “I go in with a real good attitude,” said Earnhardt. “When you go into something with a good attitude you normally get good results.”
“Dad was real good at it. We always just put a little extra attention into those races and those race cars that we took to those tracks. We spent a little more time with them, and we just take it very, very seriously.”
Bubba Clem, better known on the radio as Bubba the Love Sponge, is an outspoken radio personality on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Howard Stern channel. He’s set to be the Grand Marshall for Saturday’s Aarons 312 Nationwide race. I doubt he’ll get a warm reception from Junior’s fans in Talladega
Bubba went on to say that “Dale is on the back side of the learning curve for the COT.”
“One way for Hendrick to figure out whether it’s Junior or not is to give him Chad Knaus,” said Bubba.
If Rick Hendrick wants to put the No. 88 in Victory Lane then swapping Tony Eury Jr and Chad Knaus is not the answer. That will never happen.
Chad Knaus and Dale Earnhardt Jr would never have the chemistry that Knaus and Jimmie Johnson have.
I think Bubba is flat wrong. I am predicting that Dale Jr will win Talladega, and become the 4th different driver from Hendrick Motorsports to win in the last 4 races.
Do you think Bubba is right or wrong?
Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports
$3 Admission to RCR Museum
$3 Admission to Richard Childress Racing Museum
If you’re in the Welcome, North Carolina area this Saturday, April 25, 2009, be sure to stop in and see Chocolate Myers at the Richard Childress Racing Museum.
Chocolate runs the museum, and he’s offering a special price of only $3 for admission in to the museum where you can see Kevin Harvick’s Daytona 500 winning car along with memorabilia and race cars from 6 NASCAR Championships won by Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt.
The museum is always a great stop – but for $3 you can’t pass it up.
Dale Earnhardt Video
Toby Keith’s “Last Ride” — A Tribute to Dale Earnhardt
Here’s Toby Keith’s tribute song to Dale Earnhardt titled Last Ride — set to a video. Enjoy.
Why NASCAR Uses Restrictor Plates
Why NASCAR Uses Restrictor Plates at Daytona and Talladega
With NASCAR heading to Talladega I thought it would be a good time to answer the question of why NASCAR uses restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega.
Watch this video of the last race at Talladega ran without restrictor plates and you’ll understand. Bobby Allison came very close to taking out Harold Kinder, who was flagging the race, and driving into the grandstands.
Had Allison’s car made it the rest of the way through that catchfence there would be no NASCAR today – at least not as we know it.
Dale Jr Truck
Will Dale Earnhardt Jr Race in the NASCAR Truck Series?
No. But that what it looks like with this 1968 Chevy 4X4 pickup truck. Robert, a Dale Jr fan from Las Vegas painted this truck like Juniors National Guard No. 88 Chevrolet.
Robert is selling it because he gets too many questions every time he parks the truck, and people are always taking pictures.
It gets a little too much attention when you drive it to work. It gets even more when you drive it down International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona, or down the strip in Las Vegas.
The truck is pictured here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
See More Photos of this Truck
Teresa Earnhardt Parks 8 Car
Teresa Earnhardt Parks the No. 8
There won’t be a No. 8 car in Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix. That will be the first time the No. 8 has not raced since Dale Earnhardt Jr began driving full time in the the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2000.
The Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing No. 8 has been driven so far this season by Aric Amirola – but a lack of sponsorship has caused the team to park the car, at least temporarily.
If Teresa Earnhardt had worked with Dale Jr just a little bit when he wanted to buy 51% of his father’s race team in 2007 sponsorship would not be a problem. It would be guaranteed.
Instead Teresa let pride stand in her way when she allowed NASCAR’s most popular driver, and it’s most marketable one, walk away.
Ralph Earnhardt’s Number
Junior wanted the No. 8 because it was the car No. his Grandfather Ralph Earnhardt had driven back in the day.
The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt, even drove the No. 8 the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte, his first Cup race.
Teresa Refused to Release Number
But Teresa wouldn’t give the number up unless Dale Jr and Rick Hendrick were willing to write some big checks, even though it was Dale Earnhardt Jr who had built up the goodwill that stood behind the No. 8.
If Teresa Earnhardt had done what it took to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr on board she would have a strong race team today. She wouldn’t have to look for sponsors – the sponsors would be looking for her.
So was letting Dale Earnhardt Jr walk away a smart business move for DEI? I don’t think so.
