EARNHARDT (ON BAD LUCK.): "I think we were good, I just had some bad luck. Every time I would get in the front, some bad luck would take me to the back. Something I would do or something else. But I had a great car; I could run up in the top five all night. I had a great car. My car was ready to go -- just had some circumstances kept moving me to the back." Image Credit: Hendrick Motorsports (2009)
A DAYtona In The Life Of Dale Jr.
Good driver, good car, great racing, bad day for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With a little more than 75 laps to go, Dale Jr. commits an aggressive driving error that takes out ten cars while he was riding on the bottom of the track one lap down to the leaders. The only good news was that even though he was involved, he skated through the melee with no damage to his car.
Brian Vickers was also a lap down and saw Dale Jr. trying to sneak around him on the inside track position. Dale Jr. was pushed beyond the double yellow marker line and could not advance. On the way back on to the racing part of the track, Dale Jr. caught Brian Vickers’ bumper and spun him up the track in front of the field taking out about 10 cars including the best running car of the day driven by Kyle Busch.
Tom Cruise in the crowd before the race. He had the honor of driving the pace car to lead off the race. Image Credit: OSPHOTO via Twitter
Brian Vickers was interviewed after the wreckage was cleared and stated that he felt that Dale Jr. had touched him on purpose. “NASCAR should penalize him” stating that a driver was penalized earlier in the week during the Bud Shootout and the cost assessed by NASCAR was five (5) laps. How come he was not penalized?, asked Vickers.
The truth for Dale Jr. was not having a good time judging many things all race long … mostly in the pits.
Weather threatens to end the race early. Image Credit: dmentd82 via Twitter
The first judgment mistake that happened early in the race was that Earnhardt overshot his pit box. This caused Dale Jr. to have to go back around and pit out of sequence placing him at the back of the field upon the restart.
Raindrops are fallin' on my head ... Image Credit: nascargirls via Twitter
His second judgment mistake happened on the round of pitstops before the Vickers accident. There, Dale Jr. placed his car at a slight angle in the pitbox and had his right front tire on the line. The NASCAR official tried to warn the pitcrew but they changed the right front tire and the official had to penalize Dale Jr. one full lap.
This had Dale Earnhardt Jr. frustrated and working hard to make up his lap before the pending rain came over the track.
Image Credit: Tinaodarby via Twitter
The Daytona 500 Race ended on Yellow Flag/Red Flag Caution due to rain with 48 laps to go.
In an after race interview, Dale Jr. was heard saying, “Vickers should have held his ground” and “My pit sign is pink and everyone else’s is pink – next week we will probably make ours yellow and everyone else will make theirs yellow."
Dale Jr. ended up finishing in 27th position in a field of 43 cars - on the same lap as the winner.
A bad day for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 AMP sponsored Chevrolet.
A good day for open-wheel ChampCar racing veteran AJ Allmendinger driving a Valvoline sponsored Dodge with a 3rd place podium finish in his first Daytona 500.
Matt Kenseth in a DeWalt sponsored Roush Fenway Ford won the race for the driver’s first win and team’s first ever win after 22 tries at Daytona, followed by Kevin Harvick in his Shell/Pennzoil sponsored George/Haas Chevrolet.
After smoking the Shootout field, Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates in a suitable fashion at Daytona International Speedway. Image Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Steps Out, And Steps Up! (UPDATED With YouTube Video)
In the very first professional stock car race of the season, the race that acts as the opening act to a gathering of racing enthusiast on the East coast of Florida, Daytona Speed Weeks 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins pulling away from rival Tony Stewart.
The race known as the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, does not count in the 2008 points championship, allows the top NASCAR teams to tune up for the infamous season opening Daytona 500 (50th year) to be staged this next weekend, February 17, 2008.
Even though the Budweiser Shootout does not award points, it carries a sizeable purse and bragging rights. The bragging rights for Dale Earnhardt Jr. become even greater given the fact that this is the first race he has competed in after leaving the team his late father and stepmother (Teresa Earnhardt) formed and the team where he had his greatest successes – Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). Dale left when he could not secure an agreement with DEI to participate in the management of the future of the team to a greater level.
“Junior” won the race with the drafting help of teammate Jimmie Johnson … after the race's fourth and final caution, set up the green-and-white-checkered finish.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a new look in victory lane after winning the Budweiser Shootout all-star race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Image Credit: The Kansas City Star/Production Affiliate
This excerpted from The Boston Globe –
Earnhardt wins with help from new friends By Michael Vega - Globe Staff / February 10, 2008
Looking to make a favorable first impression with his new Hendrick Motorsports team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won last night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, kicking off Speedweeks 2008 in rousing fashion by holding off runner-up Tony Stewart in a green-and-white-checkered finish.
"What a race. Good job, guys," Earnhardt hollered to his crew over the radio after he crossed the finish line to record his second Shootout triumph. "What a great racecar. This might be a [Daytona] 500 winner and you might not know it."
Car owner Rick Hendrick chimed in, "What a way to start the deal, baby."
Earnhardt made headlines in May when he announced his decision to defect from Dale Earnhardt Inc., ---- But he made an even bigger splash in June when he joined forces with the sport's most dominant team.
Last night, that union paid huge dividends for Earnhardt, who received timely drafting help from his Hendrick teammates, most notably Jimmie Johnson in the final three laps.
"I had a blast," said Earnhardt, who ended a 62-race drought that dated to his victory at Richmond two years ago. "The last few laps, I got some great help from my teammates, but I wouldn't have won the race without Jimmie pushing me. So thanks to him and [crew chief Chad Knaus] for working so hard to get [Johnson's] backup ready." ---- Nine laps into the race, Earnhardt powered his way to the front with a bold inside move on the backstretch and went on to lead the remaining 11 laps before pitting for a scheduled 10-minute intermission before the resumption of racing in a final 50-lap segment. ---- When racing resumed on Lap 28, Toyota driver Dave Blaney, who delivered his car manufacturer its first Cup pole victory last July at New Hampshire, went to the front. Blaney's lead was short-lived when Earnhardt moved back in front on Lap 35.
Earnhardt proceeded to joust with Stewart for the lead, but the driver of the No. 88 car got some timely help in building a commanding lead from Hendrick teammates Gordon and Mears. (Mears's car failed postrace inspection for being too low, the Associated Press reported, and NASCAR planned to look more closely at the car today.) ---- Kurt Busch's brilliant save of his spinning car in Turn 3 brought out the race's fourth and final caution, setting up a green-and-white-checkered finish. After racing Stewart side-by-side, Earnhardt, with Johnson's draft support, took the lead on Lap 69.
"It's hard to beat Dale Jr.," Stewart said. "I mean, he's one of the best restrictor-plate drivers that's ever been, so he learned a lot from his dad. I'm not sure he's not better than his dad now, in all honesty. To run with him and the Hendrick guys, I thought we fought a good fight tonight." Reference Here>>
EARNHARDT (ON BAD LUCK.): "I think we were good, I just had some bad luck. Every time I would get in the front, some bad luck would take me to the back. Something I would do or something else. But I had a great car; I could run up in the top five all night. I had a great car. My car was ready to go -- just had some circumstances kept moving me to the back." Image Credit: Hendrick Motorsports (2009)
Tom Cruise in the crowd before the race. He had the honor of driving the pace car to lead off the race. Image Credit: OSPHOTO via Twitter
Weather threatens to end the race early. Image Credit: dmentd82 via Twitter
Raindrops are fallin' on my head ... Image Credit: nascargirls via Twitter
Image Credit: Tinaodarby via Twitter
