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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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DATE: May 17, 2008
RACE: NASCAR Sprint All Star Race
TRACK: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
START:11th
FINISH: 8th
POINTS POSITION: This event was not a points race. Earnhardt remains third in the driver standings for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team finished eighth in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race but chalked up the event as extra preparation for the 600-mile event this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The all-star event consisted of four 25-lap segments. Kasey Kahne, voted into the contest by fans, won the caution free-race.
Earnhardt started the Saturday night race in the 11th position and moved up quickly. He finished fifth in the first segment and said the car was loose in the center of the corner and tight off. The team made an air pressure adjustment during the first pit stop. When the second segment started, Earnhardt was fifth and moved up to second to finish the second segment. The team made more chassis adjustments during the 10-minute break, where Earnhardt was able to get out of the car and cool off for the sprint to the finish. He took the lead in the third segment and led 14 laps before being overtaken by Greg Biffle. Earnhardt and Matt Kenseth then put on a great show for the fans as they engaged in a fierce battle for second place. Earnhardt came into the pits in second place at the end of the third segment and almost spun out taking the yellow flag at the end of the segment. The car became very loose, and Earnhardt asked crew chief Tony Eury Jr. to make some changes.
During the pit stop between the third and fourth segments, the team went out back onto the track in 12th place. The No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet took four tires and fuel. Earnhardt drove hard, but was only able to make it back to eighth-place to finish the event.
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
ON THE RACE: "I was pretty happy with the car. That last run I thought we did the right thing getting tires, and I still think we did the right thing. Our car wasn't quite as good as it needed to be at the end, and even if I had been up front, I don't know how the car would have reacted. It was so loose at the end, I couldn't go. I was just kind of hanging on. I'm glad it's in one piece cause it's a pretty good little race car, and I love the paint job. Hope Mr. (Harry) Ranier and Mr. (Buddy) Baker were proud of us for running it, and congratulations to Kasey (Kahne) -- he did a good job. They did a pretty clever strategy, and it worked out great for them."
ON WHAT HE LEARNED FOR THE 600-MILE RACE: "We learned we've got some problems to fix, and I hope we will figure out how to get them fixed. The car is pretty close though. I'm looking forward to next week. It's going to be a long race. I'll tell you one thing I was surprised about was how much my car changed from the start of the run to the end of the run in 25 laps. I would go from real tight to real, real loose, and we're going to have to run 60 laps in the 600 on gas, and you will be hanging on for dear life. It should be a real tough, tough 600. Probably tougher than any other one any of us has ever ran."
NOTABLE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 14 laps throughout the event.
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25. The race will air live on FOX at 5:00 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race recap.
Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports.
Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing
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