DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP

NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP

DATE: 5/10/08
RACE: Dodge Challenger 500
TRACK: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
START:2nd
FINISH: 4th
POINTS POSITION: 3rd

Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports

RECAPPING THE RACE:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team raced a retro paint scheme at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway this weekend. The Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet paced practice sessions throughout the weekend and missed setting the track qualifying record by a fraction of a second. Earnhardt started the 500-mile event from the outside pole position.

At the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt was fast. His No. 88 rocketed to the lead, bringing the sold-out crowd of 75,000 to its feet. At Lap 17, Earnhardt started to have some handling issues, and the No. 18 car took the lead. The change in handling -- from the practice sessions to the race -- perplexed Earnhardt. But the team worked hard, and Earnhardt held steady in the top 10 .

With only eight cautions in the race -- four of which were for debris -- there were many green flag pit stops. That eased the minds of the drivers who were concerned about the new pavement at Darlington. Most found it hard to pass, so track position was important. After numerous pit stops and chassis adjustments, Earnhardt resumed the lead on Lap 142. He led until Lap 159 when the No.16 of Greg Biffle took over. Earnhardt settled into third in the running order and worked his way into the lead for one more lap before eventual race winner Kyle Busch passed him on Lap 304.

The remainder of the race Earnhardt said the car was too loose. Over the course of the race, he brushed the wall at least three times giving the No. 88 Chevy a signature 'Darlington Stripe'.

Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports

The team finished fourth for its fourth top-five of the season, and eighth top-10. Earnhardt ranks third in the driver standings.

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:

"We had a real good car all weekend, and when the race started, I knew we weren't exactly like we had been. Tony Jr. (Eury) told me right after the race we had changed a lower A-Frame and that might have changed how the car rolled over and traveled and stuff and handled. We were off a little bit all night. Track position was everything; you could not pass, period. That was the worst I have ever seen it as far as trying to be able to pass. But, I have to hand it to my team. They worked hard. We worked hard and we finished top-five. I am pretty happy with that."

NOTABLE:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led four times for 35 laps. This was Earnhardt's fourth top-five finish of the season.

NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race in the Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday. The race will air live on Speed Channel at 7 p.m., ET.
racetrack

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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