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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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POST-RACE RECAP / DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DATE: Sept. 21, 2008
RACE: Dover 400
START: 10th
FINISH: 24th
POINTS POSITION: 9th
RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy team finished 24th after blowing a right-rear tire early in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Earnhardt was fast throughout the weekend and qualified 10th. But once the green flag dropped, Earnhardt reported that the No. 88 Chevy was tight in the center and loose off the corners. He dropped through the field, and by Lap 65, he was 16th. At this time, the team made its first stop, pitting under caution for an air-pressure adjustment. But the change didn't seem to help the handling, and Earnhardt continued to slide through the field.
On Lap 141, Earnhardt was running 26th when he blew a right-rear tire, which prompted the No. 88 Chevy to spin. The cut tire damaged the sheet metal on the car, and the team spent the next few laps under caution making repairs. When the race restarted, Earnhardt was running a lap down in 36th place.
During the remainder of the race, the team tried to keep Earnhardt comfortable. Handling was an issue given the damage to the car, so the team made the necessary adjustments during each pit stop. Instead of giving up, the team and Earnhardt held on to gain 12 more positions and finish the event in 24th, three laps shy of the winner, Greg Biffle. Even though Earnhardt lost five positions in the points with seven races remaining, he is only 129 points behind and remains optimistic about the team's championship potential.
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Kansas Speedway next weekend. The race will air on ABC at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS – Finished 24th:
(ON KEEPING THE NO. 88 CHEVY OUT OF THE FENCE WHEN THE TIRE WENT DOWN.): "I had a lot of help from my spotter and from Tony (Eury) Jr. I didn't really know where I was on the racetrack. That thing scared me. It sounded like a shotgun going off. By the time I got un-scared, I was a little bit behind on trying to correct it. But it was loud. But, to be honest with you, this track, you can only run on the bottom. If you move to the top, it's just like what we had at Indianapolis. It wears the tire out."
(ON FINISHING 24th.): "Yeah, I really hate how it hurt our points race, but that was the best we could do today. We didn't put the right set-up underneath it. Me and Tony Jr. worked on that direction today, but it was the wrong direction. So, we'll try to rebound next week."
(ON GOOD TESTS PRIOR TO RUNNING AT KANSAS.): "We're going to Charlotte to test this week. I'm optimistic. To be honest with you, when a tire blows like that, I've seen a lot of other teams just give up and ride it out. And we got 10 spots better than I think a lot of other guys would have. We're going to work hard."
Photos courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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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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