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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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POST-RACE RECAP / INFINEON RACEWAY
DATE: June 22, 2008
RACE: Save Mart 350
START: 13th
FINISH: 12th
POINTS POSITION: 3rd
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 team paced themselves this weekend at Infineon Raceway and ended Sunday's race with a 12th-place finish.
Earnhardt and the team worked hard on their Chevy all weekend. They made numerous changes and tried many setup combinations throughout practice sessions to find a good balance for the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt did his part on the track, earning a 13th-place start despite making the first qualifying run of the day on Friday. Earnhardt was concerned of the inability to pass on the 1.99-mile road course and felt the team would have to rely heavily on pit strategy and pull out a decent finish.
Once the race began, Earnhardt coasted in the top 15. He said the rear tires were slick off the corners and that the car was tight through the right-handed corners. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said the event would require two pit stops and stuck to it. The team pitted for the first time on Lap 30 under caution. The No. 88 team changed four tires and made an air pressure adjustment. Earnhardt restarted on Lap 32 in 19th place.
During the next fuel run, Earnhardt said the car had better grip overall but he was still chattering the tires and the car was tight. The team pitted on Lap 69 and a caution flag flew on Lap 70. The team restarted the event in 11th place with enough fuel to finish. Three late-race cautions in the final 10 laps delayed the end of the event. The green-white checkered flag finish was a wild one, and Earnhardt fell from ninth to 12th on the final lap after the car in front of him sustained a flat tire.
His Hendrick teammates, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears, finished third and fifth respectively. Earnhardt remains third in points, trailing leader Kyle Busch by 152 behind points.
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. The race will air live on TNT at 12:30 pm. ET.
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com
Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race previews and recaps.
Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports.
Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing
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