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PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR.
(NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
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VENUE: MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 15 OF 36)
DATE: JUNE 15, 2008 (200 LAPS, 400 MILES)
*****
AT MICHIGAN: In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded two top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has completed 98.7 percent of all laps (3,246 of 3,288) and led 110.
THIS SEASON: Earnhardt has posted six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 2008. Only three other drivers have posted as many top-10 finishes in the 14 Sprint Cup events held thus far this season.
MICHIGAN CHASSIS: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-488 for Michigan. This car was raced last at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race where Earnhardt led 14 laps and finished eighth. The team also tested this car at Pocono Raceway.
LESS THAN A MONTH TO 'RIDE WITH DALE JR.': There is less than one month remaining for consumers to secure their chance to "Ride with Dale Earnhardt Jr." at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. To enter, purchase a can of AMP Energy drink and find the code found on the bottom, log onto www.AMPEnergy.com and register. The first 70,000 names will be included on the paint scheme of Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet, and AMP Energy also will include each person who signs up by the July 1 deadline by featuring additional names on Earnhardt's pit wall banner, car cover and other areas around Talladega Superspeedway during the Oct. 5 AMP Energy 500 weekend.
ARE YOU OLD SCHOOL, NEW?: The Old School, New School promotion, which runs from May 19 through Aug. 11, gives consumers the chance to win "Cars, Kicks and More" and then choose their old school or new school prize, like a 2009 Corvette or a vintage one. To enter, fans must enter the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy, Mountain Dew or Sobe drink purchase. Consumers can learn more about the challenge by visiting www.oldschoolornew.com.
AMP YOURSELF ON FACEBOOK: AMP Energy has posted a link on www.facebook.com where members of JR Nation can get together in a social network and post photos of themselves getting AMP'd. By logging on to www.facebook.com/AMPEnergy, Dale Jr. fans can post photos and connect with other Earnhardt fans.
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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS (ON MICHIGAN.): "We haven't run there with the new Chevy Impala yet so there aren't many notes to fall back on. It's fun. It's a big track. I think running the new car will be interesting because I have no idea what to expect."
EARNHARDT (ON THE SUMMER STRETCH OF THE SPRINT CUP SCHEDULE.): "My goal is to keep some sort of consistency going. I hated what happened at Dover (Del.) with that early wreck for my team. Same kind of thing happened in California where we wrecked so early and just had to ride for the rest of the day. That isn't good for anyone. I want to get to where we're finishing consistently every weekend. We're capable; we just need it to happen."
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS: (ON RUNNING AT MICHIGAN.): "The biggest challenge with the way the races have been going here lately is a lot of fuel mileage calculations. I think at Michigan, being the first time for the Impala SS, fuel mileage is going to be a big deal. You don't want to get taken out of the race by being on the wrong sequence with somebody. That's what we're going to really pay attention to when we get there. Years ago, that's the way it was at Michigan. You just race and then, during the last 50 laps, hopefully your fuel mileage is right. That's what we're going to shoot for."
EURY (ON THE TEAM'S MICHIGAN STRATEGY.): "The biggest thing about Michigan is you really have to be on top of your game. The first practice is real early in the morning when everything is real cool, and then the next one is mid-afternoon when it's hot and slick, so you can dial yourself out right quick. Weather does affect that track. It's very weather sensitive, and as more and more cars run on it, it gets tighter and tighter as the weekend goes. You've got to have a car that's adjustable and you can do stuff with."
EURY (ON THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING WELL AT MICHIGAN.): "It's important, especially with this car. This car is a lot more aero-dependent. The track is plenty wide. Guys can get away from each other, but it's going to stir the air up so much you're going to have a hard time. Track position is going to be key there. If you're out front, you can get in clean air and run about three-to-four tenths faster than the guy that's in second. That's going to be a big deal. But there's going to be a lot of green-flag racing there. If you can qualify up front, you'll be there and you can get ahead of the game."
EURY (ON DALE EARNHARDT JR.'S PERFORMANCES AT MICHIGAN.): "We've had some awesome runs there. We just don't have it on paper to show it. We've qualified well there. We've run excellent in the race, led a lot of laps. But it just seems like we have a tire go down at the end of the race, are on the wrong fuel-mileage sequence or might make the wrong call and put two tires on when everybody else took four. There's always some kind of bug that's bit us. But we enjoy going there. We look forward to going to Michigan, and we'll see what happens."
*****
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com
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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