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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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POST-RACE RECAP / NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
DATE: Sept. 14, 2008
RACE: Sylvania 300
START: 4th
FINISH: 5th
POINTS POSITION: 4th
RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard team brought home a fifth place finish this weekend in New Hampshire. Qualifying was rained out on Friday so the field was set according to the owner standings. Earnhardt and the team got a full practice session in on Saturday and felt confident going into Sunday’s race that they would be a contender.
Heavy rain on Sunday morning departed in time for officials to dry the track and get the race started on time. Earnhardt started the race in fourth and held that position by Lap 35, when the first competition caution was issued. The team pitted on Lap 36 for four tires. Earnhardt was particularly happy with his Chevrolet, but because four cars in front of him took two tires only, the No. 88 team restarted ninth on Lap 38. Earnhardt passed his way up into the fifth position by Lap 83, when the caution flag was waved for a wreck in Turn 4. Earnhardt reported to crew chief Tony Eury Jr. that the car needed a little help in the right rear, and it was a little tight. The team pitted on Lap 85 for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments. Earnhardt picked up two positions after the 12.72-second pit stop, taking third.
On Lap 89, Earnhardt took the lead. He led 79 laps, but dropped to eighth after pitting under green on Lap 158. During the stop, Earnhardt believed he received a "bad set of tires," and he asked Eury to restore the car to the way it was in the beginning of the race. The team pitted on Lap 215 and made the proper track bar and air pressure adjustments. Earnhardt moved back through the field and finished fifth for his ninth top-five of the season.
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Dover (Del.) International 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
(ON HIS TOP-FIVE RUN.): "It was pretty good. We were real, real good at the start. Got out to lead there. Felt like we were going to be a good car the rest of the day. We put on a set of tires midway through the race. That thing got so loose I couldn't drive it and we lost all these spots. I got to thank my pit crew because they got me a bunch of them back on pit road. They're an awesome bunch of guys. They did a good job today to get us a top-five."
(ON IF HE WAS SURPRISED THE 'BAD SET OF TIRES' AFFECTED HIS CAR.): "No. It seems to be happening to a lot of us. I don't know man. The car was awesome. We were leading the race, we were the fastest car on the track and we put on a set of tires and fell all the way to 10th or whatever. Where are you going to point the finger other than the racing tires we just put on the car. We put on another set and were fine. We went back to good. We just lost all that track position, and it was just too short of a race. One thing I am happy about is my guys got me a lot of spots back on pit road that I lost. It's really, really hard to gain spots on pit road, and they gained a bunch today so I want to thank them for that."
(ON RACING HARD, ESPECIALLY AGAINST JEFF BURTON, WHEN GOOD FINISHES MATTER SO MUCH FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP.): "Well I mean we don't want to wreck each other. I don't want to hit Jeff; I like him. I thought I had him and I slipped a little bit and he got back by me. It was just great, great racing. I hate that I lost a spot though because everyone is important, but it's fun. He's a good racer. He's hard to beat man, just smooth."
(ON HIS QUICK START TO THE CHASE.): "I'll feel good when I'm holding that trophy."
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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