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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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POST-RACE RECAP / POCONO RACEWAY
DATE: June 8, 2008
RACE: Pocono 500
START: 7th
FINISH: 4th
POINTS POSITION: Earnhardt remains third in the driver standings for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy team posted their sixth top-five finish of the season, taking fourth at the Pocono 500 on Sunday. Earnhardt and the team were mid-pack in practice sessions but qualified seventh. The team searched for the right setup on Saturday and tried to help Earnhardt with the handling of the No. 88.
After the green flag dropped Sunday afternoon, Earnhardt immediately slipped into the top five, running under the extreme heat at Pocono. On Lap 28, he pitted for the first time under caution and his team addressed the loose-handling issue. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. called for an air pressure adjustment, and the team also put on four tires. Earnhardt was fifth at the restart, and he said the car was turning better as the No. 88 Chevy moved up into the fourth position by Lap 35. On Lap 41, the team took the opportunity to pit again -- this time for four tires and fuel. But pit strategy started to separate some of the field, and Earnhardt found himself in 15th place because a lot of teams took four tires.
Another caution flew on Lap 47 when the No. 18 car of Kyle Busch and the No. 26 car of Jamie McMurray wrecked on the frontstretch. The No. 88 team opted not to pit, and Earnhardt was in 12th at the restart. Earnhardt made his next stop on Lap 58 - this time taking two tires and fuel. The No. 88 Chevy was running in fifth place at the restart.
The handling of the car began to get tight, and Eury and Earnhardt discussed how to fix the car. The solution that seemed to work was track bar and wedge adjustments. A passing rain storm caused a brief rain shower and the field began playing the fuel strategy game. Earnhardt pitted on Lap 121 and fell to 33rd in the running order. He moved his way up quickly but complained of the 'dirty air' in traffic making it difficult to pass. He pitted again on Lap 165 and was able to make it to the end, when only two other cars were able to do so. With 17 to go, Earnhardt was in second place. He held onto fourth place, racing eventual second-place finisher Brian Vickers, third-place Denny Hamlin and fifth-place Jeff Burton.
The team gained on the points leader as they were 272 points out of first place and now they are 145 heading into Michigan, the 15th race of the season.
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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
"We definitely need to run better. We had a good car, the handling went away, but we need to bring our A-game back next week when we head to Michigan. It was hot today - very, very hot and not a fun day. We were pretty good at the start of the race; then I got a little bit loose, then a little bit tight there in the middle part and lost a lot of track position. But we gained it back with a little bit of strategy in the pits. It was pretty hot out there today and but it's going to get hotter in the car the next couple of months. We worked the gas mileage to our advantage."
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 15. The race will air live on TNT at 1 p.m., ET.
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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