DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP

NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP

DATE: 4/6//2008
RACE: Samsung 500
TRACK: Texas Motor Speedway
START: 1st
FINISH: 12th
POINTS POSITION: 4th (87 points behind leader Jeff Burton)

RECAPPING THE RACE:

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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports

After winning their first pole position of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy team were considered one of the favorites to win Sunday's 500-mile event at Texas Motor Speedway.

The race began under sunny skies and Earnhardt started out strong. He led the first 13 laps before the No. 18 car passed him for the lead. Earnhardt reported his car was so loose in the center and off the corners that he practically was spinning out. He held on waiting for crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the team to make some changes as they discussed strategy on the radio.

The first pit stop was on Lap 30. Earnhardt entered the pits running fourth for four tires, an adjustment to help the handling and fuel. The No. 88 pit crew pulled out an amazing stop and Earnhardt exited pit road with the lead.

Ten laps later Earnhardt radioed to Eury that the changes took effect but now the right rear was trying to come around and he was spinning out. The team pitted on Lap 85 for wedge and air pressure adjustments. Earnhardt went back out onto the track in seventh place. Over the next fuel run the car became a handful for Earnhardt and the No. 88 began to slide backwards through the field. The Impala SS just continued to tighten up making it harder for Earnhardt to compete with the better handling cars for the win.

The team adjusted as much as it could and never gave up, but eventually Earnhardt fell a lap down to the leaders. The team managed to salvage a 12th place finish, one lap down. Although the team was clearly disappointed, they maintained the fourth position in the point standings heading to Phoenix - a track where Earnhardt has scored two wins and Hendrick Motorsports has experienced much success in recent years.

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Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:

"That was a tough one today. We chased the handling on the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy all day. It was real loose early on, and then we tightened it up just too much. Man, I was about spinning out every lap off Turn 3. All you can do is look forward to next week."

QUOTING TONY EURY JR.: "It was a pretty rough day out there for us. Started off, we were way too loose off the corner and in the corner, so we did a couple of adjustments to kind of fix that. It made things better, but pretty much we just kept getting tighter in the center. Then we made a pretty huge adjust to try to go towards what the No. 48 had, and it kind of backfired on us. By that time we were a lap down, and it was too late. Right at the very end of the race, we did something and it really helped a ton -- it was just a matter of it was too late then. We can always put that into our files, and we know what to do next time."

NOTABLE:

- Earnhardt remains fourth in the point standings - 87 points behind the leader.

- Earnhardt led 31 laps and has now led 268 laps this season.

NEXT UP: The No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy team will compete at Phoenix International Raceway on April 12. The broadcast will start at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN radio affiliates.

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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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