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NO. 88 AMP ENERGY / NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
DALE EARNHARDT JR. - POST RACE RECAP
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POST-RACE RECAP / TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
DATE: Nov. 2, 2008
RACE: Pep Boys Auto 500
TRACK: Texas Motor Speedway
START: 5th
FINISH: 20th
POINTS POSITION: 11th
RECAPPING THE RACE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No .88 AMP Energy/National Guard team took a gamble that didn't pay off on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. After starting fifth and running within the top 20, Earnhardt ran out of fuel with five laps to go and finished 20th.
From the beginning of the race, Earnhardt reported that the car was tight in the center and loose off the corner. The team pitted on Lap 53 for four tires and fuel. After the first pit stop Earnhardt thought his Chevy had a loose wheel, so the team brought the car down pit road on Lap 56 for four new tires. After ascertaining the tires were fine, Earnhardt lined up 16th for the restart.
During the next run, he said the car was too tight. On Lap 118 and under green-flag conditions, Earnhardt brought in his No. 88 Chevy for service. The team put on four tires and made an air-pressure adjustment. The tweaks helped, but during the long run, Earnhardt noted that the car was tight and it wasn't rolling through the center the way he'd like. On Lap 248, the No. 88 team put a spring rubber in the right rear and made a track bar adjustment, sending Earnhardt out in 13th position.
With 20 laps to go, Eury told Earnhardt to conserve three laps of fuel, and the team decided to see if he could make it without another stop. Earnhardt was running in second with five laps to go, when he reported that the car was sputtering. The team pitted immediately for more fuel, but the car stalled twice and the pit crew had to push Earnhardt down pit road. The car re-fired and he joined the race with three laps remaining, crossing the finish line in 20th.
Carl Edwards won the event, with Jeff Gordon second and Jamie McMurray third. Earnhardt is now 11th in the championship standings, one point away from Kyle Busch in 10th.
QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:
"We win as a team and lose as a team, and that's the way it goes sometimes. We took a gamble, didn't have enough fuel, but that's the way it goes. I think if we started conserving sooner it would have worked out."
Photos courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
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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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