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DALE EARNHARDT JR. NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/ NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET POST-RACE RECAP / ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY DATE: March 8, 2009 RACE: Kobalt Tools 500 START: 20th FINISH: 11th POINTS POSITION: 24th RECAPPING THE RACE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed through the field during Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and almost recorded his second top-10 finish of the season, taking 11th place in the fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of the season. Earnhardt worked with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. to get the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Impala SS dialed in, and perseverance kept the team in the hunt all race long. The Kannapolis, N.C., native improved five spots in the driver standings to take 24th. He trails 10th-place Greg Biffle by 83 points. In qualifying Friday afternoon, Earnhardt toured Atlanta's quad-oval in 30.049 seconds (184.499 mph), logging the 20th-fastest time of the session. During the opening laps, Earnhardt informed Eury the No. 88 Chevy was suffering from a “really tight” condition in traffic -- a statement that set the tone for the 500-mile race. Eury called for a moderate air pressure adjustment during the team's first pit stop on Lap 13, but it became clear during the ensuing green-flag run there was more work to be done. Earnhardt combated the handling issue and climbed the leaderboard. He improved from his 20th starting spot to 12th by Lap 46. Green-flag pit stops began on Lap 63, and Earnhardt surrendered his 11th-place position to make his way down pit road. The crew bolted on four fresh tires, made an air pressure adjustment and gave the No. 88 Chevy fuel. As he made his way off pit road, the caution flag waved in an effort to protect another team's crew member who chased a wayward tire down pit road. The No. 88 team, along with most of the field, was scored one lap down from the leaders on the restart. Despite the handling issue, the 34-year-old driver cracked the top 10 and returned to the lead lap by Lap 102. Earnhardt was running 12th with four laps remaining in the 325-lap event, when the caution flag was waved for the 11th time, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Eury brought his driver down pit road one last time for four fresh tires and sent him back to the action. Quick work by the crew netted one position on pit road, and Earnhardt held on to cross the finish line in 11th. QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.: EARNHARDT (ON SUNDAY'S RUN.): "We struggled all day; we just can't struggle. I look at my teammates, and they are running better. We should run the way they run. It is frustrating for me and the team. The only thing you can do is keep working. We fought all day long and tried to make it better. This weekend off will be good for everybody."  ***** Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports. Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing ***** Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com |
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