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PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR. (NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET) VENUE: PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL) CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 8 OF 36) DATE: APRIL 18, 2009 (312 LAPS, 312 MILES) ***** AT PHOENIX: In 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored two wins, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He won back-to-back races in 2003 and 2004, when the venue hosted one event during the season. Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet Impala SS, has led 397 laps around the track. POINTS CHECK: After Earnhardt's 20th-place finish at Texas two weeks ago, he maintains the 16th-place position in the Sprint Cup standings. The 34-year-old driver trails 12th-place Jeff Burton by 67 points. CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-490. Earnhardt lined up fifth and finished sixth at Phoenix last November with this chassis. HENDRICK AT PHOENIX: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has six wins, 21 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s in 25 races (87 entries) at Phoenix International Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports has earned at least one top-five finish in 15 events and at least one top-10 finish in 23 races at the track. ON A ROLL: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won four straight races at Phoenix International Raceway, with Jimmie Johnson visiting Victory Lane during the last three events. Jeff Gordon won the April 21, 2007, contest after starting from the pole position. During the last eight races at the track, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have claimed five victories and five pole positions. AFTER THE FIRST SEVEN: In the season's first seven Sprint Cup races, Hendrick Chevrolets have earned two wins, eight top-five finishes,16 top-10s and led 30.6 percent of the laps driven in 2009 (721 of 2,354 laps). GO FISH: On April 22, Eury and the No. 88 team will enjoy a morning of fishing on Mountain Island Lake near Charlotte, N.C., for the third annual National Guard FLW/NASCAR joint event. The No. 88 crew will fish with professional FLW bass anglers and compete against the Nos. 5 and 24 Hendrick Motorsports teams. GET IN GEAR: AMP Energy is kicking off the first 10 weeks of the 2009 racing season by giving fans a chance to win unique Earnhardt merchandise and VIP trips to the Nov. 1 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. To play, fans should visit www.AMPEnergy.com and enter the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy beverage can. ***** DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON HIS FAVORITE PHOENIX MEMORY.): "I won there a couple of times. We've had some pretty neat finishes and real dominant race cars when I won those races. It's a hard track to win at, and it's a long ways from home. Any time you travel that far and get a good finish, it makes it worthwhile." EARNHARDT (ON IF PHOENIX FITS HIS DRIVING STYLE.): "I tend really to feel more comfortable on tracks that are in North Carolina or close to home. Phoenix is fun because it's different -- the way the corners are different from each other." TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON PHOENIX.): "Phoenix is unique. It's got a lot of banking when you go down into Turn 1. It's got a little dogleg in the back straightaway and then the other corner is really, really flat. You've got two obstacles there that you have to overcome. We have to have a soft flat-track package to get through Turns 3 and 4 to make it turn really well there, and then you drive down into a bank where you need spring and you need shocks. You always have to give up one or the other. You have to pick which part of the track you want to be good at." EURY (ON NIGHT RACING.): "I think there is always a little more excitement in during a night race and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) seems to be a little more pumped for night racing. The cars look pretty cool under the lights. It reminds us of what we grew up doing and racing on Saturday nights. It's always nice to have a Sunday home even though you are getting home around 4 in the morning." ***** 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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