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DALE EARNHARDT JR. NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD "HONORING OUR SOLDIERS"/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET POST-RACE RECAP/CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY DATE: May 30, 2010 START: 24th FINISH: 22nd POINTS POSITION: 17th RECAPPING THE RACE: On the 11-year anniversary of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard "Honoring Our Soldiers"/ AMP Energy Chevrolet, crossed the finish line 22nd in the 600-mile event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Unwanted paper landed on the grill of the red, white and blue Chevy just past the halfway point, halting the team's forward progress. Earnhardt lined up his patriotic Chevy 24th for the Memorial Day weekend event. At the drop of the green flag, he radioed crew chief Lance McGrew that he was experiencing a tight-handling condition in the center of the turns, a circumstance the team addressed throughout the event. The first caution flag waved on Lap 61, and McGrew called for four fresh tires and fuel. The team needed additional time on pit road to remove a spring rubber out of the left rear, an adjustment that improved the handling of the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt lined up 23rd for the Lap 66 restart. When the green flag was waved again, Earnhardt continued to encounter handling issues. He was racing in the 24th position when green-flag stops began on Lap 144. McGrew called for four tires, fuel and a round of chassis adjustments. When the field cycled through green-flag stops by Lap 157, Earnhardt was scored in the 23rd position. Just past the halfway mark, Earnhardt notified McGrew that both the water and oil temperatures were running hot and continuing to climb. A piece of paper on the grill was the culprit and wasn't budging. Earnhardt was forced to come down pit road on Lap 245 to remove the debris. The unscheduled trip down pit road put the team one lap down to the leaders and in the 29th position. Fortunately, a round of green-flag pit stops began 20 laps later, putting Earnhardt back on the lead lap. He was running in the 15th position by Lap 300. During the closing laps, Earnhardt continued to struggle with the handling of the No. 88 Chevy, and McGrew decided to attempt a fuel strategy when green-flag pit stops began on Lap 354. Earnhardt took over the lead on Lap 356 with hopes for a caution flag. Unfortunately, the yellow flag never came, and Earnhardt made his way down pit road. He finished the event 22nd. Earnhardt currently ranks 17th in the championship standings. He trails 12th-place Ryan Newman by 54 points. ***** 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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