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DALE EARNHARDT JR. NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET POST-RACE RECAP/CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY DATE: July 10, 2010 START: 25th FINISH: 23rd POINTS POSITION: 13th RECAPPING THE RACE: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, worked with a loose-handling car en route to finishing 23rd in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Earnhardt holds the 13th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings. He trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by a mere 15 points with seven races remaining till the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The Kannapolis, N.C., native lined up 25th for Saturday’s 267-lap event, which opened under a warm, sunny sky. After the green flag dropped, Earnhardt reported the No. 88 Chevrolet had developed a loose-handling condition. Earnhardt was running 23rd on Lap 37 when the first caution flag was waved, and crew chief Lance McGrew called his driver down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to the green-and-white No. 88 Chevy. When the field went back to green-flag racing on Lap 43, Earnhardt was scored 20th on the scoring pylon. Earnhardt once again reported a loose-handling condition during the middle stages of the race, but maintained his footing inside the top 25. McGrew, Earnhardt and the No. 88 team continued to work to get the car dialed in with a handful of modifications. The fourth caution flag waved on Lap 179, and Earnhardt, running 18th at the time, made his way down pit road. The crew bolted on four fresh tires, made air pressure and a chassis adjustment and added fuel. Quick work by the crew sent Earnhardt back to green-flag racing on Lap 189 in the 18th position. Despite the adjustments, Earnhardt continued to struggle with the handling. With green-flag pit stops approaching, McGrew called his driver down pit road on Lap 223 to make one last attempt at tightening up the handling. After making a series of adjustments, Earnhardt was scored 26th when the field cycled through on Lap 236. The 35-year-old driver picked up three positions during the closing laps and crossed the finish line 23rd. ***** 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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