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Earnhardt Jr. Wins Again
Bud Car Leads Final 31 Laps to Become
First Repeat Winner of 2000 Season
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed his second career Winston Cup victory Saturday night in the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. In just his 16th career start, Earnhardt Jr. became the first driver to win twice in 2000, breaking a string of ten winners in ten races. Earnhardt Jr. scored his first career Winston Cup victory at Texas Motor Speedway April 2 in only his 12th Cup race. With the victory, Earnhardt Jr. moved from 22nd to 17th in Winston Cup points.
The Key Moment:
The final pit stop of the race on lap 363 (of 400 laps) brought Earnhardt Jr. into the pits in second position behind race leader Tony Stewart. When the two drivers left their pit stalls, they made contact, damaging the right front of Earnhardt's car and cutting the left rear tire on Stewart's machine. Earnhardt Jr. was able to continue, but Stewart was forced to pit again to change the tire.
Earnhardt Jr. lined up for the final re-start in second position behind his father and team owner Dale Earnhardt. With sparks flying from the No. 8 Budweiser car in the corners, Earnhardt Jr. aggressively pulled alongside and passed his father to take the lead for the first time on lap 369. The damage on the front fender of Dale Jr's car caused the handling to deteriorate, but he was able to hold off a furious bid by Terry Labonte in the final laps to take the win by a margin of .159 seconds.
Dale Junior's Quotes:
"The key to this one is the Budweiser crew. I'm proud to take it to victory lane for them because they deserve it. We did not have the best car out there - but they were great on the pit stops, plus they made the right choices to make the car better throughout the race. We dropped back at one stage (Earnhardt Jr. dropped to as low as 13th position on lap 125), but they made the car better every time we made a pit stop.
About the contact with Stewart:
"He didn't give us a whole lotta room. The 60 car (Todd Bodine) was sticking out in front of me, and I was as close to his guys (the No. 60 pit crew) as I could be without hitting them. Our car was damaged and it did hurt the nose, but I feel bad that Tony had a flat tire - he had the best car out there."
About being greeting in Victory Lane by his father:
"He told me he loved me, but that he was leaving so I needed to find my own ride home!"
About winning his second race so soon:
"I'm just a 25-year-old trying to make a buck. I haven't been around long enough to fully appreciate what this Budweiser team has done, but I'm sure in a few years we'll look back and realize what we have accomplished here. I'm surprised a little that it's me winning as a driver - but I'm not surprised that this team is winning. All of the people around me are working so hard and making the right decisions. I can't do it without a good motor and I can't do it without a good car. They make me look good."
About the last ten laps with Terry Labonte challenging for the lead:
"My car was getting a little tight so I was not able to get off of the corners as fast, and the 5 car (Labonte) was reeling me in. I knew he was coming and I didn't know his intentions. He's tough and doesn't make any mistakes. I think the fact that I had won a race before made it tougher for him to pass me. I think I've earned some respect from these guys."
About striving for a consistent season:
"Consistency is our next step. The Bud car has been strong at every track but we've just had some bad luck and I've made some mistakes. We had a third or fourth-place car tonight but we found a way to get it into victory lane. We need to figure out how to make those correct decisions every week."
About the team's post-race plans:
"We've got a lot of celebrating to do. We have a weekend off and the Budweiser's going to taste real good this week!"
Crew Chief Tony Eury Sr. about the victory:
"Well, we've got guys that have worked hard. We've about killed 14 guys getting here! I think they've had one day off since January 2, racing each weekend and then working hard at the shop. We've had a few cars crashed and that makes it more difficult on the guys, but they've busted their butts. It's a confidence deal: we gotta believe in him (Dale Jr.) when he tells us what the car is doing, and he's gotta trust us completely when we make changes to the car."
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Pontiac Excitement 400 Race Notes
'The Streak'
Earnhardt Jr. began the race from the fifth starting spot - his 8th top ten start in 11 races this season. His average starting position is the best among all Winston Cup drivers.
The Rookies
Earnhardt Jr. was the top-finishing rookie for the fourth time this season. Aided by ten bonus points for winning, Earnhardt Jr. moved to within one point of Matt Kenseth in the rookie-of-the-year point standings. Kenseth has 133 points to Earnhardt Jr's 132.
What's Next:
The Winston (All-star non-points race)
Concord, NC
May 20, 2000
7:00 pm Eastern (Saturday evening)
TNN
Budweiser NASCAR Publicity |
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