Dale Jr. Quotes
“If the last 10 laps of the Winston are any sign of the speed we will have this week, everyone had better look out. That was a blast! (The Bud team moved from 20th [lastplace] to 7th in the final 10 laps of the Winston.)
“Charlotte has always been a good track for me and for the team, and we all learned a lot in the last two years about running 600 miles instead of 500. The last 100 miles is incredible: your vision gets blurry and you are so tired that it’s hard to keep your focus on the race. I think we’re a better team and much more consistent by far right now compared to where we were last year, even though we had won some races. We just missed the set-up at the start of the Winston, but we got the car handling like old times by the last 10 laps and I think we can use that knowledge for the 600…”
Budweiser No. 8 Team and Dale Jr. at Charlotte
Previous Races: 3
Best Start: 1st (May, 2000)
Best Finish: 4th (May, 2000)
The Bud team dominated for much of last year’s Coca-Cola 600, finishing 4th after leading 175 (of the 400) laps and earning the Bud Pole with a Winston Cup track record of more than 186 miles per hour. With a new tire compound from Goodyear this season, the track record is expected to stand. In 1999, this race was Dale Jr’s first Winston Cup start. He started 8th and finished 16th.
Dale Jr. Column
Dale Jr’s monthly column “Beyond the Track” will appear this week on NASCAR Online (www.NASCAR.com) and also in this week’s edition of Winston Cup Scene magazine. This week, Dale looks back at some of his favorite “old time” NASCAR memories.
QVC Appearance
Dale Jr. will appear on the QVC Network’s “For Race Fans Only” program this Friday evening from 8 until 10 p.m. Eastern Time, live from Fieldcrest-Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis, NC. The stadium is the home of the Kannapolis Intimidators, a team named for Dale Jr’s father. Fans can tune in for the extended interview as well as a chance to buy all of the official merchandise and collectibles with the “Major League Baseball” paint scheme from the Winston. The Budweiser and MLB logos will be seen together on the car again at the night race in Daytona this July.
Race Notes
What: Coca-Cola 600 / 400Laps / 600 miles / 1.5-mile oval
Race # 12 of 36
Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway / Concord,NC
When: Sunday,May 27 / 5:30pm
Watch: Fox-TV / Pre-race:5:00 pm
(AllTimes: Eastern)
Bud Pole Qualifying: Bud Pole qualifying will be seen live Thursday night at 7:00p.m. Eastern Time on FX. The Winston Cup Happy Hour practice session will also be seen on the FX Saturday afternoon following the Busch Series race.
What to Watch
This is the longest race on the schedule and one of the most prestigious. The race starts late in the afternoon and then into darkness, which makes the ever-changing weather and track conditions yet another variable for the teams to contend with. Last year, the Bud team dominated the race until the last 50 miles, leading 175 of the 400 laps.
Thanks to Jade from BudPR for this information. Jim 8-)
www.Budweiser.com |
