Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver, No. 8 Budweiser team:
You’re not given much credit as a road racer, but you’ve had success at Watkins Glen. “Yeah, we’ve done pretty well, more so at Watkins Glen than Sonoma. We were third (in '04) and fifth last year and led some laps. I like racing there and I always have fun. We’re taking the same car we raced at Sonoma. I was real happy with the car even after the transmission blew up on us. When we got back out there, we were still fast as hell. I couldn’t believe how fast we were, even with the car torn up. I told the crew to get this thing fixed and bring it to the Glen. It was the best car I’ve ever had at Sonoma, so I’m pretty excited about what it will feel like this weekend.
How difficult is it for the team as a whole to rebound from such a disappointing day at Indy? “We’ll keep working hard like we’ve been doing all year. We’ve got a good chance to get some points back at Watkins Glen. That’s what we need to stay focused on. We need to go out to win races. We’ve been racing week-to-week pretty much all season, not worrying about what’s ahead or behind.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Watkins Glen:
Previous Nextel Cup Starts: 5
Best Start: 3rd (2004)
Best Finish: 3rd (2003)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 3rd / FIN: 5th / LED: 1 lap
Chassis: #11 (road-course car)
2005 SEASON OVERVIEW: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #8 Budweiser team enter the Indianapolis race weekend 16th in the Nextel Cup point standings. In 21 races this year, the Brew Crew has one victory (Chicago), five top-fives and eight top-10 finishes. Three of those top-10s have come in the last five races.
CHASE WATCH: With five races remaining before the Nextel Chase for the Cup, Dale Jr. is 16th in the point standings, 191 points behind 10th place and 227 points outside of the 400-point window for inclusion into the chase.
JUNIOR AT THE GLEN: Dale Jr. has top-five finishes in each of his last two starts at Watkins Glen, the longest current top-five streak of any driver at the 2.45-mile road course. He led 11 laps in the 2003 race. He has led a total of 21 laps on road courses, all coming in the last four races. He won the Busch Series race at the Glen in 1999.
Race Details:
Sirius At The Glen
Watkins Glen International Speedway / Watkins Glen, N.Y.
2.45-mile road course / 90 laps / 220.5 miles
Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005
TV: TNT, 1:30 p.m. ET start. (Pre-race begins at 1 p.m.)
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio, 1:30 p.m. ET
Bud Pole Qualifying: Saturday, Aug. 13 / noon ET
2004 Winner: Tony Stewart
Budweiser. The King of Beers.
Thanks to Jade Gurss and Mike Davis from fingerprint inc. for sending the race reports and updates.
fingerprint inc. -
-- Anheuser-Busch NASCAR Publicity
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr. / No. 8 Budweiser team
blogs and info: www.fingerprintonline.com
www.Budweiser.com |
