Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver, No. 8 Budweiser team:
“Short track racing is like walking through a minefield. You have to watch every move and be completely aware of what's going on around you. If you give the guy in front of you some room, you'll get booted from behind. We've been good (at Martinsville) the last few years, and we’ve done everything but win. It seems like there are usually a few long green-flag runs at Martinsville, and I've always been lucky enough to take advantage of having a car that is better on the long runs. We need good pit stops, because track position is so important. If we get all those things clicking, we have a shot at winning.”
On finishing the final five races of the season:
“If I can avoid crashin’ the car, we’ll be OK. At Talladega and Kansas, we were in wrecks pretty early, and at Charlotte, the tire exploded and we hit the wall. But looking forward to the rest of the year, Tony (Eury) Jr. is one of the best guys in the garage as far as setting the cars up at this point. I’ve got some great opportunities to win races, so I’m excited.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Martinsville Speedway:
Previous Nextel Cup Starts: 11
Best Start: 2nd (twice, most recently April 13, 2003)
Best Finish: 3rd (twice, most recently April 18, 2004)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 3rd / FIN: 33rd
Last Time at Martinsville: ST: 26th / FIN: 13th
Chassis: #39
BUDWEISER QUICK NOTES: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #8 Budweiser race team enter the Martinsville race weekend 20th in the Nextel Cup point standings. In 2005, Dale Jr. has one win (Chicagoland Speedway), six top-fives and 11 top-10s in 31 starts.
JUNIOR AT MARTINSVILLE: Dale Jr. has five top-5 finishes in his last seven races at Martinsville Speedway, and has led a total of 452 laps at the tightest track on the circuit. Dale Jr. has qualified in the top-10 in eight of his last nine races at the Virginia short track.
SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: In 2004, Dale Jr. scored more points (924) on short tracks (less than one mile in length) than any other driver for the third consecutive year, posting two victories and four top-10s. Junior has finished 14th or better in eight of his last 10 races at venues less than a mile in length.
Race Details:
Subway 400 / Race No. 32 of 36 in the Nextel Cup Series
Martinsville Speedway / Martinsville, Va.
.5-mile oval / 500 laps / 250 miles
Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005
TV: NBC, 1 p.m. ET start. (Countdown to Green pre-race show begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio
Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, Oct. 21 / 3 p.m. ET (SPEED Channel)
2004 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Budweiser. This is Beer.
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 |
