DALE EARNHARDT JR. / DRIVER, #8 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET:
“We need a good run this weekend to get back in the groove. We lost a little momentum the past few weeks, but I think we can get it turned back in the right direction at Richmond. It’s been a good track for us. We tested there a few weeks ago and learned a lot. Obviously testing at night was beneficial, and hopefully we can go there with a good top-five car and have a chance to win. The track is in really good shape, it’s fun to go around, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Will it be more competitive since most teams tested at Richmond:
“Yeah, but probably more so in qualifying than the race. We all have our own agendas when it comes to testing. We go in knowing what we need to get better at, and what we want to try. That’s not necessarily the same as other teams. With the new testing policy and the fewer test dates, we have to really use our time wisely in these tests, so I’m sure everyone did that and we’ll see a good race this weekend. I still think that when it all pans out, there will be a couple of guys who really have some things figured out and will be hard to beat.”
The No. 8 Bud Team at Richmond:
Previous Starts: 13
Best Start: 2nd (May 5, 2002)
Best Finish: 1st (twice, most recently May 15, 2004)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 27th / FN: 14th
Last Time at Richmond: ST: 29th / FN: 20th
This Week’s Bud Car: #10 (last used two weeks ago at Phoenix)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #8 Budweiser team are eighth in the Nextel Cup point standings, 274 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson and 90 points out of fifth place. Dale Jr. has two top-fives and three top-10s in nine races in 2006. The #8 Bud car has led three races this year for a total of 41 laps.
Richmond Riches: Richmond has been one of Dale Jr.’s more successful tracks, including two Cup victories (one of four tracks where he has multiple Cup wins). In 13 Cup starts, he has six top-fives, eight top-10s, and an average finish of 10.07. His first Cup career top-10 finish took place at Richmond in Sept. 1999, and his second career victory in May, 2000. He has three victories in Busch Series events at Richmond, including his first victory as a car owner when he won the Busch Series race in a Chance 2 race car in 2002.
Race Details:
Richmond 400 / Race No. 10 of 36 in the Nextel Cup Series
Richmond International Raceway / Richmond, Va.
.750-mile tri-oval, 400 laps, 300 miles
Saturday, May 6, 2006
TV: FX, 7:30 p.m. ET start (coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET)
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, May 5 / 6 p.m. ET (live coverage on SPEED Channel)
2005 winner: Kasey Kahne
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
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