Quotes from Dale Earnhardt Jr. / Driver, #8 Budweiser Chevrolet:
"It's always good for me and the team to see the word 'Richmond' on the calendar. It's a place where we've not only had consistent success for a lot of years, but the racing is as much fun as anywhere we go. It's great for the drivers because you can run different lines to suit how your car is handling and that means a lot of side-by-side racing. That's fun and it puts more control in the hands of the driver but it's even more fun for the fans. Racing under the lights makes it even better. I'm anxious to see if we'll have the same kind of race with the Car of Tomorrow. No one has really solved the problem of making these cars get through the corners, and with very little practice time this weekend I hope we're able to put on the same type of show.
About the Virginia Tech tragedy: "It's been a rough couple of weeks for a lot of people in Virginia. I hope we can come in and for at least a few hours help entertain them and let them know we care about what they've been through. When you see the idiots throw stuff on the track at Talladega, you wonder what in the world some fans are thinking, but I think this weekend will reaffirm the positive impact NASCAR can have. I think it will be one of those events where we get together with about 100,000 friends and help the healing process for everyone. I expect it to be a night that makes me proud to be a part of NASCAR and to play a positive role in people's lives."
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Richmond Intl. Raceway:
Previous Cup Starts: 15
Best Start: 2nd (May 2002)
Best Finish: 1st (Three wins: May 2000, May 2004, May 2006)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 10th / FIN: 1st / Led: 47 laps / Career win #17
Top-Five Finishes: 7
Top-10 Finishes: 9
Laps Led: 322 laps led / 8 races led
Top-10 Starts: 6
Average Start: 15.87
Average Finish: 9.93* (*Best average finish of any track)
Career Winnings: $1,768,386
Minutiae: Dale Jr. is the defending champion of this event, as he earned career victory #17 last May... That victory extended a string of scoring at least one victory in seven consecutive seasons - the 15th-best streak in Nextel Cup history... He has won the spring race at Richmond three times in seven tries (2000, 2004, 2006)... Dale Jr's average finish at Richmond is 9.93 - his best average finish of any track on the Cup tour... He scored his first Cup career top-10 here in Sept. 1999... In 2000, his second career victory came in only his 16th start. Dale Jr. remains tied with Davey Allison and Jimmie Johnson for the quickest multiple victories in Nextel Cup history... His three wins at Richmond are second only to his five victories at Talladega...
Primary Chassis this week: #051 -- Chevy Impala SS (Car o’ Tomorrow) This chassis finished seventh at Bristol and 19th at Phoenix.
Race Details:
The Jim Stewart 400 / Richmond International Raceway / Richmond, Va
.75-mile oval / 400 laps / 300 miles
Saturday, May 5, 2006
TV: Fox-TV, 7:00 p.m. ET
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) / Sirius Satellite NASCAR Radio
Online media and fan guide for Dale Earnhardt Jr, and the No. 8 Budweiser team available at www.fingerprintonline.com. (Click on the Budweiser bottle cap.)
Thanks to Jade Gurss 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
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