Monster Energy NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (L) laughs with crew members in the garage during NASCAR testing at Phoenix International Raceway on January 31, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona.
Photo – Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Last Tuesday, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers headed west to Phoenix International Raceway for testing. Among the teams showing up was Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
This was Earnhardt’s first time behind the wheel of his race car since taking time off for concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him late last season. So test day at Phoenix was, perhaps no so surprisingly, exciting from that perspective and his team was happy to have him back in the No. 88.
“It’s been a while,” said Earnhardt about testing at Phoenix. “You know, you miss the camaraderie, the work, the friendships I have with my road crew. I think they miss me, so that makes you feel good. They seem excited that we’re working together and we’re back together. So when you get out there and you put laps down, the communication is right there – we’re communicating really good.”
After running some laps, Earnhardt is feeling good about his car and racing at the track with some motivation to come back and win.
“I do like racing at Phoenix and it’s been a great track for us,” continued Earnhardt. “But the last couple of runs for us our car’s been great. So I’m really looking forward to getting here and knowing we have a good speed and trying to build on that so we can win these races when we come back. That’s been the focus and the challenge – what keeps motivating us, I guess is the right word to say.”
And although he’s excited about being back behind the wheel, Earnhardt admits that after racing every week for 20 years, testing is a bit boring. At the same time he clearly understands why focus in important for himself and his team.
But testing, when you’re racing every single week for 20 years and you have a test here and there, it gets kind of boring,” he continues. “I’m not going to lie. But you’ve got to understand what your objectives are, try and motivate yourself. Learning everything that you can learn, being an asset to the team. If you’re sitting on your phone and you’re playing around – you need to talk to your crew chief and discuss with him and listen to what they’re talking about. Be a part of the team when you’re here. You lose sight of that at times. You get lazy. So I’m excited. I’m happy that we’re here. The car’s good. We’ll see how it goes.”
Before heading back to Phoenix, the NASCAR Cup Series teams will be racing the Monster Energy Clash next Saturday, February 18th, followed by Daytona 500 qualifying on February 19th. The Can-Am Duels will take place at Daytona International Speedway on February 23rd with the Daytona 500 season opener event on Sunday, February 26th.
Cup teams will also race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 5th and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12th before heading back for their Phoenix race on March 19th.