Photo – AMS
If it were up to the world’s best stock car drivers, race tracks would never be resurfaced.
In fact, faced with the final race on old pavement at Atlanta Motor Speedway — Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 — Dale Earnhardt Jr. facetiously suggested on Twitter that he and his compatriots hold some sort of memorial for the soon-to-be-jackhammered old asphalt. Continue reading
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 26, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Returning to action from a concussion that sidelined him for the second half of the 2016 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading Sunday’s Daytona 500 at the halfway point, having passed Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson for the top spot on lap 97 of 200.
But both Earnhardt and Johnson were off-cycle on pit stops, and a trip to pit road was imminent. What Earnhardt needed was a caution.
What Earnhardt didn’t need was to be part of the wreck that caused the yellow.
On lap 105, Earnhardt was trailing a trio of Toyotas into turn three when Kyle Busch spun as his right rear tire deflated. Earnhardt tried to steer around the wreck but clipped the rear of Busch’s Toyota, severely damaging the right front suspension of Earnhardt’s Chevrolet. Continue reading
His car damaged in a wreck on the backstretch and held together with tape, Kurt Busch grabbed the lead on the final lap of the 59th Daytona 500 on Sunday and took the checkered flag in the Great American Race as a capstone to a checkered career that has trended upward since Busch joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.
In a race that featured the first test of a new three-stage race format in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—and featured enough twisted sheet metal to keep fabricators busy for a month—Busch surged to the front with a run around the outside when more than half the vehicles in an 11-car lead draft sputtered and ran short on fuel.
Having pushed other drivers to victory in the 500 on three previous occasions, Busch took the prize himself this time, finishing 0.228 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney, who came from the rear of the lead pack on the final two laps. Continue reading
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team return to action for 500 miles over 200 laps in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 26, 2017. FOX will start their coverage at 1 pm ET with a green flag around 2 pm ET and radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
He’s Back. Dale Jr. Set To Return At Daytona
After missing the final 18 races of the 2016 season Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to his No. 88 Chevrolet for Sunday’s 59th running of the DAYTONA 500.
Earnhardt, a two-time DAYTONA 500 winner, qualified second for Sunday’s race, a mere 0.002 seconds behind Chase Elliott. In 34 total starts at “The Birthplace of Speed,” he has four wins, 13 top fives and 19 top-tens. Continue reading
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, prepares to practice for the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
In Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran 30 laps at Daytona International Speedway, second only to the 36 posted by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne.
The No. 88 team changed from a qualifying engine to the race engine after practice on Friday, a practice customary at the Daytona 500. But Earnhardt found his car less responsive with the new engine; in addition, the car developed a slight vibration that led to the team changing drive shafts in the car. Continue reading