Tag Archives: Greg Ives

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wanted to Step Away on his Own Terms, Announces 2017 will be Final Season

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. answers questions from the media during a press conference to announce his retirement from NASCAR after the 2017 season at the Hendrick Motorsports Team Center on April 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Mike Comer/Getty Images

More than anything, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to be the master of his own destiny.

In announcing his retirement from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing on Tuesday at the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, Earnhardt described his primary motivation during months of physically and emotionally exhausting rehabilitation from a concussion that sidelined him from the final 18 races of the 2016 season. Continue reading →

Passion to Race Drives Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Return to the Track

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. felt “wobbly” and didn’t know why.

In his motor coach last July at Kentucky Speedway, Earnhardt felt the first hint of the concussion symptoms that would keep him out of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the last half of the 2016 season.

He voiced his concerns to fiancée Amy Reimann. Continue reading →

Alex Bowman Delighted with his Run in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car

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Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Even though his dreams of a career-first top-ten finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ended in a wreck against the frontstretch wall, Alex Bowman couldn’t conceal his elation.

Alex Bowman, 23, was subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was sidelined for Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms earlier in the week.

And though Bowman had 71 Cup starts to his credit before Sunday’s race, none of them came in equipment remotely comparable to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet he drove in Earnhardt’s stead. Continue reading →

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Overachieves for Runner-Up Finish at Pocono

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Photo - Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

Approximately halfway through the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final green-flag run on Monday at Pocono Raceway, crew chief Greg Ives radioed to driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“The 41 (leader Kurt Busch) needs to save (fuel) to make it. We do not. Go get him!”

But over the closing laps, the handling of Earnhardt’s car tightened up, and he was unable to track down Busch, even though the eventual race winner was in fuel-conservation mode.

Earnhardt thought he could have been more effective in keeping Busch behind him after the final restart. Continue reading →

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Captures Sixth Career Sprint Cup Victory at Talladega

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It’s a toss-up which is greater, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s passion for Talladega Superspeedway or the Talladega fan base’s passion for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On a glorious afternoon, Earnhardt offered a one-word order to his team over the radio, a message that could be shared with the thousands of his devotees in the stands: Continue reading →