Marlin Wins Again, Earnhardt Jr. Fourth_3/17
 No. 8 Budweiser Team Gain their Best-Ever Darlington Finish,
Top 10 in Points
Sterling Marlin continued his season-long strong performance with a
victory this afternoon in the Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The No. 8
Budweiser team, with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., grabbed a fourth-place finish in the race,
the first time they have finished in the top five at the tough, historic oval. (Their
previous best in any category was a 10th place in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1998.) In a
sign of the growing strength of the younger drivers in the series, Elliott Sadler finished
second while Kevin Harvick was third. Following Dale Jr. across the line were rookies Ryan
Newman and Jimmy Johnson in fifth and sixth. The strong finish for Dale Jr.,
including leading 10 laps late in the race, vaulted him into tenth place in NASCAR Winston
Cup points, a 15-position gain since Las Vegas two races ago. Dale Jr. is only 105 points
out of second-place. Following a second-place finish last week, it marks the third time in
their Winston Cup career the team has recorded back-to-back top-five finishes
(Richmond/Charlotte, 2000 and Richmond/Dover in 2001).
The Key Moment: Dale Jr., starting 23rd, wasted very little time climbing
through the field, barreling into the top 10 in less than 40 laps. Once they were near the
front, the Bud team stayed there with a fast car and blazing pit stops (see Race Notes)
until a pit stop on lap 195 was followed by a yellow flag on lap 196, which stranded them
on the tail-end of the lead lap. Though the team believed they should be waved past the
pace car to re-join the leaders, their misfortune may have been a blessing, as Dale Jr.
missed a major, multi-car accident on lap 227 that took out race leader Tony Stewart and
many of the other front-runners. The final re-start of the race saw Dale Jr. pass Marlin
for the lead on lap 241, but Marlin's car proved to be better in the long run. Sadler and
then Harvick were also able to pass the No. 8 car in the final laps.
Dale Jr's Quotes: "I can't say how much this means for me and for this team
to get a top-five - a top-four - at this track. We have always struggled here and we
usually went home with a beat-up race car. This feels great. (Teammate) Steve Park tested
here and we learned from that, and then yesterday, we decided to try some shocks from
(other teammate) Michael's (Waltrip), and it seemed to work. It was an entire DEI effort.
I like this place a little bit more than I did before, but it's still a hard place to
race. It's hard as hell to keep the car from just crashing into the wall on every
lap."
"We had a good car all day, but just not as good as Sterling (Marlin) and Elliott
(Sadler) on long runs. We knew we were better on short runs, so I tried to get out in
front and maybe get away from them, but as the green stayed out, we knew they'd be able to
catch us. I tried to let them go by and get in behind 'em to save my tires, but I didn't
have anything left in the car or the tires for the last 10 laps. I was just holding
on."
Today's Stats
Started:
23rd
Finished:
4th
Money Won:
$98,542
Points Position:
10th
Laps Led:
One
time for 10 laps.
Best Pit Stop:
Lap
226 / 4 tires and Fuel / 13.61 seconds / Fifth stop of the day
No. 8 Bud Crew Brewin' Up Some Fast Pit Stops
From the first stop to the last, the Bud crew had one of their finest days, averaging less
than 14 seconds (13.93 sec) per four-tire stop. In four yellow flag pit stops, the team
gained an average of four positions per stop.
Best Radio Conversations
Because the team has always struggled at the difficult Darlington track, the relief (or
excitement) of having a fast car could be heard in Dale Jr's voice from early in the race.
He continually referred to the "driving-sideways" style that the treacherous
track creates.
Dale Jr: "Whoa! The cars are sliding a lot more than yesterday when it was
hot. I mean, they're sliding more than I remember here. Coming off of turn two is like
driving a limo on an ice rink…"
Dale Jr. battled with Jimmy Spencer for second place for a number of laps midway
through the race. Spencer's wild style of slipping and sliding, wobbling and wiggling off
of every corner seemed to amuse Dale Jr.
Dale Jr. (in a high-pitched voice, like an announcer at a hillbilly dirt track)
"Whoa! Drive it boy! (referring to Spencer). Look at 'im wheel that sum-bitch!
Damn, that boy is driving it, isn't he?! Didja see him?!"
The adrenaline from the late-race excitement started when the team lost almost an
entire lap in a call by NASCAR that they disputed, followed by the reversal of fortune in
avoiding the major accident. This created an almost stream-of-consciousness comedy act
between Dale Jr. and the team during the long yellow-flag period.
Dale Jr.: "Damn, that's a big mess back there. (Referring to the multi-car
accident.) That 20 car looks beat-up pretty bad. Let me know how Tony (Stewart)
is."
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): "They're gonna take him in to be sure, but I
think he's OK…"
Dale Jr.: "OK, good. Keep me informed. But, hey guys, WHO'S the man!? Damn, I
was wheelin' the hell outta it. We're back in it - we're back in second place. That'll
teach 'em - just don't piss me off! I was upset (about the NASCAR ruling to keep the team
at the back of the lead lap) and I just couldn't calm down. It was all I could do to get
that outta my system. It's funny about how getting mad gets ya a couple of tenths (of a
second) per lap. I mean, I was wide-open!"
Tony Jr. "OK, guys, everyone knows what we need to do… just piss him off
before he qualifies next time."
Dale Jr. "It isn't gonna work now cuz ya told me the plan!"
Tony Jr. (teasing Dale Jr, and referring to the exhaust fan that blows clean,
fresh air into Dale Jr's helmet) "I don't think your carbon monoxide filter is
working…"
Dale Jr. "…or it's working reallllllllllllllllll good! (evil
laugh, as if he's possessed) Ahahahahahah! I just might take it home with
me!"
Tony Jr: "You'll have to cuz' Dale Jarrett blew up." (Junior was
scheduled to ride home in Jarrett's helicopter)
Dale Jr. "Damn, I lost my ride home, so I have to ride in the van with you
guys. I mean, that's cool, but you guys turn the stereo down and ride around like a bunch
o' old ladies."
Tony Jr. (teasing the rock-and-roll lover) "Yeah, I think 105.7 has
bluegrass music on tonight!"
Dale Jr. "Well… Junior, ya know, we're buddies and all, but we're not
THAT good o' friends…"
Tony Jr; "Alright, let's focus on what we need to do here. Let's try to win
this race…"
-Budweiser
Dale Jr. Budweiser Race Preview_3/11
Dale Jr. Quotes for the Dodge Dealers 400
"I'm still learning about Darlington. I know that a lot of the veteran drivers have
an advantage on me and the other young guys because it's a really tough track to get
around for an entire race. We ALMOST had a really good finish there in the last race until
we were wrecked at the end, but even after that, it's tough to be positive and look
forward to a track where you know going in that you're going to struggle with the tire
wear from the start until the finish. It hurts me to be inexperienced there because it's
one of those places where it's really tough to get a good finish." Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Darlington
Winston Cup Starts: 4
Best Start: 10th (Spring, 2000)
Best Finish: 11th (Fall, 2000)
This Race, Last Year: St: 16th
Fin: 34th
The Bud team has not recorded a top-10 finish in its first
four Winston Cup races at Darlington, and Dale Jr. is quite open of his disdain for the
ragged, aging pavement on the historic oval. (Track management made light of his comments
last fall when they presented him with the "Shelly" trophy, mocking his
reference to the jagged bits of seashells that remain on the racing surface.) However, the
team and the young driver had seemingly overcome their feelings during last fall's race.
They were contending for a top-three finish when they were taken out in a multi-car crash
with two laps to go. They also nearly stole the fall race in 2000, when savvy pit strategy
and on-again, off-again rainstorms nearly gave them a victory.
What:
Dodge Dealers 400
293 Laps, 400 miles
1.366-mile oval
Race #5 of 36
Where:
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, SC
When:
Sunday, March 17
1:00 pm
Watch:
Fox
Pre-race: 12:30 pm
(All Times: Eastern)
You can also listen to the race live on the Motor
Racing Network (MRN) on a radio station near you.
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Live coverage of Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session can be seen on the Fox Sports
Network at 2:00 pm.
What to Watch
Dale Jr. and the team showed signs of busting out of their Darlington doldrums last
September, so look for them to be more competitive this weekend than in seasons past at
the historic old oval. Their second-place run Sunday afternoon at Atlanta also has team
confidence at a new level following a rough and unlucky start to the 2002 season.
-Budweiser |
