Rookie Wins For First Time, Dale Jr. Not
Seriously Injured in Hard Crash_4/28
 No. 8 Budweiser Team Taken Out By Vicious Crash, Dale Jr. Bruised
and Battered
Rookie driver Jimmie Johnson, a native of El Cajon, California, grabbed his first NASCAR
Winston Cup victory today at the NAPA 500 at California Speedway in Fontana. Johnson, who
was already in the top 10 in Winston Cup points following the first nine races, led Kurt
Busch and Ricky Rudd across the finish line. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser
team were taken out of the race by a hard crash in turn four on lap 225. Earnhardt Jr.
suffered a bruised and swollen right ankle, but was otherwise not seriously injured. Kevin
Harvick, who was immediately in front of Dale Jr., had a cut or flat tire, causing his car
to veer sharply into the No. 8 Bud car. The hard crash was among the most violent of
Earnhardt Jr's career. The crash relegated the team to a 36th place finish and
dropped them four positions in the point standings to ninth place.
The Key Moments: Dale Jr. started ninth and moved into seventh place in the first
five laps before dropping out of the top 10 with a car that was tight (the front tires
would not efficiently turn into the corners) for much of the remainder of the race. The
red No. 8 dropped through the field gradually, and was lapped by early leader Kurt Busch
on lap 112. After the pit stop, a poor set of tires dropped them further and further
behind until Dale Jr. came onto pit road to make an unscheduled stop for four new tires.
Less than 10 laps after the pit stop, a yellow flag flew, dropping the team two laps
behind the leaders. From that point forward, the adjustments the team had made to the car
began to take effect, and Dale Jr. was able to run among the leaders for the next 75 laps
until the crash.
Dale Jr's Quotes: "That was about as hard of a hit as I've ever taken.
It just took every bit of air out me. I could hear the guys on the radio, but I couldn't
answer. I'm pretty damn sore and beat up, but I'll be OK for Richmond next weekend. They
said Kevin (Harvick) blew a tire and I just couldn't avoid him."
"All I could say about the car was 'tight, tight, tight.' It just wouldn't turn. We
actually got it goin' pretty well at the end of the day, but we were two laps behind and
we were just scrapping to try and get a lap back and make-up as many spots as we
could."
Best Radio Conversations
With an ill-handling car for much of the day, the chatter between Dale Jr. and the team
was sparse and not as lively as usual. During one segment midway through the race, the car
was victim to a bad set of tires.
Dale Jr: "I've been tight all day, but now I'm loose. Real, real
loose."
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief); "Are you loose getting in (to the corners)
or coming off?"
Dale Jr: "Everywhere. It's a real twitchy loose - the car just jerks around.
The right rear tire is chattering it's so loose. There's just no grip at all. I'm slidin'
around out here like a fish."
Two laps later…
Dale Jr. "I say we sell this car, OK?!"
Ten laps later…
Dale Jr. "I can't tell what's wrong with the car. It's like it's pickin' the
tires up off the ground."
One lap later…
Dale Jr. "I'm comin' in… I think I have a right front tire goin'
flat…"
Post-crash exchange in the infield medical center:
NASCAR Doctor: "Alright, we checked ya out, and you look to be alright. You
will still be able to have kids…"
Dale Jr.: "Just not tonight…"
C'mon C'mon Super Women
Despite a day on the track that the team would probably like to forget, there were some
memorable guests in the Budweiser pit area during the race. Sheryl Crow was at the
Speedway to sing a rousing version of the national anthem. After meeting with Dale Jr.
before the race, she spent the first portion of the event watching the action from the
Budweiser pit area. Crow had been a long-time friend and fan of Dale Earnhardt. Her new
album is "C'mon, C'mon" on A&M/Interscope Records.
Also viewing the action pitside was Leeann Tweeden of Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn
Sports Show." Tweeden is a model and host of a variety of fitness, sports and extreme
sports television shows on ESPN, Fox Sports Net and FX.
Today's Stats
Started:
9th
Finished:
36th
Money Won: $89,987
Points Position: 9th
Laps Led:
---
Best Pit Stop: Lap 135 / 4 tires and
Fuel / 13.91 seconds
(Fourth stop of the day)-Budweiser
Earnhardt Jr. Napa 500 Budweiser Race
Preview_4/22
Dale Jr. Quotes for the NAPA 500
"I'm ready for another good run. The race is the day
before my dad's birthday, so it has some special meaning to me. I'm not that great with
dates, but I will always remember April 29. It means so much to me - and I hope we can win
one in his honor."
"I like Fontana, and it's a track where we've always been fast. These guys (the
DEI Budweiser team) have been giving me some great cars to drive this year. The win
Sunday (at Talladega) was awesome - every win is - but it had a different feel than
our other victories. Everybody on the team seemed more calm and confident than ever
before. It's like the football coach that tells his players to act like they've been in
the end zone before, ya know. This team is gaining confidence every week and we felt like
we deserved to be in that Victory Lane. We're getting to the point where we have that kind
of confidence and expectations every week.
"Look at where we're at in the points. We're happy to be fifth, but if we wouldn't
have run over debris at Daytona or crashed with a really fast car at Texas, I think we'd
be right there with Sterling (Marlin, point leader). We're going to just keep doing
what we're doing, and we're going to do well the rest of the season. The fact that we have
the most bonus points (for leading races) of any team this year and more top-five
finishes than anyone (tied with Tony Stewart with five top-five finishes) is a sign
of being up front every week. That's what you have to do to even be close to a
championship."
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at California Speedway
Winston Cup Starts: 2
Best Start:
20th (2000)
Best Finish:
3rd (2001)
This Race, Last Year: St: 38th
Fin: 3rd
Pure perseverance was the theme for the Bud team last year at Fontana. After a hard,
grinding crash in practice on Friday afternoon (due to a cut tire), the team was forced to
a back-up car. They blew an engine during the final practice session on Saturday and took
the green flag Sunday from the 38th starting spot. After running out of fuel and losing a
lap just before the halfway point of the race, the team put on a wicked charge to the
front, un-lapping themselves with 104 laps to go and then slicing through the field to
finish third.
I Can Lead for Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles…. (oh yeah...)
Dale Jr. has led 405 laps so far in 9 races for a total of more than 542 miles. He leads
the series in total miles led, and has led in six of the last seven races. He trails only
Tony Stewart in laps led this season.
What:
NAPA Auto Parts 500
250 laps, 500 miles / 2-mile oval / Race #10 of 36
Where:
California Speedway / Fontana, CA
When:
Sunday, April 28th / 3:00 pm
Watch:
Fox / Pre-race: 2:30 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 FX on a tape-delayed
basis at 8:00 pm Friday evening.
Big E's Birthday Celebration
Dale Earnhardt Inc. will celebrate the life of its founder, Dale Earnhardt, on Monday,
April 29, at its Mooresville, North Carolina facility.
The event is slated to become an annual tradition on April 29, Dale Earnhardt's birthday.
For the first time, fans will be allowed to enter the show room of the complex to get a
look at several historic No. 3 Chevrolets driven by the seven-time Winston Cup Champion. A
special exhibit of Dale Earnhardt's personal collection will be displayed, highlighting
never-before-seen memorabilia that he and his wife Teresa acquired over the years.
Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street will make an appearance. The Olympic skier followed
Earnhardt's racing career for years, and just last year, named her downhill ski's
"Intimidators" in honor of the legendary driver.
DEI will open its doors to fans from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. For more information call
1-877-DEI-ZONE.
-Budweiser |
