Race Information

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Tony Stewart continued to be the man to beat at Richmond International Raceway, as he won the rain-delayed Pontiac Excitement 400. It is Stewart's third win at Richmond since 1999. The race began under the lights Saturday evening, but was halted after 66 laps by persistent rain and restarted Sunday afternoon. Stewart beat impressive rookie Ryan Newman and Jeff Burton across the finish line. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team started on the front row and ran strong at the front of the field Saturday evening, but were less than successful in the heat of today's sunlight. A spin into the wall on lap 149 sent Dale Jr. and the Bud team to the garage for more than 32 minutes. When they returned to action, they were 56 laps behind the leaders. The team managed to gain six spots during the remainder of the race, and finished 36th for the second consecutive week. It is their worst finish ever at Richmond since they finished 10th in their first Cup race here in 1999. The poor finish dropped them three positions in the Winston Cup point standings to 12th place.

The Key Moments: Dale Jr. and the Bud team have been superb at Richmond at night. They won two night-time Busch races here, grabbed their second Winston Cup victory at this race in 2000, and qualified second for this weekend's event. When the race began Saturday night, the Bud car was awesome, running easily in second position until a pit stop on lap 62. A balky lug nut on the left front wheel slowed the stop, and the team dropped to 15th place. The rain stopped the race four laps later. When the race resumed 14 hours later Sunday afternoon, Dale Jr. wasted little time slicing into seventh place in less than 20 laps, but the track and the race car did not respond as well as before. The ill-handling car became worse and worse on an ever-increasing lap-by-lap basis, and Dale Jr. dropped back eight positions in less than 30 laps. Trying hard to keep up, Dale Jr. spun the car and scraped the turn four wall on lap 149. Extensive repairs to replace the oil tank and the entire rear-end driveline took 32 minutes, and they limped home 73 laps behind Stewart.

Dale Jr's Quotes: "The car was really good Saturday night. (Early leader Ward) Burton and I seemed to be able to pull away from the field. But, it was a much different deal today. The set-up to run at night just didn't do anything for us in the heat and the sunlight. It started off all right, but then it just got looser and looser. The sealer that they put on the track was breaking up outside the groove, and I think I was just pushing too hard to keep up and got into the loose stuff and lost the back of the car off of turn four. It makes it a tough day with a track that's breaking up that bad.

"It's frustrating to have to limp around like that to score points. We have to do it to get every single position we can for the points, but it's no fun to hear that you have to go another 50 laps just to make-up on spot because someone else crashed or dropped out. This is another example of the guys working their butts off to get me back out there, so I did all I could to keep the car going straight the rest of the day."

Best Radio Conversations
It was another frustrating day for the Bud bunch, so the usual entertaining banter on the team radios was reduced to long periods of silence. After the crash, the team pieced the car back together and sent Dale Jr. back on track. Five laps after rejoining the field, Dale Jr. reported on the condition of the car.

Dale Jr: "It doesn't drive too bad actually. It doesn't feel too bad but when I turn in to the left it feels like I have a flat tire, but if I turn right, it's OK. It's just a tic on the free side, but I kinda like it."

The remainder of the day was spent watching the lap counter, trying to gain positions as a series of accidents knocked other cars out of the race. After a multi-car crash on lap 226, Dale Jr. began doing the math

Dale Jr.: "We might be able to pick up some spots here How many laps are we behind? How many cars are out? We can catch up to the 18 (Bobby Labonte) but we'll see if we can make up 10 laps on 'im. His car looks like it's in worse shape than ours out here"

Today's Stats
Started:                2nd
Finished:             36th
Points Position:   12th
Laps Led:             ---
Best Pit Stop:    Lap 233 / 4 tires and Fuel / 15.86 seconds (Fourth stop of the race)

-Budweiser

Race postponed until noon
5/4/02 - Wet weather in the area of Richmond International Raceway has postponed the Pontiac Excitement 400 after just 66 laps Saturday. The race will resume Sunday at noon ET. Dale Jr. is currently in 15th after a slow pit stop under yellow, just before the race was red-flagged. TV coverage begins Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on FX.

5/3 - Dale Jr. will start 2nd when the green flag drops, Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. ET. Lineup.

Earnhardt Jr. Richmond Race Preview_4/30
Dale Jr. Quotes for the Richmond 400
"I'm alright (following the vicious wreck at California Speedway last Sunday). I'm pretty sore, but I'll be ready to go at Richmond.

"For me and the team, the Richmond track is like seeing an old friend - you always look forward to getting together and hangin' out for a while. You re-live the great times you've had - and you try hard to add to the good memories each time you visit.

"It's a place where we always seem to finish really well. Don't forget that we won twice here in the Busch Series too - so Tony (Eury, crew chief) and Tony Jr. (Eury, car chief) just have a feel for what the car needs. In 1999, when we ran just five Cup races, this place was where we had our best showing. We got our first top 10 that night - and I think it woulda been a lot better if we hadn't cooked the brakes. But, we learned a lot and came back the next time and won that sucker." (May, 2000, the team's second Winston Cup victory.)

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Richmond
Winston Cup Starts:      5
Best Start:                    5th (Spring, 2000)
Best Finish:                  1st (Spring, 2000)
This Race, Last Year:   St: 14th / Fin: 7th

Team Budweiser has always been one to contend with at Richmond. In five previous Winston Cup races here, their worst finish is 13th and the other four finishes have all been in the top 10. The team also has a knack of excelling in races held at night - winning at Richmond in 2000, the Winston in 2000 and at Daytona under the lights in 2001. In two races here last season, Dale Jr. finished 7th and 3rd.

What:
Pontiac Excitement 400
400 laps, 300 miles
.75-mile oval
Race #11 of 36

Where:
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.

When:
Saturday, May 4
7:00 pm

Watch:
FX
Pre-race: 6:30 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:
Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session takes place at 3:00 Eastern Televised coverage TBA

-Budweiser

Ready for Richmond
4/30/02 - This Saturday's event in Richmond begins a streak of three consecutive night races for the Winston Cup series. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has done well at Richmond in the past. He posted his first career top-10 finish in the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400, his fourth career race. On his next visit to the Virginia track, he scored a victory, winning the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400. He has finished 13th or better, including a victory in the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400, in all five of his NASCAR Winston Cup races at Richmond.

N a v i g a t e