Harvick wins Chicago again_7/14
 Earnhardt Jr. and No. 8 Budweiser Team lead 81 laps, second
consecutive top 10
Kevin Harvick, who has been having a miserable 2002 campaign, won the Tropicana
400 at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday for the second straight season. Harvick grabbed his
first victory of the year after not stopping for fuel under the final caution flag period,
and then leading the final 20 green flag laps of the race. Jeff Gordon was second and Tony
Stewart was third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team dominated segments of
the race, leading four different times for a total of 81 (of 267) laps, but fell victim to
yellow flag periods that ruined an aggressive pit strategy. When the set of tires on the
car proved to be a handful despite still running in fourth position, the team chose to
change four tires on their final stop on lap 242, while much of the rest of the field
chose not to stop, or take fuel only. When the green flag fell for the final time, Dale
Jr. was 11th, and was able to make up only one position in the final sprint to the finish.
The top 10 is the team's second in a row, and moves them to 14th, one rung higher in the
Winston Cup point standings. The Key
Moments: Dale Jr., starting ninth for the second consecutive weekend, began the
race with a lot of confidence, as the No. 8 Bud car was sparkling during Saturday's two
practice sessions. It took less than three laps to leap into the top five positions, and
then Dale Jr. gradually moved forward from there, taking the lead for the first time on
lap 57. From there, the red Bud car led the race for more than 80 laps, often running up
to half-a-second faster than the rest of the field and dropping no lower than fourth place
(other than during pit stops) until the final yellow flag of the day flew on lap 240. With
a car that was no longer handling as well as before, the team believed a four-tire change
was the only option to try and win the race in the final 20 laps, but the length of the
stop dropped them to 11th place at the restart. Fighting heavy traffic, Dale Jr. was only
able to regain one position before the checkered flag.
Dale Jr's Quotes: "I'm angry. We had
an awesome car, and 10th place is no good. We could have won, but it is almost impossible
to drive these cars in traffic. The cars just won't handle in traffic because the air
upsets your aero(dynamic) package, and you can't do a thing when you're buried in the
middle with lapped cars all around you. But, I'll tell ya, it was AWESOME most of the day.
We knew we had a great car yesterday in practice, and it handled just like it did then,
except the track was a little slicker. It felt so good to be out front and kicking (butt)
again. That's where we should be every week, and it felt good to get back to the
performance that we showed last year and early this season."
"We had to stop there at the end, we didn't have
enough fuel to make it, and the guys felt like four tires was the only was we were gonna
win. With that few laps left, it's almost impossible here to pass ten guys in front of you
and all of the lapped cars too."
Best Radio Conversations
During the final yellow flag of the day, the team debated whether to take fuel only,
take two fresh tires, or four fresh tires. After choosing to take four, Dale Jr. returned
in 11th place. The following discussion took place before the green flag fell.
Dale Jr.: "Where are we at? How may
laps to go?"
Ty Norris (spotter): "You're 11th,
and there will be about 21 to go."
Tony Eury (crew chief): "If this car
is as good as it was earlier, you'll run 'em down, I promise you"
Dale Jr.: "I'll try but this is the
hardest thing for a driver right here. It's hard cuz' you have lapped cars and cars with
no (new) tires in front of you and inside of you It's a lot like a special challenge on a
video game (in his best 'video game voice') "Can you pass the field in 25
laps?!" We're good - I'm sure, and we'll get a decent finish, but damn, it's hard.
Track position is everything here"
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): "10-4. Do
whatcha can. We're rebuilding our consistency here "
Tony Eury: "Good luck and do the best
you can do"
Today's Stats
Started: 9th
Finished: 10th
Points Position: 14th
Money Won: $102,437
Laps Led: 4 times for 81 laps
Best Pit Stop:
Lap 242 / 4 tires and Fuel 14.44 seconds
*the four pits stops were each completed in less than 15 seconds
-Budweiser-
 Race Results
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser
Chicagoland Preview_7/8
Dale Jr. Quotes for Chicago
"This will be the second year at the track, and I think we all expect the track to
age a bit and make it easier to race side-by-side more than last year.
"It looks like all the other 1.5-mile tracks they keep building, but this one is
different. I wish they would ask me about these places when they design and build 'em,
because the angle of the banking that transitions between the straightaways and the turns
is all-wrong. We fought with 'coil binding' a lot last year. We were going into the
corners with so much speed and so much g-force that the left-front spring would compress
and the coils of the spring would touch. That makes it feel like you have no suspension at
all - and then it would bottom out. Try doing that every lap because it will wear you
out… and it's not fun, ya know what I'm sayin'?!"
"We had a good car in the race last year. We had an ignition problem that knocked us
way back in the field, but I was able to run like a bat-outta-hell in the corners even
though we'd lose ground on the straights."
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Chicago
Winston Cup Starts: 1
Best Start: 36th
Best Finish: 11th
ESPY Nomination for Dale Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has earned his first ESPY Award nomination. The awards show honors the
best athletes in the world each year and will be seen live on ESPN this Wednesday evening,
July 10. Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team were nominated in the "Best
Moment" category for their dramatic victory in the 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona.
Earnhardt Jr. is nominated in the category alongside Barry Bonds (home run record holder),
Sarah Hughes (Olympic gold medal in figure skating), Luis Gonzales (World Series-winning
hit) and Adam Vinatieri (Super Bowl-winning field goal). Dale Jr. will not attend the
awards ceremony in Los Angeles due to testing commitments at Indianapolis.
What:
Tropicana 400
1.5-mile oval / 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Race #18 of 36
Where:
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, IL
When:
Sunday, July 14
2:30 p.m.
Watch:
NBC
Pre-race: 2:00 pm (All Times: Eastern)
You can also listen to the race live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) on a radio station
near you.
This weekend marks the return of NBC, who, along with cable partner TNT, will televise the
remainder of the 2002 season.
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen live on the Speed Channel (formerly Speedvision) Friday
afternoon at 4:00 pm.
-Budweiser |
