Race Information

Summary and Related News

The Key Moments: Dale Jr., starting 3rd, stayed in that position for the first 11 laps of the race and then took advantage of a very quick fuel-only pit stop to take the lead for three circuits. After Tony Stewart passed Dale Jr. for the lead on lap 17, the rough-handling No. 8 car began to act like a rebellious and cantankerous two-year old. Dale Jr. fell back to 22nd position before the next yellow flag flew on lap 35. Despite numerous pit stops to try a variety of possible solutions, the car never again was cooperative or competitive, and the team was forced to utilize aggressive pit strategy (taking no tires, or only two tires) to gain valuable positions on the track.

Dale Jr's Quotes: "I don't know what to say. The car wouldn't turn. I think I was hollerin' that the car was really, really tight (front tires won't turn efficiently) from the first lap. That's about it - no grip - and really, really, really tight. It was like it was on three wheels or something. I just couldn't get on the gas. I don't know why - because yesterday (during practice) our car drove like a million bucks"

Looking at the race results: "Hey! Great job for Steve (Park, DEI teammate, who finished seventh) and those guys. That yellow (referring to the color of the No. 1 car) team has needed and deserved a good finish for a long time and they got one today. Good for them."

Best Radio Conversations
About the extreme heat and humidity that had concerned Dale Jr. and the team all weekend.

Dale Jr. "The heat in the car is not too bad out here. In fact, it may be a whole lot better than where y'all are standing"

During a mid-race caution-period, Dale Jr. reported on some odd goings-on in the cockpit.

Dale Jr: "There's some crazy (stuff) goin' on in here guys The gauge says I've got no water temperature. It was fine and then after that last stop, it just kept going down until it's pegged to the left"

Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): "Well, it's one of two things: the gauge is broke or you're leaking water."

Dale Jr.: "Does anyone know what that means? Can a gauge just break?"

Tony Jr: "It means the gauge may not be able to read steam if you're leaking water and you've run out. What's the oil temperature that'd go way up if you were out of water"

Dale Jr: "Oil temp and pressure is OK"

Tony Jr.: "Pops (crew chief Tony Eury Sr.) says we're staying out."

Today's Stats
Started: 3rd
Finished: 22nd
Points Position: 17th
Money Won: $125,280
Laps Led: Once for three laps (14-16)
Best Pit Stop: Lap 70 / Stop # 5 of 9 / 4 tires and Fuel / 14.22 seconds

-Budweiser


Jr. qualifies 3rd at Indy
8/3/02 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. just earned his career-best Brickyard 400 starting position, third, with a lap of 181.627 mph on Saturday morning. Earnhardt also posted the quickest lap in practice session #2 today.

On TV:
Sat. 6 p.m. ET - Happy Hour (taped) on SPEED
Sun. 2 p.m. ET - Brickyard 400 on NBC
8/3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Press Conference
Lineup
Practice 1 | Practice 2
8/3 - Park bounces back from wreck with strong Brickyard qualifying run - "I'm no doctor, but I think (Park's) recovered 100 percent from his injuries." - Earnhardt Jr.


Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Pocono Preview_7/22
Dale Jr. Quotes for Indianapolis
"We found something at the end of the test session (held last month at IMS). Until then, it hadn't been a great couple of days, but suddenly we found something that made a huge difference, and the car really responded. So, now we have a lot of hope that we're going to be strong there this weekend. It's one of those tracks where you have to have a good set-up for the flat turns. It's so much different than any of the other superspeedways we run, because you have almost no banking to work with or help the car corner. If you're not on the money with the chassis, you're not going anywhere fast."

"It's wild to walk out on race day and see all of those people. To me, it doesn't have the same personal importance or impact like Daytona does, but I can see why it is a special place for the Indy 500."

"We've always been able to race strong there even though it can be very difficult to pass sometimes. Passing was about the only problem we didn't have last year. (See notes below.) I felt like I must have gone around 1,000 cars that day with a car that was beat up. It was jittering around all day long - even on those long straightaways. Maybe this week, we'll start closer to the front and stay there so I won't have to worry about that so much."

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser Team at Indianapolis
Previous Winston Cup Starts: 2
Best Start: 6th (2000)
Best Finish: 10th (2001)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 36th
FIN: 10th
Led: 10 laps

Last year's run at the Brickyard 400 was nothing if not adventurous for Dale Jr. and the Bud team. The race got off to a rocky start, as the Bud car had a braking problem in the first two laps. After an unscheduled stop to repair that problem, Dale Jr. blasted from last place toward the front of the field, only to be slammed while on pit lane by the careening car of Hut Stricklin. Another unscheduled stop to repair that damage dropped the team again to the back of the line. Gutsy moves on the track allowed Dale Jr. to take the lead for 10 laps before the halfway point, and he ran among the top 10 for the remainder of the afternoon.

What:
Brickyard 400
2.5-mile rectangular oval / 200 laps / 500 miles / Race #21 of 36

Where:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway / Speedway, IN

When:
Sunday, August 4 / 2:30 p.m.

Watch:
NBC / Pre-race: 2:00 pm / (All Times: Eastern)
This is the only race of the season not heard on MRN or PRN. The Brickyard 400 (and qualifying) will be carried live on the IMS Radio Network on a radio station near you.

Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen live at the unique time of 11am Saturday (rather than the usual Friday qualifying). TNT will carry the Bud Pole proceedings, along with the IMS Radio Network.

-Budweiser

N a v i g a t e