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2003 Season
2003 Aaron's 499
| Race Information |
| Event: Aaron's 499 |
| Date: April 6, 2003 |
Track: Talladega Superspeedway |
| Qualified: 13th (started 43rd due to penalty) |
Finished: 1st |
| Status: Running |
Laps Completed:
188 of 188 |
| Points
Pos. Before/After Race:
3rd/-- |
Points
Earned: 180 (w/ 5 bonus) |
| Money
Earned: $204,367 |
Summary and Related News |
HISTORY!
Dale Jr. wins fourth straight at
Talladega_4/6/03
Dale Jr. and No. 8 Budweiser Team Make 17 Pit Stops, Still Win
They earned this one.
After three consecutive dominating victories at Talladega Superspeedway, Dale Earnhardt
Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team somehow managed to win their record-setting fourth
straight race at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. After an engine change on race morning, the
team was forced to start last and then survived a multi-car crash on lap four with minor
damage. To repair the damage to the Budweiser car, the team made 15 pit stops during the
first 89 laps of the race, managing to stay on the lead lap while finally working their
way into the lead for the first time on lap 107 (of 188 laps). Once up front, it was a
constant shuffle as Dale Jr. made breathtaking moves to continually fight among the top
10. He took the lead for the final time on lap 187, and held off second-place finisher
Kevin Harvick and Elliot Sadler, who finished third. This is the first victory of the 2003
season for the team, and the eighth victory of Dale Jr’s Winston Cup career. It is
the fourth top-five finish in the last six races for the Budweiser team, and it moves them
into second place in NASCAR Winston Cup points after eight races. That matches their
career-best points position. (Dale Jr. also won Saturday’s Busch Series race, giving
him his first career "weekend sweep.")
The Key Moments: After finding water in the oil tank of the Budweiser car
on race morning, the team decided to change engines, which required then to start in last
place, 43rd, instead of their original 13th place spot. Dale Jr. somehow managed to avoid
severe damage during a huge 27-car crash on lap four, but the damage that was done caused
the team to make multiple pit stops, often leaving pit lane at the last possible moment to
avoid going one lap behind. Dale Jr. somehow avoided another multi-car accident on lap 89,
but the yellow flag allowed the team to move into the top –10, where they remained
for the rest of the afternoon. Once Dale Jr. took the lead for the first time on lap 107,
he would take the lead a total of nine different times for 34 laps. The team saved their
finest pit stop until their last on lap 160, when they decided to take fuel only, sending
Dale Jr. back into battle for the final 28 laps of three-wide,
hold-your-breathe-while-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck stands up.
Immediately after the race, Dale Jr. departed for a three-day hunting trip.
Dale Jr’s Quotes: "This is a big deal. A great victory for my
career. In the past, we’ve been the car to beat at this place, but today we
weren’t the best car. We just didn’t have the car after the big crash, so we had
to fight and gouge and kick for every spot today. It was hard, hard racing and a lot of
wild things happening, so I’d say this one (the fourth in a row) is the sweetest of
all. We had to earn this one today. There was a lot of passing and a lot of exciting
racing."
"All week, I never really thought we could do it (win four consecutive races at
Talladega). I planned for the worst, and hoped for the best. It was hellacious racing, and
we never gave up. Everybody on the team showed a lot of heart. This one wasn’t ours
to lose like the ones in the past. You work your heart out… and you might get more
than you expect."
About the pass for the win: "I didn’t know a thing about it
until I was in the van (being driven to the media center after victory lane ceremonies). I
don’t think the yellow line had anything to do with the pass. I was on the apron in
turn three to keep from crashing into Matt (Kenseth) and Jimmy (Johnson). "
About avoiding major damage in the 27-car crash: "We were at the
back and I saw it all happening in front of me. I did not think I would have time to stop
or slow down. I could not see a thing – just smoke and stuff flying. Maybe I’d
see a flash of a car or a quarter-panel, and I was trying to guess where to go. I suppose
I made some lucky guesses. I knew we could have hurt the car bad, but it really did minor
damage to the nose, and then the guys taped and pop-riveted and hammered on that thing
time and time again until we got it straightened out. It was never that great, but it was
a good car when we needed it to be."
Would your dad have approved of today’s win? "Hell yeah.
Anytime I’m up here (post-victory media conference), he’d approve. I didn’t
run over anybody, but even if I did, he’d be alright with it…"
Best Radio Conversations
For much of the day, Dale Jr’s chatter with his crew was static-ridden. At one stage,
the team even switched to their back-up radio frequency.
Right after the major crash on lap four:
Dale Jr: "Oh yeah, I hit some stuff. I think I got into the back of
the 30 (Jeff Green) car and maybe into the side of the 49 (Ken Schrader). There was some
push and shove there once they started crashing…It was a pretty big mess there with
all the oil… I need my windshield cleaned too. I can’t see outta this
thing."
After repairs, Dale Jr. launched into the top three in less than 10 laps, before being
shuffled back to 19th.
Dale Jr: "Alright, here we go. We’re coming back. I’m
gonna do it again (go towards the front)."
Best prediction of the weekend, during the final practice on Saturday morning.
Dale Jr: (as he let a string of approximately ten cars slide past):
"Don’t worry guys. Our car’s good."
Today’s Stats
Started: 13th (moved to 43rd after changing an engine Sunday morning)
Finished: 1st
Points Position: 2nd (moved up one position)
Money Won: $204,367
Laps Led: Nine times for 34 laps
Best Pit Stop: Lap 160 / Stop #17 of 17 / Fuel only / 5.95 seconds
Don’t forget to see and hear the coolest new bands at the sleek King of Beers
internet site at: www.Budweiser.com Hear music, see videos, play games… it’s all
at Budweiser.com……
-Budweiser
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Talladega Preview_4/1/03
Dale Jr. Quotes for Talladega
About going for a fourth consecutive victory at Talladega: “They (the media) can say
or write whatever they want, but I’m not going to talk about winning four in a row. I
talked too much at Daytona (where he won three races in seven days before suffering a
failed alternator while leading the Daytona 500) and it jinxed us. Our record speaks loud
enough at Talladega.”
“I keep expecting the rest of the field to catch up to us, but we’re not sitting
still. We’ll be fast. We’re working on our restrictor plate program just as hard
as we always have. The Daytona race still bothers me, but we’ll have a new alternator
in the car, I promise.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Talladega
Previous Winston Cup Starts: 6
Best Start: 3rd (October, 2000)
Best Finish: 1st (Three times: October 2001 / April 2002 / October 2002)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 4th FIN:1st Led: 133 of 188 laps
-- Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team have won the last three Winston Cup races at
Talladega and enter the race in third place in the Winston Cup point standings. This is
the highest points position for Dale Jr. and the Budweiser team since they were second
after the first race of the 2001 season.
-- Dale Jr. shares the record with Buddy Baker for most consecutive victories at the
Talladega Superspeedway. Three consecutive victories at a single track is the longest
current streak in Winston Cup.
-- In six career starts at Talladega, Dale Jr. has led five races for 392 laps, nearly 30
percent of the total laps completed during those races.
-- At this event the last two seasons, Dale Jr. led 240 of 376 total laps – just shy
of 63 percent of the total laps.
-- The No. 8 Budweiser team twice won a $1 million dollar bonus at Talladega from series
sponsor Winston, winning the fall race in 2001 and 2002.
-- The only Winston Cup race Dale Jr. did not lead at Talladega was his first (April
2000), when he was caught in a pre-race accident after a car ahead of him missed a shift
as the field rolled to the start. The Budweiser team has started in the top-10 at four of
six Talladega starts.
-- Dale Jr’s first experience behind the steering wheel of a NASCAR Busch or Winston
Cup car took place during a test session at Talladega. Dale Jr’s father gave him
several hours notice that he was going with the team to test engines. While his legendary
father offered scant advice (“Don’t let off the throttle in the turns or
you’ll crash.”), veteran driver Dave Marcis coached Dale Jr. on the correct line
around the 2.66-mile race track.
What:
Aaron’s 499
188 laps / 499 miles / Race #8 of 36 in the Winston Cup Series
Where:
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL
2.66-mile oval
When:
Sunday, April 6 / 1 p.m.
Watch:
Fox-TV (pre-race: 12:00 pm)
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen live Friday at 4:00 p.m. on the Fox Sports Network.
You can also hear qualifying and race action on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) on a radio
station or computer near you. The programming is also heard on the 24-hour NASCAR channel
on XM Radio. (All Times: Eastern)-Budweiser |
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