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2003 Season
2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350
| Race Information |
| Event: Dodge/Save Mart 350 |
| Date: June 22, 2003 |
Track: Infineon Raceway |
| Qualified: 11th |
Finished: 11th |
| Status: Running |
Laps Completed:
110 of 110 |
| Points
Pos. Before/After Race:
2nd/3rd |
Points
Earned: 130 (w/ 0 bonus) |
| Money
Earned: $100,292 |
Summary and Related News |
Robby Gordon wins at Sonoma, Dale Jr.
11th_6/22/03
No. 8 Budweiser Team Records Career-Best Road Course Finish
Robby Gordon held off Jeff Gordon in the final laps of Sunday’s Save-Mart 350 for his
second career Winston Cup victory. Kevin Harvick was third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No.
8 Budweiser team recorded an 11th place finish, their best-ever finish in a Winston Cup
road course event. (Previous best was 12th at Watkins Glen, NY in 2001, and previous best
at Sonoma was 19th in 2001.) Earnhardt Jr. was among the quickest cars throughout the
110-lap race, but was hit from behind and spun off the course on lap 61, dropping to 35th
position. After the team’s final pit stop, Dale Jr. restarted 22nd, passing 11 cars
in the final 19 laps of the race. Jeff Gordon’s second-place finish moved him two
points ahead of Dale Jr. in the NASCAR Winston Cup standings, dropping Dale Jr. to third
place, but both drivers gained on leader Matt Kenseth, who finished 14th. This is the 12th
finish of 11th-place or better in the past 14 races for the Budweiser team.
The Key Moments: The red Budweiser car started in the 11th position, and
crawled into the top-10 by lap seven. Dale Jr. remained in the top-10 until a restart on
lap 61, when he was hit from behind while trying to avoid the spinning car of Rusty
Wallace. After restarting in 35th position on lap 64, the team climbed gradually up the
standings until their final pit stop of the afternoon on lap 89. In the final 20 laps,
Dale Jr. turned lap times equal to the leader, slicing past 11 cars to grab 11th place.
Dale Jr’s Quotes: “We worked hard for that 11th-place finish.
This is a track where we knew we had to improve, and I think we showed that we’re
here to stay as a championship contender. I wanted a top-10 sooo bad – and we had the
car to do it. I want to thank the guys for a car that was the best I’ve had on a road
course. We came, we conquered, we kicked some butt. That was a knock-down drag-out, and I
had some fun!
“I was taking it easy early on, just chillin,’ saving the car as much as I
could. The 99 car (Jeff Burton) got into the 2 car (Rusty Wallace) right in front of me. I
was trying to whoa it down, and the 97 car (Kurt Busch) plowed right through me. I would
have only lost a few spots, but I couldn’t get the engine re-fired. I just sat there
hoping that thing would fire. We all did our best to stay calm and get as many spots back
as we could. We had an awesome car in the last 20 laps. Man – I was haulin’ past
some cars!
Best Radio Conversations
Tony Eury Sr., crew chief of the Budweiser team, missed the event after undergoing
elective surgery on his neck last Tuesday. Tony Eury Jr. filled in as crew chief in his
absence. As the team discussed pit strategy on lap 52, Dale Jr. was thinking of Tony Sr.,
who was likely watching the race from home.
Dale Jr: (to Tony Jr., asking if Tony Sr. had called) “Hey man, is
your cell phone ringing yet?”
Tony Jr: “Heh-heh-heh. No, he isn’t wearin’ me out
yet.”
Dale Jr: “I thought he’d be wearing you out by now…”
After being spun out on lap 61.
Dale Jr: “Sorry guys. I got spun out.”
Tony Jr: “It’s alright – just drive like you’ve been
doing all day and we’ll be fine.”
Dale Jr: “OK, everybody calm down. You guys need to help me finish
this race. Let’s do what we can do – and get what we can get. Let’s stay
positive and forget about was has already happened…”
Playin’ Hurt
Best wishes to Tony Eury Sr., who is resting at home after neck surgery last week.
Budweiser jackman Kevin Pennell injured his left hand during a pit stop on lap 62. Pennell
fell to the ground when he stepped on loose lug nuts while running around the front of the
car. The impact with the ground snapped the handle on the jack. Pennell suffered swelling
on his left hand after the incident but refused treatment until after the race. He went
over the wall on the team’s two final stops.
Junior and Zito Hang at Sonoma
Dale Jr. and Oakland A’s pitcher Barry Zito spent Friday morning at Infineon Speedway
for a photo session for USA Weekend magazine. Zito, the 2002 Cy Young Award winner, joined
Junior for an interview and photo shoot that is slated to appear in August.
Today’s Stats
Started: 11th (career-best road course start)
Finished: 11th (career-best road course finish)
Points Position: 3rd (dropped one position, two points behind Jeff Gordon)
Money: $100,292
Best Pit Stop: Lap 33 / Stop # 1 of 4 / Fuel, four tires / 13.65 seconds
Want music? Films? Fun? Budweiser? Get it all at www.Budweiser.com. True.
-Budweiser
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Dodge/Save Mart 350 Preview_6/16/03
Dale Jr. Quotes for Sonoma
“Forget the numbers – forget what they say we did here before. We’ve
improved each time, and we were actually pretty good in the race last year. I gained ten
spots in the first 40 laps, and then had some contact on a restart and slid off the track.
Even after that, we hung in there and did alright. But, if this team has shown anything
this year, it’s that we’re improving at almost every track - especially the
tracks where we used to struggle.
“We tested at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) a couple weeks back, and it went
really well. We’ve focused a lot on improving our road course program overall, and I
think we will be competitive. We’re going into the weekend with a positive attitude.
We’re going to fight for every inch and every position but we’ll also be patient
and keep it on the asphalt.”
About being second in the Winston Cup standings to Matt Kenseth: “We focus on our own
car each week, and we can’t be worrying about what those (number) 17 (Kenseth) guys
are doing all the time. Yeah, I do pay attention to how he’s doing, but it’s not
just about Matt and me. If we only paid attention to Matt, then we’d get our butt
kicked by the 24 (Jeff Gordon) or the 18 (Bobby Labonte) and the other guys in the top-10
in points. We’re racing 42 other cars – not just one other car.”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Sonoma
Previous Winston Cup Starts: 3
Best Start: 23rd (2002)
Best Finish: 19th (2001)
This Race, Last Year: ST:23rd FIN: 30th
-- Dale Jr. and the core of the current Budweiser team have tasted success on a road
course. While in the Busch Series, Dale Jr. and the team – led by Tony Eury (crew
chief) and Tony Eury Jr. (car chief), won at Watkins Glen in 1999.
What:
Save-Mart 350
110 laps / 219 miles / Race #16 of 36-race Winston Cup Series
Where:
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
1.9-mile road course
When:
Sunday, June 22 / 4:00 p.m.
Watch:
Fox-TV (pre-race: 3:30 pm)
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen Friday at 6:00 p.m. on Speed Channel. You can also hear
qualifying and race action on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) on a radio station or
computer near you. The radio programming is also heard on the 24-hour NASCAR channel on XM
Radio. (All Times: Eastern)
Road Course Quotes
In honor of a rare NASCAR road course event this week (and to see if anyone is playing
along at home), we offer a trio of quotes from the mouth of the beloved British Formula
One commentator, Murray Walker:
"This is an interesting circuit because it has inclines, and not just up, but down as
well."
"Mansell is slowing it down, taking it easy. Oh no he isn't! It's a lap record."
"It's not quite a curve, it's a straight actually."
-Budweiser |
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