Dale Jr. released from hospital_9/21/03
 Newman Wins Again, No. 8 Budweiser Team Leads 48 Laps Before
Crash
Ryan Newman won his seventh race of 2003 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8
team led 48 laps before a late-race crash left Dale Jr. with minor injuries. Earnhardt Jr.
was transported to Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del. for observation following the
race, and was released at approximately 7:00 pm. He will fly home immediately this evening
to Mooresville, NC. His injuries were listed as a minor concussion and a bruised right
foot. Dale Jr. will be re-examined tomorrow by Dr. Jerry Petty. Any further updates will
be released Monday.
The Key Moments: Because of the path of Hurricane Isabel, Bud Pole
qualifying at Dover was cancelled, and the starting line-up was determined by points,
which placed the red Bud car on the outside of the front row. Dale Jr. raced among the
top-five until lap 182, when he passed Jeff Gordon for the lead. Dale Jr. remained in the
top-five positions for the first 330 (of 400 laps), leading twice for 48 laps. The Bud car
was in second place when the team made their final pit stop on lap 327. After a choice to
take two tires, the car, which had been fast all afternoon, suddenly became an
ill-handling beast. Dale Jr. dropped from second to 10th in less than six laps, and was
trying to keep from going a lap behind the leader on lap 363 when the car spun and slid
hard into the turn two wall, making contact with the driver’s side of the car. Dale
Jr. was removed from the car and taken to the infield care center. The crash relegated
Dale Jr. to 37th position for the afternoon, and drops him two positions to fourth place
in the Winston Cup point standings with eight races remaining.
Quotes and Radio Chatter: In the interest of providing the quickest
possible update on Dale Jr’s health, we will not include the usual full quotes and
radio conversations this week.
Today’s Stats:
Started: 2nd
Finished: 37th
Points: 4th (drops two positions)
-Budweiser
Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Dover Preview_9/8/03
Dale Jr. Quotes for Dover:
“It would be hard to forget winning this race in 2001… It was an emotional day
for everyone. I think the nation had been in shock for two weeks, almost at a stop, and I
think it will always mean something to a lot of people that NASCAR provided a diversion,
or a sense of returning to normal life. I know I had become restless seeing the coverage
day-after-day, and I was anxious to move forward. Carrying the American flag as I drove
around the track after the race was memorable…”
“It’s been a strange string of races for us. I keep saying I’m excited
before every race because I have confidence that I’m going to climb into a really
fast car each week. Leading the race on seven cylinders (at Loudon, NH) Sunday showed how
good the car was handling. We got a top-five with a car we had to nurse around, which I
suppose is a small consolation after having a potentially winning car at Richmond and then
getting stung with a punctured tire…”
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Dover
Previous Winston Cup Starts: 7
Best Start: 3rd (Sept. 2001, Sept. 2002)
Best Finish: 1st (Sept. 2001)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 3rd / FIN: 24th / Led: 116 laps
Dale Jr. and the Bud team dominated early in this race last season, leading 116 laps
before the handling of the car came “unglued” (to borrow a phrase from the Bud
post-race report).
Dale Jr. and the Bud team won this event in 2001, the first NASCAR Winston Cup race
following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In seven Winston Cup starts at Dover, Dale Jr. has led five races for 317 laps.
By leading 120 laps at Loudon, the Bud team has now led the most laps in four races in
2003. Dale Jr. has led 3058 laps in his Winston Cup career.
The Bud team has already doubled the number of top-three finishes compared to 2002. They
have eight top-three tallies this year, versus four last season.
Race Details:
MBNA American 400
Dover International Speedway. Dover, DE
1-mile concrete oval / 400 laps
Saturday, Sept. 21 / 1:00 pm / Eastern
Winston Cup Race # 28 (of 36)
TV: NBC-TV / 12:30 pm pre-race
Bud Pole Qualifying: Bud Pole Qualifying takes place Friday at 3:00 pm.
You can see it live on TNT. You can also hear the race and Bud Pole qualifying live on MRN
radio (a station near you) or XM Radio.
Click on over to Budweiser.com: now home to the hilarious “Budweiser’s Rejected
Ads…” Check ‘em out. Don’t miss “One For the Ladies,”
“Brewmaster,” or “Minimaids…”
-Budweiser
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