<DJC> 2004 Race Report

Race Information
Event: Advance Auto Parts 500
Date: April 18, 2004	Track: Martinsville Speedway
Started: 4th	Finished: 3rd
Status: Running	Laps Completed: 500 of 500
Points Pos. Before/After Race: 3rd/1st	Points Earned: 170 (w/ 5 bonus)
Money Earned: $135,103
Summary and Related News
Dale Jr. finishes third at Martinsville, regains points lead_4/18/04 Fifth top-five of season helps Dale Jr. regain points lead Rusty Wallace led the final 45 laps and beat Bobby Labonte to win Sunday’s Advanced Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. It is Wallace’s 55th career NEXTEL Cup victory, and his first in nearly three years. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser tied a career-best at Martinsville by finishing third, leading twice for 154 laps. It was Dale Jr.’s series-best fifth top-five of the season and fifth consecutive top-five at Martinsville. As a result, Dale Jr. regains the Nextel Cup championship point lead, holding a slim five-point edge over second place Kurt Busch and 12-point advantage over Matt Kenseth. The Key Moments: Starting fourth, Dale Jr. used a timely caution to help alleviate a loose condition that dropped him from the lead to 16th place. Quick pit stops by the Bud crew helped the cause, eclipsing two positions on a lap-163 stop, two more on lap 217, and three on lap 272 that put the No. 8 Chevy in the lead. Dale Jr. held the point for 127 laps (which was prolonged for a surreal one hour, sixteen minute red flag period needed to repair the track surface) before Jimmie Johnson grabbed away the lead on lap 411 of 500. Dale Jr. fell to fifth, losing several additional positions following a restart on lap 423, but managed to bounce and battle back into the top-three by the finish. Dale Jr. Quotes: “There’s a lot of disappointment down inside me. I was sitting right where Rusty ended up. I had the lead, and I was just thinking, ‘Man, if I can just hold them off, I’ll finally get the win here.’ Then I went down in the corner and it wouldn’t turn. Rusty got under me, then the 18 (Bobby Labonte) got under me, and I was like, “Golly, I’m going backwards here.’ Yeah, it’s frustrating. Two times for sure, maybe three, we’ve been in the catbird seat, and it just gets away from us somehow.” We started the race good, but I just wore the rear tires off of it. It was so bad I thought I had a flat, and we lost a lot of positions there, and we had to adjust on it to get the car to where it wouldn’t do that again. I think the biggest difference for us was the pit stops. I know one time I came in sixth and went out fourth, and another time I came in fourth and went out first. The guys really did a great job on pit road. The last set of tires didn’t really agree with the car, but we were definitely not the best car on the track today. I’m really happy with the finish. It’s our fifth top-five in a row, and we leave with a slim lead in the points. On whether the red-flag period affected the car: “Not at all. I just wanted to get the day done and head to the house.” Best Radio Conversations: Lap 118, after falling gradually from the lead to 15th place: Dale Jr: "We've got a flat tire or we broke a ratchet in the rear end... I can't get on the gas at all on the straightaway..." After catching a lucky break one lap later when a yellow flag came out: Dale Jr: "Thank god. I spun the tires all the way down the straight. I couldn't get on the gas at all. It's like something is broke. I can't touch the gas. If I could roll in on the gas pedal, I would, but I couldn't. It spun the tires all the way down the straight." After the pit stop: Dale Jr: "How'd the tires look?" Tony Eury (crew chief): "Bad..." Dale Jr.: "OK, that's good news. Did we have a flat?" Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): "Nah, both rears are just worn out. There are big holes in both rears." Dale Jr: "OK. Maybe I ran it too hard at the start. I need to take it easier early in a run." Tony Jr: "Yeah, you were pushing hard, but that was 123 laps on those tires. You really started hollerin' about something broken on lap 108. That was a long run." After pit stop on lap 218, where the team moved from eighth to fourth position: Dale Jr: "Good work! Great work guys, high five." After pit stop on lap 272, when the Bud crew did another remarkable job, bringing Junior from fourth place into the lead: Dale Jr: "Another good job on pit lane there guys. But, keep it goin... don't use it all up now... heh..." During the red flag on lap 291 with the No. 8 car in the lead: Tony Eury: (joking, maybe) "I think they oughta just call it off now, don'tchy'all?... Hey Rick (Hodges, transport driver), get Dale Jr. a cold drink, and then run down there and get us some of those hot dogs..." Rick Hodges: "How many do you want? I got good credit at the hot dog stand.” Tony Eury: "Don't ya think they should just call this race?" Hodges: "They told us they were going to put epoxy on it..." Tony Eury: "That'll take 24 hours to dry. They aren't gonna make us come back tomorrow. They should just call it..." Chatter during the caution period with less than 50 laps to go: Dale Jr. (to spotter): "Don't act like I'm worried, but go tell the 42 (McMurray) he can beat and bang on me, but I don't wanna him to spin me out and go to the back. Tell him when he's banging on the guy in front of him, the guy in front of that is getting away. Tell him we need to work together here. If the 18 (B. Labonte) can get by the 12 (Newman), then we'll get on through there and decide it between us..." After the race: Dale Jr.: (dejected) "I'm sorry about losing those spots (to the 2 and 18 cars)... I knew that was for the win but it got so tight...” Today’s Stats Started: 4th (Seventh straight top-10 starting position at Martinsville.) Finished: 3rd (ties career-best at Martinsville) Points: 1st place (improved two spots, five-point lead over Kurt Busch) Money: $135,103 Laps Led: 2 times for 154 laps (Dale Jr. has now led laps in each of the last five races.) Best Pit Stop: Stop 4 of 7 / lap 272 / four tires & fuel / 13.33 seconds -Budweiser Budweiser Race Preview: Martinsville_3/29/04 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – driver, No. 8 Budweiser team: “I’ve never won at Martinsville, but it seems we’re getting closer and closer (to a win) every time we go there. Last year was pretty awesome. We led a bunch of laps and finished in the top-five in both races. It’s fun to drive at that ol’ place. It’s a tough track, and you really have to be ‘on’ for 500 laps to avoid getting the car beat up. You can come in with all the confidence in the world, but it takes almost no time to be taken out of the race. “One of my best memories of Martinsville is when we got our first top-five there (in April, 2002). That was a huge accomplishment for the team, because it was a place we had struggled. The first three or four times we raced there wasn’t pretty. But we worked hard and found a set-up we could race with at smaller tracks. When we got that first top-five, it was a turning point for this team. I’ve even got the body of that car sitting out in my front yard. It’s one of my yard ornaments.” Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Martinsville Previous Nextel Cup Starts: 8 Best Start: 2nd (Oct. 15, 2001 and April 13, 2003) Best Finish: 3rd (April 13, 2003) This Race, Last Year: ST: 2nd / FIN: 3rd / LED: 195 laps -- Dale Jr. has a series-best four consecutive top-five finishes at Martinsville and has started in the top 10 in each of the last six races there. In his last four races at Martinsville, Dale Jr.’s average starting position is 4.5 and average finishing position is fourth. In this race last year, Dale Jr. and the brew crew started second and finished third, leading 195 laps. -- Dale Jr. enters this weekend’s race third in the Nextel Cup points standings, just 35 points behind point leader Kurt Busch. Dale Jr. has more top-five finishes (four) in 2004 than any other driver. -- At tracks less than one mile in length, Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team have eight top-fives in the last 14 Nextel Cup races … Last year Dale Jr. scored more points on short tracks than any other driver (880 points) … Some Real Horsepower: Dale Jr. was selected No. 1 by Racer Magazine's 2004 Power and Influence List, ranked ahead of the France family, Roger Penske, Tony George and others. From Racer (May, 2004): "(Dale Jr. is) the most influential presence in the American racing scene today... There's almost no limit to how far he can go now. He's already crossed the chasm from athlete to pop culture icon in a way no other driver - not even Mario (Andretti) - has before... Earnhardt Jr. is sure to solidify and enhance that role to a level once reserved for stick-and-ball sportsmen like Mantle, Montana and Michael Jordan." Race Details: Advance Auto Parts 500 / Race No. 8 of 36 in the Nextel Cup Series Martinsville Speedway / Martinsville, Va. .526-mile oval, 500 laps, 263 miles Sunday, April 18, 2004 TV: Fox-TV, 12:30 p.m. ET (pre-race) / 1 p.m. ET race start. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), XM Radio. Bud Pole Qualifying: Speed Channel / Friday, 3 p.m. ET. -Budweiser