<DJC> 2004 Race Report

Race Information
Event: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
Date: October 31, 2004	Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Started: 6th	Finished: 33rd
Status: Accident	Laps Completed: 311 of 325
Points Pos. Before/After Race: 3rd/5th	Points Earned: 64 (w/ 0 bonus)
Money Earned: $114,103
Summary and Related News
Good day goes bad for Bud Team, Dale Jr. finishes 33rd_10/31/04 Jimmie Johnson beats dominant Martin to win at Atlanta Mark Martin led 227 of 325 laps, but it was Jimmie Johnson who captured the win in Sunday’s Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was Johnson’s third consecutive victory and seventh this season, putting somewhat of a happy touch to an emotional and difficult week for Hendrick Motorsports. Carl Edwards finished third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team appeared destined for a top-five finish, but a backstretch accident 15 laps from the finish resulted in a 33rd-place finish and fourth DNF of the year. It is the first time in 11 starts Dale Jr. has not completed a race at Atlanta, ending the longest streak without a DNF of any driver at AMS since 1960. Dale Jr. wasn’t the only driver with misfortunes on Sunday. Point leader Kurt Busch went home 42nd with a blown engine, and Jeff Gordon finished 34th with mechanical woes from the start. That allowed Dale Jr. to cut into Busch’s lead even though he dropped from third to fifth in the standings. He now trails Busch by 98 points, with Johnson, Gordon and Martin in between. Key Moments: Starting sixth, Dale Jr. climbed to second in only 22 laps and continued running among the top-five all day. Realizing Busch’s and Gordon’s setbacks, Driver #8 kept it conservative on the race track through the first 300 laps, but any conservative ideas went out the door on a lap-305 restart with Dale Jr. in fifth place and determined to go for the “Atlanta sweep”. Having easily taken fourth away from Nemechek, Junior was working on rookie Carl Edwards when the two made contact coming down the backstretch. The nose of Edwards’ car nipped the right-rear quarter-panel of the Bud Chevy, sending the No. 8 car hard into the wall and spinning down the track. Dale Jr. was able to get the car re-fired and into the pits for repair work, but significant damage to the front-clip – which included a busted radiator – was too much to overcome to make it to the finish. Dale Jr. Quotes: “I was racing for the win there, but I think I came up on Carl (Edwards) and turned myself into the inside fence and tore my car up. We had a good car today. It was kind of disappointing to lose all those points, but I don’t think it was Carl’s fault. I just came up on him and I think it went from there. “I’m not worried about the points. We came here to win the race and that is what I was trying to do. We could have gained a lot of points and that would have been nice but it is hard to race like that for me. My car was really good there at the end. I had a car good enough to win the race, and that is what I was trying to do. If I can’t win, I’m glad one of the Hendrick drivers did. It’s been a difficult week for everybody.” Best Radio Chatter: Kurt Busch’s engine expired on lap 52 to bring out the first caution, prompting Dale Jr. to give somewhat of a pep talk to the Bud team before its first pit stop. Dale Jr.: “I want to reassess our situation here. No mistakes. Just cruise. Make everything right. Don’t try to beat everybody off pit road, just make sure everything is right. We need to gain as many points as we can today.” Trying to catch Martin on lap 188: Dale Jr.: “I can’t keep up with him. Steve Hmiel (spotter): “That’s OK, bud. Big picture. Big picture.” Dale Jr. (to car chief Tony Eury Jr.): “It’s definitely loose, Junior. I can’t feel the right rear (tire). You’re gonna have to save me.” Tony Jr.: “10-4, just hang in there. Don’t do anything more than you have to do.” The fifth caution flew on lap 300, 25 laps from the finish, and the Bud team elected to pit. Dale Jr.: “It’s pushing like a truck now!” Tony Jr.: “We’re pitting for four tires.” Dale Jr.: “OK, pitting for four tires … even if (the other cars) stay out?” Tony Jr.: “For the most part, we’ll lose three spots if they don’t pit, so we’ll be all right.” Dale Jr.: “That’s cool. I’m for it. I’m so tired I’d probably lose those three spots anyway.” Today's Stats Started: 6th (20th top-10 start of season) Finished: 33rd Led: -- Money: $114,103 Points: 5th (-98 to Kurt Busch) Best Pit Stop: Stop 6 of 7 / Lap 287 / four tires and fuel / 12.63 seconds -Budweiser Budweiser Race Preview: Atlanta_9/20/04 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – driver, No. 8 Budweiser team: “It’s hard to express how it feels to hear the news about the Hendrick plane crash. It’s like a hammer to the chest. It takes the wind out of you. The Hendricks are a great family and they’ve always been very generous to me and to everyone in NASCAR. It’s helpful to have a strong family to surround you, and I know the Hendricks are a great family. For me, being in the garage is like being surrounded by your closest friends and family, and it really helped me through some rough times. I’m sure Rick and all the families involved will receive the support they need from everyone in the NASCAR family.” On rebounding after a tough weekend at Martinsville: "Martinsville was disappointing, but it’s behind us now. We’re moving on and staying focused on what we have to do, because we can't afford any more slip-ups. We’re a resilient team. Nothing keeps us down for too long. Usually after a bad week, we have a good week. It didn’t used to be like that, but as we’ve matured we’ve realized we can bounce back from anything. Atlanta is a track we’ve always been really good at. Every time I go there I feel like I have a chance to win. We did it last time; we can do it again." Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Previous Nextel Cup Starts: 10 Best Start: 1st (Nov., 2001) Best Finish: 1st (March, 2004) This Race, Last Year: ST: 3rd / FIN: 6th / LED: 32 laps Atlanta Race in March: ST: 7th / FIN: 1st / LED: 55 laps Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team have finished seventh or better in the last six races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including one win and four top-fives. Dale Jr. has failed to lead laps there only twice in 10 career starts, and has been running at the finish in every one of them. This is the longest streak of races without a DNF among the 499 drivers that have competed at Atlanta since 1960. All drivers with more than nine starts there have scored at least one DNF. Dale Jr. saw his string of six consecutive top-10 finishes come to an end Sunday at Martinsville Speedway with a 33rd-place finish and third DNF of the season. The finish dropped Dale Jr. to third in the championship point standings. With four races to go in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dale Jr. trails leader Kurt Busch by 125 points. On the season, the Bud team has five wins, 15 top-fives, and 20 top-10s. EARNHARDT SUCCESS: The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. had a 9.543 average finish and nine victories in 46 races at Atlanta, the best average finish among all drivers with more than five starts there. Dale Jr. has the second best average finish at Atlanta, with a 10.2 average in just 10 races there. ON THE REBOUND: If the first Atlanta race this season was any indication, the Budweiser team is one of the best at rebounding after a poor finish. Dale Jr.’s Atlanta victory came on the heels of a 35th-place finish at Las Vegas the week before – his worst finish of the season. His Richmond win came after a 19th-place finish at California, and his Bristol victory was only six days after a 21st-place finish at Michigan. Of the three prior finishes of 30th or worst, Dale Jr. has come back the following week to finish first or second two times. Race Details: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 / Race No. 33 of 36 in the Nextel Cup Series Atlanta Motor Speedway / Hampton, Ga. 1.54-mile oval, 325 laps, 500.5 miles Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004 TV: NBC, 12:30 p.m. ET start (noon pre-race) Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN), XM Satellite Radio. Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, 3 p.m. ET (SPEED Channel). -Budweiser