Dale Earnhardt Jr.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Richmond Preview
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Sep 04, 2008
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AT RICHMOND: In 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded three wins, seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He has completed almost 99 percent of all laps run at the short track (7,120 of 7,203) and has led 337 laps. Earnhardt also has recorded 378 green-flag passes, which is the most for any driver at Richmond in the Sprint Cup Series.
CHASE PERFORMANCE: After his 11th-place finish last week at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Earnhardt will make his third Chase for the Sprint Cup in five seasons. He secured a spot in the 2004 and 2006 competitions, finishing fifth in the driver standings both times. In 25 races this season, Earnhardt has led 706 laps. His average start is 10.6, and his average finish is 12.6.
HAMPTON BOYS: Three key members of the No. 88 team—car chief David Bryant, mechanic Jim Jenkins and engineer Tom Stewart—have ties to Hampton, Va., which is about 80 miles southwest of Richmond. Bryant and Stewart were born in the town, although Bryant grew up in Farmville, which is 64 miles west of Richmond. Bryant, who has worked for Hendrick since 2001, grew up racing late model stock cars at Southside Speedway in Midlothian, which is 15 miles southwest of Richmond. Stewart, who earned a mechanical engineering degree from Old Dominion in 1996, started working at Hendrick in 2001. Jenkins, who was born in Charleston, S.C., grew up in a military family, and his father retired in Hampton, where the duo regularly visited local Langley Speedway. Jenkins helped out at the track and worked his way up to assist teams in the Late Model Division.
HOKIE FOLKS: Engineering manager Darian Grubb and team manager Brian Whitesell also grew up in Virginia, and both graduated with mechanical degrees from Virginia Tech. Grubb, a native of Floyd, has helped Earnhardt and Eury transition into Hendrick Motorsports this season while assisting both the Nos. 5 and 88 teams on design and race engineering. Whitesell hails from Stuarts Draft and started working at Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He was named the team manager for the Nos. 5 and 88 programs in November 2004.
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA: Preparation for the 2009 season already has begun. Earnhardt devoted six hours on Wednesday to a photo shoot for the National Guard. A primary sponsor, the Guard will use the images on next season’s recruiting materials.
NATIONAL GUARD IN ACTION FOR GUSTAV: While the Louisiana National Guard continues to monitor Tropical Storm Gustav, around 7,000 soldiers have helped with current evacuation efforts. Around 50,000 Guard Soldiers and Airmen are ready to support emergency operations and/or civil missions across the state, if necessary. The units also are poised to assist relief efforts should Hurricanes Hanna and Ike strike.
CHASSIS FOR RICHMOND: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-490 for Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This Impala SS is the same chassis the team raced at RIR earlier this season when Earnhardt led 15 laps and nearly won before being involved a late-race accident. This also is the same car Earnhardt raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 29, when he led 29 laps before getting caught up in an accident entering pit road.
HENDRICK AT RICHMOND: In 49 races at Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports has posted nine wins, 40 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, swept the track in 2007. Hendrick drivers have finished outside of the top 10 just four times in the 49 events that have been held at the short track since 1984.
Quotes
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS: (ON HEADING BACK TO RICHMOND.): “We had a great car last time out in Richmond, and it was unfortunate we didn’t close out the deal. I’m glad we clinched a spot in the Chase this year, and I’m proud of all these guys on the team and back at the shop for their efforts. I think we just need to fine-tune our setup from last time and try again.”
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS (ON RICHMOND.): ”Richmond is my favorite racetrack. It’s close to home. You have the best racing at Richmond out of all the tracks we go to. We run really well there a lot and had a really good car this spring, so we’re looking forward to getting back to Richmond and running there again. It’s my favorite track of the year.”
EURY (ON WHAT THE TEAM LEARNED FROM LAST TIME AT RICHMOND.): “We were pretty good there the whole night, running top five. Right there at the end of the race, we kind of hit on something that made the car really respond so we’re going to go back with something similar to that. But the car was pretty much flawless all night so we probably won’t change a whole lot going back to Richmond.”
EURY (ON GOING TO RICHMOND WITH THE CHASE): ”If you’re in the Chase and you’re locked in, it’s a pretty easy night. We are locked in, so I hope that holds true. Back in 2006, we went into the Chase 10th and were in a good spot to not have to worry about anything, but we had a brake problem in the last 100 laps of the race. Basically a tire carrier hit a brake bleeder on the caliper, and it started leaking so we lost all the brakes. We finished on front brakes. Something like that can bite you really easy, and you can be in the Chase or out of the Chase. Last year we went in there with a long shot, run top three all night with two to go and a motor blew up. You’re never in till you’re in, and for the people that are sitting on the bubble, it’s really nerve wrecking just seeing where it all falls out.”
EURY (ON HOW HE BREAKS DOWN THE SEASON.): “Your first 10 races is everything. Then I’ve got my next 16 to try what I need to try. If you’re established when you come out of the first 10, you can really take chances and try to learn things with the car. But when you get down to the last 10, you know it’s all business. Everything that you’ve spent all year for, you’ve got to put it all on one plate and go for it.”
