News & Notes
AT BRISTOL: In 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored one win, seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. The 36-year-old driver has an average finishing position of 11.5 and has completed 98.7 percent of all laps he’s attempted (10,865 of 11,013 total) at the short track. He has led 743 laps at the .533-mile oval.
PERSONAL BEST: Earnhardt’s 11.5 average finish at Bristol is a personal best for the driver in the Sprint Cup Series. In the last 18 races there, Earnhardt has finished 11th or better 14 times.
BEST FINISHER: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt has the best average finish among all drivers in the last 12 Cup Series races at Bristol. Earnhardt, who recorded eight top-10s during the last 12 events, has an average finish of 8.8 and is one of only two drivers with an average finish in the top-10 during that span.
DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks 10th in the driver rating category at Bristol Motor Speedway with a score of 88.7. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
POINTS REPORT: Three races into the 2011 season, Earnhardt ranks 10th in the championship standings. He trails leader Tony Stewart by 22 points.
CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-611. Jeff Gordon last raced this chassis to a ninth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway last October.
BRISTOL DOUBLE: In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, Earnhardt will pilot JR Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday. In nine Nationwide starts at Bristol, Earnhardt has one win, two pole positions, five top-five finishes and seven top-10s. This marks Earnhardt’s second Nationwide Series start this season. Most recently, he drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to fourth-place finish in the Nationwide event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last month.
HENDRICK AT BRISTOL: In 54 events (167 starts) at Bristol, Hendrick Motorsports has earned nine wins, 45 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s. The organization has 11 pole positions at the short track.
APPROACHING 200: With Gordon’s win last month at Phoenix International Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now owns 195 victories. The organization ranks first in the modern era for wins and second all-time behind Petty Enterprises, which has 268 victories.
Quotes
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON HAVING LUCK AT BRISTOL (TENN.) MOTOR SPEEDWAY.):
“Luck can play a big part at Bristol for the simple fact that you can have a great car and that you can come up on something at any time. It’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time, being lucky and missing the big wreck.”
EARNHARDT (ON QUALIFYING WELL AT BRISTOL.):
“Qualifying is very important at Bristol. If you have a good qualifying run, it just makes the race go easier. It’s important to have a good pit stall selection, but if you do qualify in the back, it’s not over. We started toward the back the night we won there, so it won’t break your weekend. It just depends on the race situation. But it is definitely a lot better race if you start up front.”
STEVE LETARTE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING WELL AT BRISTOL (TENN.) MOTOR SPEEDWAY.):
“Bristol and Martinsville (Va.) are the two tightest tracks we run on. Qualifying well at Bristol is very important. It helps the whole day. It takes a lot of pressure off the start of the race. For a short track, it’s been known to run green flag for a long time. The leaders come pretty fast at Bristol so it’s important to start towards the front.”
LETARTE (ON THE BENEFITS OF EARNHARDT RUNNING BOTH THE NASCAR CUP AND NATIONWIDE RACES AT BRISTOL.):
“That’s hard for me to answer because I’ve never had a driver run both races, and Daytona’s schedule wasn’t as compact. Any track time will surely be good for him. The cars are different enough that I don’t know that there will be a ton of benefits, but without a doubt my goal is to run well in that Cup car.”
| 
|