News & Notes
AT LAS VEGAS: In 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored two top-five finishes, four top-10s and led 162 laps. He averages a 9.33 finish and a 14.3 starting spot behind the wheel of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet during the last three Cup events at the track. He matched his career-best result there with a runner-up finish in 2008. Earnhardt originally earned second place at the track in 2003.
LAS VEGAS STATS: Among active drivers, Earnhardt ranks seventh in the laps led category (162 laps) and is tied for 10th with two top-five finishes at Las Vegas. He ranks tied for ninth with four top-10s at the 1.5-mile racetrack.
POINTS REPORT: Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, currently ranks 17th in the Sprint Cup driver standings after finishing 10th last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. He trails leader Kyle Busch by 25 points.
CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-617. Jeff Gordon most recently raced this car to an 11th–place finish at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last September.
INTERMEDIATE TRACK STATS: In 193 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, six pole positions, 38 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s.
HENDRICK AT LAS VEGAS: In 13 events (50 starts) at Las Vegas, Hendrick Motorsports has scored five wins, 14 top-five finishes and 20 top-10s. The organization has led 828 laps at the 1.5-mile racetrack. Jimmie Johnson owns four of those wins, having gone to Victory Lane at Las Vegas in four of the last six Cup events there, including most recently in February 2010.
APPROACHING 200: With Jeff Gordon’s win last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now has earned 195 Sprint Cup victories since 1984. The organization ranks first in the modern era for wins and second all-time behind Petty Enterprises, which owns 268 Cup victories.
Quotes
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON LAS VEGAS.):
“Vegas is a lot of fun. On all of these mile-and-a-half tracks it comes down to who can hold the throttle down the longest through the corner and make the straightaways as long as you can because everyone has good horsepower. It’s a fast track, and I enjoy running around there. It’s definitely a lot more fun since they reconfigured it (in 2006). It has a lot of bumps now, but it is still a pretty good racetrack.”
STEVE LETARTE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON GOING TO LAS VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH EARNHARDT.):
“It’s refreshing. I think there is enough change in the car that it’s been a little bit of an equalizer. The fascia has changed; the tires have changed at most of these tracks. I think it would be a bigger disadvantage with a new driver if you didn’t change anything else. Everybody in the garage has things to work on so I don’t think it’s a big disadvantage. Dale is a remarkable talent. I think our communication has worked very, very well.”
LETARTE (ON LAS VEGAS.):
“Las Vegas is a place I feel I have to redeem myself. Two years in a row we should have won. In 2009, we locked up a left-front tire, missed pit road, blew a tire and took the fender off. That ruined our day after leading a majority of the day. That one probably had more to do with the driver (in 2009), but last year the crew chief dropped the ball and took right-side tires when it was our race to lose. That wound is still open so I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas and redeem myself.”
LETARTE (ON GOING OUT IN LAS VEGAS.):
“I’m the wrong guy to ask. I take my motorcoach to Las Vegas and never leave the track. Not many people know this but when I go to the racetrack, I go to race. I don’t go to the casinos; I don’t go to the shows. I stay at the racetrack. From any time I am awake in Las Vegas, I’m working on winning Las Vegas. That’s how I approach it. I like staying at the track because I’m closer to Dale, and it gives us more time to talk about the race car. I’m not a real fun guy at the racetrack. When I go to the track, I go to win. This race team goes to win. We have a strong group of guys and they expect a level of performance out of their crew chief. So I’ll stay at the track and stay focused.”
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