People forget that Earnhardt rebounded quickly from the 100-point penalty levied against the No. 8 team after Darlington. Add those to his current tally, and he’d still be in 12th position, but he’d have some breathing room ahead of 13th-place Kurt Busch. As it stands, just 13 points separate him and Hedge. (Is Kurt called Hedge?)
Earnhardt also has experienced some part failures in the engine that foiled solid outings. Remember Texas? He had the best race car on the track. Boom. Engine failure. And last weekend at Indy his car rivaled Tony Stewart’s, but he was disallowed the opportunity to show it at the end.
By Marty Smith Read More..
ESPN.Go.Com
August 01, 2007
The big question now is will Earnhardt make the Chase? He will need to put together several good runs at tracks that he does not traditionally run well at. He will also need to at least come close to winning a race to stay in front of Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. At least Team Penske seems to be moving forward even though they still are having issues closing the deal. But Earnhardt seems to be going backwards. There was nothing he could do about the mechanical issue, but it sure appears that he is not getting the support that Truex is getting right now. You would think DEI would rather have two cars in the Chase than just one. Chuck Abrams, InsiderRacingNews.com
June 30
Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have been Stewart’s only real threat, but Junior did not finish due to engine failure. Tony Stewart was, without question, the driver to beat on Sunday.
July 30, 2007
Dale jr.: “I felt the power steering lurch coming off the corner and then it was like I had run into a giant rock or something. The belt came off and the engine went up in smoke. Until then, we had been running great all weekend. We were fast in practice and we had a great qualifying run. Then, we had a really good race car that was haulin’ when we were in the lead or near the front.”
July 30, 2007
Running fifth and among the leaders, Earnhardt was zipping down the main straight on lap 136 when the engine let go. A race that held such promise instead became yet another tremendous disappointment for a driver who hasn’t finished in the top five in eight Brickyard starts.
“We finished bad, and that is no good in the points deal and I am not happy about that,” Earnhardt said, “but there is nothing we can do about it. They build great motors and we run the hell out of them. It is going to happen every once in a while.”
Phillip B. Wilson, IndyStar.com
July 30, 2007
He gambled on pit strategy in the first half of the race, but lost position following a two-tire pit stop.
Earnhardt Jr. rallied once more after a four-tire stop and clawed his way back to fifth. He was charging forward when the engine pulley either broke or came off the car, ending Earnhardt Jr.‘s effort 24 laps early.
After racing in the top 10 for 115 laps, he found himself with a finish of 34th. It was just enough to keep him in 12th in the driver standings, the final spot in the field for the 10-race Chase For The Nextel Cup to determine this year’s champion. SceneDaily.com
July 30, 2007
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: For just hanging on to 12th in a lame duck year with his team. They want to win races and contend for the championship before Jr. moves to Hendrick Motorsports next year. But bad finishes, crashes and blown engines might keep Jr. out of the chase one more time.
Ginn Racing/ DEI merger: They are both doing what they must do to survive, however one is not sure if they have the people or equipment to contend even with the added support from both groups. Running four-cup teams from two different shops is going to be a challenge. Mark Martin is the only thing that keeps their chances of success alive.
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