No. 8 crew earns third Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge of the season
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 8 crew collected the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge win in Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Kansas Speedway. It was the third win of the season for Earnhard’t over-the-wall crew.
On its way to a 10th-place finish, the Budweiser crew spent 230.576 seconds on pit road during the rain-shortened 210-lap event.
“We really struggled for a large part of the day, but as usual Tony (Eury Jr., crew chief) and the guys made some pretty drastic changes to the car and we were finally able to run on the pace with anybody on the track,” said Earnhardt. “It was even more critical with the rain delays and the constantly changing conditions. I know I can rely on my guys every week to pour their guts out every single race.”
The win moves Earnhardt’s crew to a tie with Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team for second place in the season long standings. Mark Martin’s No. 01 crew and Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew are currently tied for the lead with four wins each.
Checkers/Rally’s will present the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team with an $11,000 check for winning the weekly competition. An additional $111,150 prize will be presented to the over-the-wall crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule.
The No. 8 crew consists of: Brian “Hootie” Chase (jackman), Shawn Ward (front-tire carrier), D.J. Copp (front-tire changer), Erik Wakeland (rear-tire carrier), Greg Burkhart (rear-tire changer), Jeff Clark (gasman), Craig Lund (catch can) and Jay Guarneri (windshield). The team’s pit crew coordinator is Walt Smith.
To win, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally’s is in its third season as title sponsor for the Pit Crew Challenge.
2007 Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Winners – Nextel Cup Series
Pos Car No. Pit Crew Wins Prize Money
T1 01 Mark Martin 4 44,000
T1 24 Jeff Gordon 4 44,000
T3 11 Denny Hamlin 3 33,000
T3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3 33,000
T5 29 Kevin Harvick 2 22,000
T5 12 Ryan Newman 2 22,000
T5 48 Jimmie Johnson 2 22,000
T5 2 Kurt Busch 2 22,000
T5 5 Kyle Busch 2 22,000
T5 25 Casey Mears 2 22,000
T11 41 Reed Sorenson 1 11,000
T11 1 Martin Truex 1 11,000
T11 07 Clint Bowyer 1 11,000
Note: To date, Checkers/Rally’s has paid out $319,000 to NEXTEL Cup pit crews
Daytona (2/18) Martin Team Chicago (7/15) Harvick Team
California (2/25) Martin Team Indianapolis (7/30) Sorenson Team
Las Vegas (3/11) Martin Team Pocono (8/5) Newman Team
Atlanta (3/18) Johnson Team Watkins Glen (8/12) Truex Team
Bristol (3/25) Hamlin Team Michigan (8/21) Kurt Busch Team
Martinsville (4/1) Earnhardt Team Bristol (8/25) Bowyer Team
Texas (4/15) Martin Team California (9/3) Earnhardt Team
Phoenix (4/22) Hamlin Team Richmond (9/8) J. Gordon Team
Talladega (4/29) Kurt Busch Team New Hamp. (9/16) Kyle Busch Team
Richmond (5/6) J. Gordon Team Dover (9/23) Mears Team
Darlington (5/13) J. Gordon Team Kansas (9/30) Earnhardt Team
Charlotte (5/27) Hamlin Team
Dover (6/4) Newman Team
Pocono (6/10) J. Gordon Team
Michigan (6/17) Kyle Busch Team
Infineon (6/24) Harvick Team
New Hamp. (7/1) Johnson Team
Daytona (7/7) Mears Team
Busch Series Result – Dover International Speedway
Stephen Leicht’s No. 90 crew grabbed its third Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the year in Saturday’s Busch Series event at Kansas Speedway. The crew spent 163.931 seconds on pit road on its way to a 19th-place result.
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