NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SAVE MART 350
INFINEON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 26, 2011
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, INVOLVED IN MULTI-CAR INCIDENT IN TURN 11 ON LAP 38, RETIRED FROM RACE AS A RESULT OF DAMAGE TO RADIATOR RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE: WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? “We had made the car better during that first stop. They had a big ole mess getting into (turn) 11 and we jumped in there and got part of it and banged up the nose a little bit. It knocked a hole in the radiator and it ended up hurting the engine a little bit so I think the engine is done. It has a hole in the side of it so that usually isn’t good. I ran it a couple of laps and the temp was fine on the water so we thought maybe it was just a pinhole in the radiator and maybe we could just run around 10 or 20 laps and just fill it back up with qualifying cycle machine that we use to push water through the motors on qualifying day. But, I guess the motor didn’t like it and it knocked the side out the motor, so it’s done.”
WHAT WAS ISSUE? “We just got in a little bit of a bang up there in turn 11 with a bunch of guys and knocked a hole in the radiator and drained all the water out of it and hurt the engine. The engine is ruined so we won’t be able to get back out there. We had made the car better. It was a really rough race but it was fun though. It just sucks to be out this early.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE OUT THERE, WAS THERE A LOT OF BEATIN’ AND BANGIN’ OUT THERE? “I was seein’ beatin’ and bangin’ but that is just the way the road courses are. This place.it is the way these races here have been for awhile. You know what you sign up for when you show up on Friday. You kinda want to get up in the middle of it ya know. You want to get in the middle of it and have fun. Everybody is bangin’ around but your car can’t survive it. They just spun out in front of me in (turn) 11 and I just kinda ran into somebody with the front of my car. But the beatin’ and the bangin’ was kinda fun.”
YOU SAID ON FRIDAY YOU WANTED TO MAKE THIS YOUR FAVORITE TRACK EVENTUALLY HAVE YOU LEARNED TO LIKE IT ANY BETTER? “I’m not a big fan of the place, but, maybe one of these days. We were havin’ a pretty good time of it out there. We weren’t the worst car. There are some guys out there that have some real good speed. It should be interesting how this race plays out.”
ARE YOU KIND OF GLAD TO GET OUT OF THIS STRETCH OF RACES AND HEAD TO DAYTONA AND A FEW PLACES YOU LIKE? “I’m not looking forward to going to Daytona, not with the way the drafting is there. But, we’ll just have to see if we can get lucky out of there. What is after Daytona? Will be glad to go there. New Hampshire? I love that place. (LAUGHS).”
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