Strong All-Star performance has Earnhardt Jr. looking forward to Coca-Cola 600
[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″]
[/media-credit]Dale Earnhardt Jr. would have loved to have won Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star race and the million dollars that went with it. But after putting on a strong performance from the Sprint Showdown to the main event, he’s anticipating a bigger night when the points are on the line next Sunday.
Having not won a race in 2011 and with his 10 year automatic entrance into the All-Star race expired, he won it in 2000, Earnhardt Jr. had to race his way in for the second straight year. Heavily stressing on the racing his way in and not relying on the Sprint Fan Vote, which he had to last year.
Although he great appreciates his fans support, calling it a gift. It just wasn’t one he didn’t want on Saturday night, eager to earn his right to race and earn it he did.
The No. 88 Dale Jr. Foundation Chevrolet led all 40 laps in the Sprint Showdown, beating pole sitter AJ Allmendinger who had to come from behind after having flat tire before the green flag flew. Both would transferred into the All-Star race and the Fan Vote went to Bobby Labonte. Mission accomplished for Earnhardt Jr., now he got to race for the big money and he was ever grateful.
“It was great,” he said after the All-Star race. “I want to thank all the employees of the Dale Jr. Foundation and all the fans who donated and helped us with our causes. Our sponsors Diet Mountain Dew, National Guard for giving us the opportunity to raise awareness this weekend, put the decals on the car and Chevrolet, Sprint and NASCAR for doing all this.
“I want to thank the fans for coming out we had an awesome crowd, the best crowd I’ve seen at a race in a long time. That was great to see. Our race was pretty uneventful we just ran really hard and tried the best strategy we could to put ourselves in position to win. I think we did the best we could.”
In the end teammate Jimmie Johnson was in victory lane, except it could have been Earnhardt Jr. After moving through the field in the first segment he stayed on track for the second and finished second. He remained in the top 10 for segment three and then went on to win segment four.
It’s where he restarted for the last segment, a 10-lap dash for the cash. But when Matt Kenseth, who restarted second, spun his tires in front of Earnhardt Jr. it stacked up everyone in the outside lane, allowing the inside to drive away. Earnhardt Jr. knew they were in a bad position on the outside and he tried not to run into Kenseth.
“Anything is possible,” said Earnhardt Jr. about his chance to win. “My mind was open to whatever might happen in front of me and to try to reach out and take opportunities that presented themselves. I wasn’t really counting myself out just yet. If you are not on the front row for a 10-lap segment … two of the best drivers in the series started on the front row, they are hard to beat in a 10-lap run.”
It’s OK by Earnhardt Jr. though, his performance spoke for itself and he knows it can lead to even better things. Next weekend the NSCS will be right back at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600.
His winless streak now at 140 races, Earnhardt Jr. has high hopes for Sunday, telling crew chief Steve Letarte midway through the All-Star race that he was looking forward to the 600. Something he reiterated after his top five finish.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “When you run like this the week before it really makes you feel good. It really makes you look forward to it.”
Last year Earnhardt Jr. was just yards away from breaking his winless streak before the fuel tank ran dry coming off turn four. Kevin Harvick flew by for the win, Earnhardt Jr. coasted to a seventh place finish.
It was one of the much heartbreak that he, his team and his loyal fans have gone through over the years. There have been struggles, close calls and second place finishes. After 11 races in 2012 he sits third in points and has been running as competitively as Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Johnson, who have all won races and sit there in points with him.
His 88 team is still trying to get over the win hump. Saturday was another step in the right direction as he continually moved through the field and served notice. Letarte barely had to adjust the Chevrolet all night, it was fast from the get go with Earnhardt Jr. saying it was the best car he’s driven at Charlotte in a long time and he’ll get to show it again soon.
“I think we showed what we are capable of doing here next weekend,” he said. “We are probably going to bring the same car, we have a couple of ideas on how to make the car even faster, especially for qualifying that I hope will work out. I am real pleased with our effort.
“These races are little sprints and you really depend on the team to put the car out on the line ready to go, ready to take off, you can’t really wait for the car to come in or anything like that. Those guys did that all night. They built a great car. I had a lot of fun.”
Keselowski and Hornaday differ on restart incident after NCWTS race
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[/media-credit]For Justin Lofton and Brad Keselowski it all came down to restarts. That’s what would decide who was going to win the North Carolina Education 200 at Charlotte on Friday night, two late restarts that changed the night for both of them.
Lofton hadn’t been getting good restarts all night while Keselowski was, walking away from the field in dominating fashion. But with nine laps to go it was a reversal of fortune for Lofton, who got a good jump and grabbed the lead. Keselowski got his worst restart of the night and he blamed Ron Hornaday, who restarted fourth.
Lofton then got another good restart with four laps to go and held Keselowski off for his first career win. For Lofton it was vindication, saying he outsmarted Keselowski with some help from Hornaday. And he knew that once he got a decent lead Keselowski wouldn’t be able to catch him.
“Our truck was phenomenally good,” said Keselowski. “Just trying to be smart with it. Got caught in that section of green flag stops where the yellow came out and lost a lap, got back around on that and got to where we could race again. It was just a fight for track position in a very short race.
“I was proud of my team for working really hard to get it back. Got back to the lead there until that last yellow came out with 10 to go, something like that. Then it was just a matter of racing the restarts and who ran ‘em smart and who didn’t.”
Before the second to last restart Keselowski had come over the radio and asked his spotter to get with Hornaday’s. His message was clear: you take care of me and I’ll take care of you.
It’s something that according to Keselowski, he’s done in every CWTS race he’s competed in. Respected and raced Hornaday clean but after Friday don’t count on it. Hornaday doesn’t show him the same respect anyway and Keselowski felt that because he had the truck to beat nobody would work with him instead “they did everything they could to wreck me.”
A discussion on pit road after the race didn’t clear up the issue. Both pleaded their case about why the other was wrong with neither coming away with many answers.
“I guess Brad is mad at me because I ran into the back of him on the restart,” said Hornaday. “But they stopped and played jackrabbit and someone got into the back of me so I just had to go too. I’m sorry about that, but we are all looking for spots.”
Keselowski was having none of Hornaday’s answer, saying it seemed the incident never happened in his mind and it showed his ignorance. It ended up costing them both what could have been better finishes.
“You know, I came over the radio and asked him, ‘Hey man, I’ll play it cool. Just be nice and smooth here and we’ll both have great days,’” said Keselowski. “Instead he decided to be a jackass and run me over. I don’t define that as playing it cool.
“And it cost him what would have been an easy second place and obviously cost me the win. So we both lost out on the deal and I was just frustrated by that. Thats the way it goes.”
If Keselowski was hoping for sympathy or an agreement from others, he won’t find it. Third place finisher Todd Bodine said it’s nothing more than racing and that it’s called tough trucks for a reason.
“Both times the front row was what messed that up,” he said. “I don’t know what Justin was doing going so slow on those restarts and then Brad did the same thing. I just jacks everybody up and you start spinning tires and people are going every which way.
“It’s absolutely absurd to be mad at anybody for that, its just part of the game. It’s all determined on the front row what they do. I guess Brad thought that Ron run into him for no reason but everybody was going and Brad didn’t. It’s just a racing deal.
“He’s got to get over it. He’s racing trucks not Cup cars.”
The NCWTS next race is the first weekend of June at Dover, but Keselowski won’t be back behind the wheel of his truck until later that month in Kentucky.
All-Star Race proves that wrecks are not needed for great racing
[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”259″]
[/media-credit]As the checkered flag flew on the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race, people immediately began to talk.
How can the All-Star Race reward $1 million to a driver who ran the majority of the race in the back of the pack, riding around trying to avoid trouble? How can the top three finishers of the event, through the race format, be given an advantage by not racing up front in the middle of the race until the very end?
Without a doubt, these are all controversial issues that NASCAR needs to address within the next year before the next All-Star event. As seen each year, changes will be made, and changes should be made, however that does not mean the racing was bad this past weekend, not by any means.
Immediately, as the green flag flew on the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race, the racing was incredible. Drivers were slipping, sliding, cutting through the grass, running two and three wide and were going for it. It was clear, they wanted to win those segments. They wanted any advantage they could get to get one step closer to winning $1 million.
Contrary to the previous races at the start of the 2012 season, passing was not as rare. Drivers could catch, pass and race side by side with others all night. Perhaps it was the new aero changes NASCAR made last week, or perhaps it was just the money, but one thing was certain, there was some serious racing.
With the incredible passing and side by side racing being unique compared to the majority of the previous races this season, there was one common denominator, the lack of cautions.
Unlike all the promos which are always known for showing wrecks, cars spinning through the grass and shots of intense impact with the wall, the race portrayed none of that. In fact, the occasional engine failures were the only real cautions of the night, except for the concluding segment cautions, of course. There were no wrecks at all.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Despite all the hype and unnecessary attention that has been given to fans over supposedly wanting crashes in order for them to enjoy a race, Saturday night’s race proved something that was needed to be understood in the sport – wrecks do not need to occur for there to be good racing.
While there are always critics and there are always ways to make the racing, or rather the race, better, there were many people who were very pleased with the show.
Whether it was because of the segments, the aero changes, a combination of the two, or something else, great racing was seen by many – perhaps the best in quite a while.
What the effects of this race will be moving forward is yet to be determined, but there were certainly many people watching and taking notes Saturday night.
