NASCAR Sprint Cup
Dale Earnhardt Inc. Continues to Show Improvement in Sprint Cup
Dale Earnhardt Inc. rolls into the Sprint All-Star Race this weekend looking to take a break from the strain of weekly point racing. DEI has two cars locked into Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star race – Mark Martin’s No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet and Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet.
Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s other two Cup entries – the No. 15 Menard’s Chevy of Paul Menard and the No. 01 DEI Chevrolet of rookie Regan Smith – will look to race their way into the field when the green flag drops on Saturday’s Sprint Showdown qualifying race.
With 11 races in the books in 2008, the four-horse team of Dale Earnhardt Inc. continues to show improvement. The duo of Mark Martin and Aric Almirola have the No. 8 car just 20 points outside of the Chase for the Cup cutoff. Martin Truex Jr. has put together several solid efforts in the past few races and sits only 36 points out of the Chase. Paul Menard has posted one of the biggest turnarounds in all of NASCAR for the 2008 season, while Regan Smith leads the Raybestos’ Rookie of the Year standings.
The No. 8 team has posted top-eight finishes in four of the last six races, with legitimate shots to win at both Phoenix and Richmond. In just eight races, Martin has more top-10 finishes than 19 drivers who have competed in all 11 events, and Almirola posted a solid top-10 run at Bristol in his first start in 2008. Through the first 11 races of 2008, the No. 8 DEI team has scored just 14 less points than a year ago, and has the same number of top-10 finishes and only one less top five.
Truex and his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Team has three top-10 finishes in 2008. Truex’s team saw strong runs come to an end due to accidents at Talladega and Darlington, but still has scored over 100 more points to date in 2008 than in 2007. Truex also has one more top-five finish than at this point last season.
Menard has shown perhaps the most improvement at DEI and all of NASCAR. Teamed with crew chief Doug Randolph at the beginning of the season, Menard and his No. 15 team have scored almost four hundred more points in 2008 than at this time a year ago. After 11 races, Menard is only 86 points outside of the top 20 in points. A year ago, the team was 38th in points and 165 points out of 35th. Menard has posted seven top-25 finishes after 11 races, compared to only four a year ago.
After 11 events, Regan Smith leads the rookie-of-the-year standings. The team has shown steady improvement, having posted finishes of 26th or better in four of the last seven events, including a career high of 14th for Smith at Martinsville.
The multi-car operation, which has adopted and embraced the philosophy of “Four Cars, One Team” will look to continue its marked improvement as the season continues this weekend at the All-Star Event and into next weekend for the series’ longest event of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 at the Beast of the Southeast, Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Facts
The Racing Past: 1999 to 2007
Team Budweiser Dale Earnhardt Jr. Historic Quotes
This Bud's for You:We will commemorate the long and successful pairing of Dale Jr., Budweiser and Dale Earnhardt Inc. by including a small slice of the most memorable moments and the greatest Dale Jr. quotes since 1999.
(Media Note: Most recent stories or features have incorrectly stated the Bud/Dale Jr. relationship began in 2000. Dale Jr. started five Winston Cup races in the No. 8 Budweiser car in 1999.)
PART FIVE
Memorable Drive:
Career win #11 for Dale Jr. and the Bud team may not immediately jump off the page as one of the most impactful victories of their tenure, but - as usual with this team - it was the circumstances surrounding the win that made it special. They had won the season-opening Daytona 500 to take the points lead in the Nextel Cup Series for the first time ever, yet were blasted in the media for a horrific run at Las Vegas in the third race of the season. The handling of the car was so poor at Vegas, the team was nearly black-flagged for being unable to maintain minimum speeds and they withdrew early for a 35th-place finish. However, with a mixture of determination, anger and sheer will, the team came back seven days later at Atlanta to lead 55 laps and take a statement-making win.
Memorable Quotes from Dale Jr. after the Atlanta win:
On what it meant to win after a humbling 35th-place finish at Las Vegas the previous week: "All I know is that it wasn't too long ago that a showing like that would've done us in. Either I would've got fed up and quit and parked it, or me and Tony (Eury) Jr. would've ensued into a hellacious cussing match. It would've been nasty. I knew the first lap (at Vegas) I was driving a ticking time bomb. That thing was going to be awful all day. But this Budweiser team never gives up. Two years ago, maybe even last year, we would've self-destructed. We probably wouldn't have come out of that for some time. I would have raced Atlanta Monday morning if I could have, because I wanted to get as far from Vegas as I could. It's hard to go home and face your friends and your team after a race like that. I was just hoping Atlanta wouldn't be another disaster. I was getting a little frustrated early in the race, because we are a top-five team here and there we were riding in 13th and almost going a lap down. Just goes to show you never give up, and never give up on your team.
On finally getting a win at Atlanta:
"This track has been on my want-list for a long time. I've wanted to win here pretty bad. I'd seen my daddy come in here and win so many times. It really means a lot to win here. It's great to put your name on the list to win The Winston and the Daytona 500, but this was a personal victory for me today."
PART FOUR
Memorable Drive:
No question here: Dale Jr's most memorable drive at Lowe's Motor Speedway was winning The Winston in 2000. As the first rookie to win, he overcame a brush with rival Rusty Wallace, a hard smack with the turn-four wall, an extra pit stop to replace loose lug nuts, and a sparkling, late-race dash through the field. The team opted to put four fresh tires on the No. 8 car with only eight laps remaining in the race, and then Dale Jr. set sail, passing cars high and low to gain the victory over Dale Jarrett and his father, the late Dale Earnhardt. What stands out most was the post-race celebration, which included a very proud papa. Dale Earnhardt was renowned for being the first one out of the garage after every race, but this one was different as he came to the makeshift victory lane on the front stretch and joined his son and his team in celebrating a major victory for what seemed like an hour. It remains one of Dale Jr's all-time greatest memories of his father.
Memorable Quotes from Charlotte:
Dale Jr: (following victory in the Winston): "I feel like I've finally done something to match what my daddy did here. I watched him in this race for many years and it makes me feel good to see Daddy happy. Makin' Daddy happy - that's number one! I've spent more than 20 years makin' him miserable so it's great to finally make him happy. The highlight of my life is seeing the smile on daddy's face tonight. That's what it's all about, ya know?!"
"My grandpa Ralph used to say "blow or go!" so we decided to gamble on those tires at the end. We didn't come here to finish second!"
"That Budweiser tasted good in victory lane! I've been dying all day to have me a cold beer. It's been really hot and you just sit here and wait and wait for the race to start. That Bud tasted as good as any beer I've ever had."
PART THREE
Memorable Drive:
The victory that still generates the biggest emotional response among Dale Jr. fans is his dominating win at Daytona in July 2001. The Bud car - carrying a special white paint scheme in honor of MLB's All-Star game - led 116 of the 160 laps to take the checkered flag in the first race at Daytona since the tragic crash that took his father's life. The team - particularly then-car-chief Tony Eury Jr. - managed their February heartbreak by focusing special attention on the Daytona car and bringing their most prepared, most perfect superspeedway machine to the July race. After dominating all evening, Dale Jr. restarted in seventh place with six laps remaining, but using a near-perfect handling car and his considerable drafting skills, he swept into the lead in the final laps and then celebrated with his then-teammate Michael Waltrip, who finished second, his team and the fans by getting out of his car in the infield grass and climbing onto the roof of the Bud machine.
Memorable Quotes from Daytona (July 2001:
"I wanna dedicate this one to my dad. This one is for him. We all stuck together and we're getting through the rough time together as a team - Tony (Eury) my crew chief, Tony (Eury) Jr., Ty Norris and everybody at DEI... This is great! Unbelievable! I love coming to Daytona, and to win here it... it just means a lot. I thought about my dad, but I tried to keep my mind clear all weekend. I think the first lap or two of practice, it felt different, it felt very strange. That was really tough for me, but after that the car was so good that I was able to concentrate and just do what I am paid to do."
"I was so happy to see Michael (Waltrip) behind me. I knew he was gonna help me. I helped him - I committed to him - at the 500, and I TOLD him that I helped him! (laughs) So, I knew he was right behind me supporting me tonight and he did. He was so happy when we were jumping on the cars. He's had a rough year, so I was happy for him as well."
Looking down from the media center onto the skid marks where he had done donuts in the grass after the win:
"I'm looking at those marks, and they don't look very good from here. I hope they looked better to you guys when I was doin' them. When Matt Kenseth won at Charlotte last year, he did some sort of high-speed slide though the grass, so I was kinda going for that, mixed with some donuts. You HAVE to do stuff like that after you win because you've got so much energy that you have to let it out. You gotta let it out like that by spinning around and jumping out of the car and letting out some yells! Otherwise, if you don't, you get to victory lane and you'll just get outta the car and fall over or lose consciousness."
"The big tire marks on the right side of the car are from Matt! He came up beside me after the race and bumped me, but we touched wheels and we both were kinda thrown up in the air. That was wild!"
PART TWO
Memorable Drive:
There have been many to choose from at Talladega, but the most improbable and impressive would have to be the win in April 2003. On race morning, the Bud team found water in the oil of the engine, which meant a frantic engine change. The Bud car was the last one onto the grid, only moments before the command to start engines, and then Dale Jr. was forced to start 43rd. On lap four, one of Talladega's typical multi-car crashes took place, sweeping the No. 8 car into the carnage. The damage was mostly cosmetic, but the Bud pit crew was forced to make a total of 17 pit stops during the race to make changes and to repair the damage a little bit at a time without losing a lap. By lap 107, with car that looked like it had been beaten with a sledgehammer, Dale Jr. had somehow made his way into the lead for the first time. He took the lead for the final time with two laps to go, but was forced to go below the yellow "out of bounds" line. However. NASCAR ruled that he had already gained the lead before slipping below the line, so the pass was deemed legal and the victory - a record-setting fourth straight -- was Dale Jr's. A monumental run, and a testament to a hard-working and unheralded Bud crew.
Memorable Quotes from Talladega: (from various races):
From the 2003 win listed above: "This is a big deal. A great victory for my career. In the past, we've been the car to beat at this place, but today we weren't the best car. We just didn't have the car after the big crash, so we had to fight and gouge and kick for every spot today. It was hard, hard racing and a lot of wild things happening, so I'd say this one (the fourth in a row) is the sweetest of all. We had to earn this one... All week, I never really thought we could do it (win four consecutive races at Talladega). I planned for the worst, and hoped for the best. It was hellacious racing, and we never gave up. Everybody on the team showed a lot of heart. This one wasn't ours to lose like the ones in the past. You work your heart out... and you might get more than you expect."
From his Oct. 2004 win: "(Five wins) don't mean s$#&! Daddy won ten here!" (at a cost of 25 points and a hefty fine...)
From a red-flag period during the race in April 2005:
Crew chief Pete Rondeau: "Are you sleeping in there?"
Dale Jr: "No, I'm just sitting here flipping everybody off..."
Later in the red flag period, being interviewed by Fox-TV's Darrell Waltrip:
DW: "It's pretty crazy out there. A lot of guys are complaining about the aggressive driving..."
Dale Jr: "Yeah, they need a tissue for their issue..."
(after the interview)
Dale Jr: (with bravado) "That was a cool piece of commentary. Maybe I've got a future."
Steve Hmiel (spotter): "Yeah... like you need it!"
PART ONE
Memorable Drive:
One of the most over-looked victories of Dale Jr's Cup career took place at the sister track to Kansas Speedway. In July 2005, Dale Jr. drove to a win at Chicagoland Speedway with interim crew chief Steve Hmiel. It had been a nightmare following off-season wholesale changes at DEI - including swapping entire crews between their two Cup drivers. The season brightened with 19 laps remaining in the Chicago event when Hmiel gambled by taking only two tires and sending the Bud car back on track in second place. What followed were some of the finest laps of Junior's career, as first he made a hold-your-breath-and-pray pass into the lead and then held off a hard-charging Matt Kenseth, who had four fresh tires. For large sections of the final 10 laps, the No. 8 Bud car was sliding sideways as Dale Jr. extended his streak of earning at least one win each season since 2000.
Memorable Quotes:
(after the 2005 Chicago victory): "I'm just so happy for this team. They've been taking so much abuse all season, and they are as good - if not better - than any of these teams in the garage. We've gone through so much this year, but it's been a learning experience, and a growing experience, and it makes this even sweeter, to be completely honest. I really don't know what to say - it's just awesome. I'm also happy for my fans because of all they've been through with us, I'd love to be able to go into work with all of them on Monday and see them to give everybody else (crap)..."
About the team urging him on in the final laps:
"It's like a jockey on a horse during the last stretch. He's getting all he can out of that horse. In the last stretch of the race, if the team knows there's a guy in front of us that's faster, I want them to say, 'Come on, drive it harder. Do something, Let's go'. We don't have many opportunities to find ourselves in the hunt and be excited about it. I wanted to enjoy the hell out of it and get the whip out and see if we could gain another spot. I needed somebody to get me up on the wheel. Not all drivers will admit to that. But it helps. We think we're in there doing all we can, but you never are. There's always more. There's always another gear, another level, another step. There's always harder and harder - until your head explodes or something. I just wanted to be pushed."
"Every time we win there's always some circumstance. We've never really gone somewhere and picked up a win and quietly walked out. Today's circumstance for me is obviously winning with this team that has been beat up so bad all year long by the critics. I never expected that. I told them there was going to be pressure when they put the red uniform on, but I didn't think it would be as cruel as it has for them. I've got the easiest job in the whole company That's the satisfaction of this win. To see what they feel today means more than taking the trophy out and setting it on the mantle."
Helmets Helmets Helmets:
Observant fans will notice Dale Jr. sporting a new lightweight, high-tech carbon fiber helmet inside the Budweiser machine, but he's also adding to a helmet collection of a different sort. After receiving several college football helmets from the fine Budweiser folks in Virginia the past few years, Dale Jr. began collecting helmets from as many college teams as he can acquire. This weekend, he'll receive an official helmet from the University of Kansas football program. The Jayhawks are undefeated so far this season. (Shhh... don't tell Junior. It's a surprise!)
© 2008 Dwight Drum
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