Can Earnhardt Jr. pass this Phoenix test?
By SceneDaily Staff
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
.jpg "Todd Warshaw / Getty Images for NASCARA")
Todd Warshaw / Getty Images for NASCAR
NASCAR Sprint Cup teams tested at Phoenix International Raceway earlier this year, but that doesn’t necessarily give Dale Earnhardt Jr. a lot of confidence heading into this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the 1-mile track.
Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team struggled during the test there, but the driver thinks that could serve as a wake-up call.
"The test was horrible, but the tests aren't really a sign of how we run during the race,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We always seem to rebound pretty well.
“The fact that we did struggle really puts all the guys and [crew chief] Tony Eury Jr. into overdrive when they go back to the shop. It's also a reality check for us, so that keeps us motivated."
Motivation hasn’t been a problem so far in 2008, as Earnhardt Jr. has had a solid start to the season with five top-10 finishes in the first seven races. Last weekend at Texas, Earnhardt Jr. won his first pole with Hendrick before finishing a disappointing 12th.
That’s still better than both his finishes at Phoenix last year, when he was 19th and 43rd for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He wrecked in the November race and completed only 118 of the 312 laps.
That’s one of the obstacles in racing on tracks 1 mile or shorter – trouble lurks around every corner.
“I love short track racing, but short track racing is nerve-wracking,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “There are so many factors that go into it – you can get run over at any time. You have to constantly be watching out for stuff to happen."
And the track itself is a challenge. With different banking in each end of the track and different shaped corners, Phoenix is an exercise in compromise.
"Phoenix is unique,” Eury Jr. said “It's got a lot of banking when you go down into Turn 1. It's got a little dogleg in the back straightaway and then the other corner is really, really flat.
“You've got two obstacles there that you have to overcome. We have to have a soft flat-track package to get through turns 3 and 4 to make it turn really well there, and then you drive down into a bank where you need spring and you need shocks. You always have to give up one or the other. You have to pick which part of the track you want to be good at."
Apparently, Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t good at any part during the test, but maybe the team can turn a negative into a positive this weekend.
