Dale Earnhardt Jr. not worrying about fellow Chase contenders at Kansas
By SceneDaily Staff
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Rusty Jarrett
Getty Images for NASCAR
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he and his Hendrick Motorsports team feel prepared for the races at the 1.5-mile tracks that remain in the Chase For The Sprint Cup.
There are five races at tracks of that length in the 10-race Chase, with the first coming Sunday at Kansas Speedway - where Earnhardt Jr. will start 11th in the Camping World RV 400.
After spending most of the season in the top five in the standings, Earnhardt Jr. has slipped to ninth. But he's not letting his new position hinder his optimism.
“It’s really early still," he said. "I think [our] chances are still pretty good. The team is very confident and our cars are looking great and they’re driving really good with the exception of last week. I’m anticipating that we’ll finish strong.”
Part of that confidence comes from the team testing at Kentucky Speedway to prepare for these type of tracks. That has added confidence for the Tony Eury Jr.- led team.
"We feel pretty prepared for those," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We’ve been running good at those tracks all year long. We’ll just have to see how it works out for us. We feel like we know what we need to do. We just have to make sure we keep our heads on straight and make the right decisions.”
That begins with today's practices at Kansas.
Earnhardt Jr. says the track has aged over the years, making the racing groove move higher so that drivers can run higher on the track. He plans to test that theory throughout practices today.
"With this car, it tends to like running higher as it gets tight and slick on the bottom," he said. "I saw a lot of guys falling off dramatically in their race practice speeds on the long runs. I’m hoping I can test a little bit [today] with the top groove and see how the car likes it up there. I think a lot of guys will be looking up there on Sunday to find some speed.
"The race is gonna end up on the bottom as the track cools down around four o’clock or so near the end of the race but I think you can maintain and do really well for the first three quarters of the race running up high.”
Despite his slide in the standings, Earnhardt Jr. is planning to focus only on his own effort and not the competition.
He says he will not be watching to see where other Chase contenders are during the race or keeping an eye on them with eight races still remaining in the Chase. He'll be concentrating on improving his own points position - and staying in championship contention.
"The race unfolds around you and whatever happens to those other guys, you can leapfrog four or five guys any given week," he said. "I feel like you really have to keep an eye on the distance between you and number one. That’s really what you’ve got to pay a lot of attention to. You got other guys that are in second and third that could feasibly go on a winning streak as well. Even if you finish in the top five you still don’t gain anything. You just have to charge hard and make the best of it.”
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12 responses to "Dale Earnhardt Jr. not worrying about fellow Chase contenders at Kansas". Post a Comment.
Marilyn Fisher said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 10:40 AMI love your confidence Jr. It makes it exiting for the race Sunday. Just concentrate on you and your good team and a win will come.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDonna said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 11:20 AMJunior, glad to see you have confidence in your team and in yourself. Lets make it to victory lane.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTwyla Whitesel said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 12:57 PMJunior you can do it! Let's get to victory lane,do it for all your fans.GOOD LUCK God be with you.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMARTIN said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 2:29 PMJunior just go out there and do YOUR thing!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDarlene Thompson said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 3:54 PMNow jR go and show everyone what you are made of. I am proud of what you have done this year!!
Report as AbuseLove ya
Darlene TN
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDiamond_56 said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 4:15 PMJr. Jr. youi're the one
Report as AbusePlease go out there and get it DONE!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportphyllis hamilton said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 4:39 PMafter you win at kansas, do it at dega. you are a winner no matter what. your fans love just the way you are.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMarlene Buzard said:
Sep 27, 2008 at 6:00 PMHey Guy!
Report as AbuseWere all right here with you, does not matter where you come in, just get out there and race your heart out for all your worth! Don't forget to have fun doing it! We love to watch you race!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportearl lewis said:
Sep 28, 2008 at 9:30 AMjunior, your a good kid, but remember who you race for and race with, you are in a league of MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS! brian vickers could not make it, look at kyle busch ( 16 wins to your 1 win this yr. ) and caesy mears is a close personal friend of the the big champ.(super jeff g), and he got cut. a little word of advice wonderboy, you need to win the next 2 or 3 in a row. i believe you are carrying dads last name ??????? or are you????? well anyway, good luck!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMark Ernst said:
Sep 28, 2008 at 12:07 PMEarl JJ and Casey are really close. Jr is always going to have people say its his last
Report as Abusename is why he is so popular. Even if he wins a championship it wont change. Do you hear Kurt Busch or Kenseth name pop up? You
will hear Jeff and JJ until someone else wins more then one championship. And it wont
be Jr as much as i would like too see happen.
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» Confirm Abuse Report4da88 said:
Sep 28, 2008 at 9:32 PMEarl? Do you think Junior really gives a flip what you think? And if you think Jr sits and reads these comments you are dumber than your remarks. You need to go to Jr's blog and leave a message there and maybe he will read it there. Now you might have to remind Jr how many races the stick has won this year, but I imagine there is no one more aware of his one win than Jr.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportemily bagwell said:
Sep 29, 2008 at 9:13 PMJEALOUSY!!!! But not to mind. Dega awits you Junior---go take back what's yours!!!!
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