General Discussion » What is really wrong with Dale Jr
Only JR knows. He's always said he does not like the COT car. And I think that is stuck in his head. Eventually he will get it and accept it. ( I HOPE ).
Earnhardt Jr. expecting strong showing at Atlanta
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in the top 10 in the standings and eager for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt Jr. moved into the top 10 in the series standings after finishing second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday and says that Atlanta is a place where he likes to race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has 17 Cup starts at Atlanta, with one win, one pole, seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes there.
Now, he's looking to add to that tally with a team that is accustomed to performing well at this 1.5-mile track. The last time Hendrick Motorsports - which fields Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears this season – failed to have at least one driver in the top-10 in an Atlanta race was Nov. 21, 1999. In the 16 Cup races since, the organization has had at least one driver finish in the top 10.
The combination of Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick could reap benefits for both this weekend.
"My daddy always ran good there, so I focused on that fact," Earnhardt Jr. said of Atlanta. "… You could always count on him running up front at Atlanta. I think I liked the track before I ever raced on it. I assumed I would appreciate it and would like driving on it – and I do. Plus [crew chief] Tony [Eury] Jr.'s style of setting up a car fits that track good. It has helped me a lot."
Eury Jr. said he expects this weekend to be a race where the teams pit often for tires, especially with the colder weather that is in the forecast. Still, he gets to head to the track with a team that regained some moment last week after being involved in an early crash at California and then had to stay overnight for a second day of rain-delayed racing despite the fact that the car was already 41 laps off the pace.
"That was a great day for us after what happened in California," he said of the Las Vegas race. "We needed a boost like that. Junior wanted to win that thing so bad for all of us, but we'll take it when we can move up like that [in points]. It was a good day."
Mentioned Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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