Earnhardt Jr. says late-race wreck was unfortunate for Busch also
By SceneDaily Staff
Monday, May 05, 2008
Todd Warshaw / Getty Images
CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was obviously upset Saturday night after being taken out of contention for a victory at Richmond International Raceway by Kyle Busch. But his anger level wasn’t nearly as high as many of his fans, and he a reason why on Monday.
Earnhardt Jr., at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for a two-day Sprint Cup Series test, said the roles were reversed last September.
“I took him out at Kansas last year during the Chase [For The Nextel Cup],” Earnhardt Jr. said. “That's really why I wouldn't be any more vocal or angry about it, because I would just be hypocritical in that sense. We both [have] been on each side of it now between the two of us.
“Hopefully, once me and him have a chance to talk about it, we can come to some kind of understanding of where we won't have to deal with it ever again, and we can just go out there and race and try to race each other with a little more respect and have a better outcome.”
In the closing laps of Saturday's race, second-place Busch was running the low line around Richmond’s .75-mile track, with Earnhardt Jr. on the outside. As the two raced into Turn 3, Busch’s car slid into Earnhardt Jr.’s, sending the No. 88 Chevrolet into the outside wall.
Earnhardt Jr. said he’s watched replays of the incident and indicated that he didn’t believe Busch took him out on purpose.
“Kyle was just running hard,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He was running hard for the win there. Looking at all the stuff, it looks like he got loose underneath me. He was running hard there. It's unfortunate for both of us.
“We'll try to go to Darlington and have a good run and rebound a little bit, points-wise, maybe even try to win there. I ain't ever run that good there. I've done OK, but maybe with the new asphalt, I'll be more competitive as far as challenging for the lead.
“[Richmond] was just hard racing. Kyle has his style of driving. I would have been a little more … I don't know. Maybe I would have run as hard at it as he did. I don't know what I would have done.”
While Earnhardt Jr. was upset over failing to break what is now a two-year non-winning streak, he was also mad at losing points after his 15th-place finish.
“The only thing I'm upset with is not being able to get the points out of it I should have been able to get,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We've been working hard to stay consistent all year. I want to get as good of a finish as I can with my car each week. I've been real proud of that with what we've been able to do this year and the way we've been consistent.
“It's a little bit of a bruise on the stats with what we've had this year. It won't show at the end of the year how good we really were that weekend. I want to minimize that throughout the season.”
Recent Comments: