Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. endures problematic Phoenix race
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. (left) and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. endured setbacks in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. // Jim Fluharty, NASCAR Scene
AVONDALE, Ariz. - Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. endured more than his share of ups and downs in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. His race ultimately resulted in a 31st-place finish after a late crash following contact with Richard Childress Racing's Casey Mears.
The two made contact on the track, then bumped one another on the cool-down lap.
“I didn't mean to get together with Dale Jr.,” said Mears, who finished 20th after moving up the track and colliding with Earnhardt Jr. on lap 300 of 312. “I think he was trying to save fuel and make it to the end without stopping and I wheel-hopped the car getting into the corner and ended up making contact with him.
“I guess he was a little bent out of shape about it because he spun me out after the checkered flag.”
Neither driver was called to the NASCAR hauler after the race and no penalties are expected stemming from the postrace bumping.
The trouble started early for Earnhardt Jr. He was forced to make a second pit stop under the race’s first caution to correct a lug-nut issue. Restarting outside the top 30 after having been in the top 10, Earnhardt Jr. made little progress and was about to lose a lap when the race’s third caution flag waved on lap 138 for the spinning car of Penske Racing’s David Stremme.
“We just couldn't get it right tonight,” Earnhardt Jr. said of his car.
Under the race’s fifth caution period, triggered when Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon tangled on lap 167, Earnhardt Jr.’s night took a dramatic turn for the better.
Having brought his driver to pit road under a caution 14 laps earlier, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. elected to leave Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevrolet on the track while all but four of the other lead-lap cars came in.
The decision allowed Earnhardt Jr. to inherit the lead and, using the clean air afforded the race leader, he pulled away on the subsequent restart en route to building a four-second gap on the second-place driver.
Earnhardt Jr. stayed out front for 52 laps before losing the lead to Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart, who had fresher tires, on lap 220.
Earnhardt Jr. gave up second a few laps later to make a scheduled green-flag stop but eventually retook the lead at the end of a cycle of green-flag stops.
He held the lead for 11 laps until teammate and eventual race winner Mark Martin moved by. From there, Earnhardt Jr. began falling rapidly through the field as the handling on his car began to fade and his older tires began to wear.
“We were very loose at the end,” said Earnhardt Jr., who slipped from 16th to 19th in the Cup standings. “It felt good to lead some laps.”
Earnhardt Jr. had been lapped by Martin and was continuing to battle an ill-handling machine when he and Mears tangled.
Still Earnhardt Jr. could find some solace in the success of Martin, who went to Victory Lane for the first time as a Hendrick driver and won for the first time since 2005.
“I want to congratulate Mark,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “That team was awesome tonight.”
