Dover Spring Preview

Dale Jr returns to the Monster Mile, a track that was less than kind to him in 2008

AT DOVER: In 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded one win, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He has completed 98.9 percent of all laps he’s attempted at “The Monster Mile” (7,123 laps of 7,204). The 34-year-old driver has led a total of 366 laps.

DALE IN DETROIT: Before heading to Dover, Earnhardt will make a stop in Detroit on Thursday to get fans excited about next month’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Earnhardt, the defending race winner, will meet with the local media and hold a question-and-answer session with 1,500 General Motors employees and members of the Michigan National Guard.

MONSTER MILE WIN: Earnhardt’s single Cup Series win at Dover came on Sept. 23, 2001. The victory was the second of his sophomore Cup season and the first race for the series following Sept. 11 attacks. Earnhardt displayed the American flag during his victory lap to pay tribute to the victims. In that race he started third and led 193 laps.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-526. This chassis ran at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where Earnhardt rallied from the back of the pack to finish 14th. Earnhardt last raced this chassis at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and finished 27th after a late-race incident.

HENDRICK AT DOVER: In 48 events (151 starts) at Dover, Hendrick Motorsports teams have scored 10 wins, 37 top-five finishes and 65 top-10s. Hendrick drivers have led 3,780 laps.

FIRST WINNING CHASSIS: Dover is a special place for Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. On Sept. 20, 1992, Ricky Rudd drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway, marking the first time a Hendrick Motorsports-built chassis had won a Cup-level event. Rudd started sixth and led 32 laps driving the No. 5 Chevy nicknamed “Midnight.” The win also was the first for crew chief Gary DeHart and the 32nd for team owner Rick Hendrick.

TRADIN’ PAINT: AMP Energy has launched Tradin’ Paint, a new limited time only, Dale Earnhardt Jr.-themed energy drink. The beverage is a collision of three flavors â€" orange, lime and berry â€" with all the energy ingredients and great taste that consumers expect from AMP. Featuring the same paint scheme as Earnhardt’s No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, Tradin’ Paint also includes all the marks, dings and paint streaks that can show up on cars during a hotly contested race.

HENDRICK ON TWITTER: Hendrick Motorsports has launched its official Twitter page: www.twitter.com/HendrickInfo. Fans are invited to check out the page for daily updates about Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports.

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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON TOUGHEST PART OF DOVER.): “The concrete. It’s just real bumpy and slick. It’s gets kind of tough to hang on to. You look at the old races they run here on asphalt, and they looked pretty fun.”

T.J. MAJORS, SPOTTER OF THE NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE AT DOVER.): “Watching in front of him. Dale Jr. likes to know what’s going on almost a half a track in front of him. Dover is kind of like a Bristol. We got caught in a wreck last year and we missed the wreck but got hit from behind because the guys behind him didn’t slow down quick enough. So it’s my job to make sure Dale doesn’t get caught up in stuff like that, but when you get hit from behind there’s not a whole lot you can do. We just have to do the best we can and keep the nose on it.”

MAJORS (ON WHERE DOVER RANKS IN DIFFICULTY TO SPOT.): “Dover is probably one of the most difficult because it’s real narrow. And there’s not a whole lot of room for him to get through wrecks so it’s important for him to know what is coming up. You can give up a lot of time at that track racing people, and it’s kind of like a Darlington because there’s not a whole lot of room off the corners to race people, so you almost have to race the track more than other cars. It’s my job to make sure he knows that and to give up more time than we have to to other cars.”


MAJORS (ON WHAT TYPE OF INFO DOES EARNHARDT LIKE AT DOVER.): “I have to make sure he knows what is coming when he exits the corners. I have to make sure he’s not surprised and doesn’t have to make any maneuvers or decisions that would be unexpected so he can concentrate on running the best lap that he can, every lap, and not have to worry about what’s going to be sitting there. There’s not a whole of time to react at Dover, and I just have to make sure he knows what he is coming up on.”