New Hampshire Spring Preview

EARNHARDT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has led 351 laps there.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks fourth in the driver rating category at New Hampshire with a score of 103.1. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

LAPS IN THE TOP 15: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt is third among drivers for laps run in the top 15 at New Hampshire. During the last eight races at the 1.058-mile oval, the Kannapolis, N.C., native has spent almost 80 percent of his laps (1,899 of 2,392) running in the top 15.

CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-541. Earnhardt debuted this chassis at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May and drove it to a 27th-place finish.

HENDRICK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 28 Cup events (98 starts) at New Hampshire, Hendrick Motorsports has scored six wins, 26 top-five finishes and 42 top-10s. The organization has recorded at least one top-five finish in 18 of these events and posted a top-10 result in all but two.

GET ON THE NO. 88: At this year’s AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, thousands of members of JR Nation will see their names on Earnhardt’s No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet as part of the AMP Energy “Get on the 88″ promotion. Race fans can enter by simply logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt’s car and others will appear on the team’s pit wall banner. Participants will be notified before the Nov. 1 race with a confirmation of where their names landed. This marks the second year of the hugely popular program.

AMPENERGY.COM RELAUNCH: A brand new AMPEnergy.com Web site has been launched. The site features an online magazine with the latest content, events and experiences surrounding Earnhardt and AMP Energy Racing. Its dynamic content is constantly changing, and the integration of Twitter, YouTube and Flickr feeds provides up-to-the-second updates. Check out the new site, including the “Shotgun” video directed by Stacy Peralta, at www.AMPEnergy.com.

SERVING AMERICA: Next month at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Earnhardt will run the No. 88 National Guard “Serving America”/AMP Energy Chevrolet. It is a special paint scheme to honor National Guard soldiers who dedicate a portion of their time to serving their nation, state and local communities. Since first muster in 1636, National Guard soldiers have brought glory and honor upon themselves and the Guard through quiet and selfless service. Approximately 363,000 soldiers strong, the Army National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and celebrated its 372nd birthday in December 2008. To learn more on how you can serve your country with the Guard, visit www.NATIONALGUARD.com.

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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON GETTING AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “We always seem to get tight in the center there, so we’ll be trying to get down into the bottom of the corner and be able to turn to the center and not be real soft â€" that’s the best way to get around there. But there’s all kinds of different grooves you can run. You can go low and high and move around trying to find different things to make the car better. The trick is getting the car to roll through the center of the turns. Whoever can get the car to turn in the middle the best, wins.”

EARNHARDT (ON WHAT TRACKS REMIND YOU OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “New Hampshire is a lot like Phoenix and some other short tracks â€" Milwaukee, places like that. It’s not quite like Martinsville (Va.), but there are similar things that work.”

EARNHARDT (ON WHAT HE LIKES ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “I like New Hampshire because it’s one of the smaller tracks. I love racing on the shorter, flatter tracks, and that’s about as close as we get to it sometimes.”

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON THE CHALLENGES AT NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “It’s just such a flat racetrack that the handling of the car is a premium. It’s difficult to get the car where it rotates the center like you want and you still have enough forward to get off the corners and be happy. It’s very difficult to pass there so track position again is at a premium as usual. It seems like the last several years it has been long green-flag runs and good fuel strategy won the race. You have to be very particular how you call the race and a little lucky to get everything exactly right because if you get caught back in the field, the chances of you passing your way to the front are slim.”

McGREW (ON PREPARING THE NO. 88 TEAM FOR THE SUMMER STRETCH.): “I don’t think it’s any different. It’s hotter, but if you’re thirsty, drink water. If you’re hot, cool off. It’s not like it’s a big secret. The whole idea of the series is you get in a rhythm. Once you get in that rhythm, it’s normal. Being gone Thursday to Sunday is normal. Until you get used to it, it’s a challenge. The temperature, where you go, how long you are on a plane â€" it doesn’t really matter once you get the rhythm.”