Bristol Summer Recap

DALE EARNHARDT JR.
NO. 88 AMP ENERGY SUGAR FREE/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET
POST-RACE RECAP/BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

DATE: Aug. 22, 2009
RACE: Sharpie 500
START: 27th
FINISH: Ninth
POINTS POSITION: 21st

RECAPPING THE RACE:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy Sugar Free/National Guard Chevrolet, had a strong run in Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and finished ninth.

Earnhardt lined up his specially-painted silver Chevrolet in 27th and started his climb at the drop of the green flag. He immediately noted a tight-handling condition. The evening's second caution flag waved on Lap 63 with the No. 88 Chevy scored in the 17th position. Crew chief Lance McGrew called the 34-year-old driver down pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires and fuel. The crew also made an air-pressure adjustment and sent its driver back to green-flag racing on Lap 69 in the 17th position.

Earnhardt continued to report a tight-handling condition from the center of the corners through exit, but continued his ascent through the field. By Lap 144, the Kannapolis, N.C., native cracked the top 10. The evening's fourth caution period occurred on Lap 163 with Earnhardt running 11th. McGrew kept his driver on the track while a majority of the cars behind the No. 88 opted to hit pit road. The field went back to green on Lap 170, and the fresh tires prevailed.

Earnhardt had slipped to the 25th position when the evening's fifth caution flag was displayed on Lap 253. The crew bolted on four fresh tires, made an air pressure and chassis adjustment and refueled the No. 88 Chevy. Earnhardt restarted the race running 25th on Lap 263.

The adjustments seemed to do the trick, and Earnhardt radioed that the car was running better on Lap 278. Earnhardt confirmed the sentiment by reclaiming his spot inside the top 10 on Lap 400.

The final 100 laps of the 500-lap event was affected by a series of five caution periods, a disadvantage for the No. 88 Chevy that excelled on long runs. Earnhardt was scored as high as fourth on Lap 486, but ultimately crossed the finish line ninth.

QUOTING DALE EARNHARDT JR.:

EARNHARDT (ON SATURDAY'S RUN.): "It was a good finish for the AMP Energy Sugar Free/National Guard Chevy. The car was good in practice, and when the race started, we had some work to do. We made it better. I'm real proud of my team. My guys worked really hard. They had some awesome pit stops, and we just had a pretty decent car. We just didn't have what we needed there at the end and the cautions fell a little too often for me. That last run there we were real tight, and I needed long runs. It's a shame we had all them cautions. I think Mark (Martin) could have won the race, and we could have probably finished a little bit better."

Credit: Hendrick Motorsports PR