Dale Earnhardt Junior came to Texas hoping to build on his 8th place finish at Martinsville-his best of the season- the week prior.
But Sunday despite some promising moments, Earnhardt finished the day exactly where he started, in 20th position.
Improving the team’s starting position however may be the key to improving his finishing positions in the future according to Earnhardt.
The team has been struggling most of the season. With finishes outside the top 10 for all but two of the seven races, the team has been looking for ways to become a consistent contender each and every week.
Sunday Earnhardt appeared to have a pit road miscue; something that has happened more then once this season. When he came in for a stop he continued past his pit stall, made another lap, then came back in. At the time it was viewed as a mistake. But after the race, Earnhardt said it wasn’t a mistake at all.
“That wasn’t nothing,” Earnhardt said. “We were already last in line on the lead lap. We come down pit road and all the lapped cars were in their stalls and didn’t want to get t-boned by one of them. I didn’t get it in the stall so we just went around and came back in, that time pit road was empty.”
On Lap 259 Earnhardt Junior took the lead after pitting by getting only two tires while most took four. He would lead a total of six. His chances of winning came to an end on lap 290 when he took his Chevy too high in turn one and scraped the wall.
He would hold on for 20th.
“Trying too hard and run well, and just got in to the wall down there in the middle of one and two. The car jumped sideways,” he said. “Those cars built pretty tough. It didn’t bend anything in the car. We just running real hard there, trying to get the best finish we could there. Just got us in there a little deep and got in the fence. My mistake.”
After a season that hasn’t seen many highlights, the key to improving and avoiding finishes like Texas according to Earnhardt is simply better starting positions.
“We were running pretty good all day. We were really fast. We just started way back there and you can’t pass,” he said. “You’ve got to start where you’ve got to finish, you know. You’ve got to start up front or you won’t finish here.”
Better qualifying is something the team has started to work on and according to Earnhardt should help them going forward.
“We’ve been working toward showing up in qualifying trim,” he said. “We used to show up in race trim and run a half-hour in that first Friday practice and now we’re just going to show up in qualifying trim for a while and try to get better. Really, it’s so challenging and so hard to pass, especially at a place like this, starting up front really helps and the cars drive a lot better when they’re up in clean air.”
Comments
So Jr has it all figured out: don't think so. There is only one word for the whole team. driver, crewchief and pit crew after the Texas race: pathetic.And I am a Jr fan, big time, but that was an embarrassing race for a team that wants to make the chase.Contrast that race with how Tony Sr took a car with not one lap on it from 42nd to 3rd on the nationwide race. Maybe it is time to change Eury dance partners and I don't buy that Eury Sr doesn't know about the COT, he can lead people and leadership is what the 88 needs.
I think the excuse for 'coming back around because of 'lapped cars' on that pit stop is Dale Jr's attempt to get the press and Jr Nation (me included) off of Tony Jr's back. I was in the stands listening to the radio scanner. If you've ever listened to race scanner communication, you know that the spotter and crew chief direct the driver through every inch of a pit stop. When Tony told Dale Jr to come back in (that was/would have been the second stop of that caution), Dale followed his crew chief's direction - but NO ONE said a word. Jr was on the radio saying "I can't see a damn thing", and still, NO ONE SAID A WORD. No one called out the pit stalls, counted him down, nothing - it was just silence, except for Jr asking for help. There was no direction from the spotter or the pit. The crew just sat on the pit wall - obviously they weren't told he was coming. With the lapped cars on pit road, there was no way Dale could know where his pit was without direction. All in all, missing that pit didn't negatively affect him on that run - but it is another example of how something HAS to change. Whether it be personnel or communication procedures, something HAS to change.
I'm not a big jr fan but I do respect him. If what I was there says is true, Mr. H. needs to walk into the meeting monday morning put Tony JR pushing brooms and move Knaus's side kick in the lead role. If E. JR was asking for help and no one helped him that is wrong of tony because he has the best seat comming into pit road. All jr has done is move his DEI team to Hendrick and it still has the same resaults
"I was there" you are dead on ! I wasnt there but I was watching and was wondering why the crew was leaning up against the wall doing nothing. Something is not right with this team. if they keep it up,fans will revolt including myself. if that happens 48 team here i come. Im a huge junior fan but enough is enough I want results now.
Wait a sec. Dale Jr. is just NOW figuring out that qualifying well is important? Good grief! I listen to the 88s scanner all the time and Dale is forever trying to get Tony Jr. to acknowledge him when he's giving feedback on the car. Tony for sure let him down on pit road. It was merely dumb luck that it didn't severely impact his track position. The lack of countdown and communication has happened before and it WILL happen again. It's beyond time for HMS to make plans to relieve Tony Jr. of duty.
JR don't have it figured out yet but made good strides through the race i did listen too the radio chatter..how many times did TJ chime in over tony JR..too many i lost count..was a great call from tony jr with 2 tires we were all happy that he was in the lead.. then you forget that the 18 2 laps down got into dale jr..which jr ended up getting a flat..guess that was tony jr's fault i think not
SCracefan - you are so right about TJ interrupting. It has to all get confusing when you're driving at those speeds. I still say there was no excuse for a completely SILENT pit stop attempt. Its a definite communication breakdown. As for the restart and Kyle, well, thats just Kyle being Kyle. When they took the green we knew there would be problems just from the way the 18 was acting. That has nothing to do with the team, that's just 'racing'. Did you catch Tony Jr's comment about the 18 with about 25 to go? I thought it was a hoot!!!
Sorry, but there are just too many excuses coming from the 88 bunch. TJr has to go. The Team needs a shake-up big time. And someone needs to tell Dale Jr. that rim riding is not a panacea. He thinks being 2 inches away from the wall is the way to drive these tracks. How many more times is he going to rim rid and cut a tire before he figures out how to drive. Being a J fan, I want him to succeed but 88 has lost the edge, Jr has lost his focus, and T Jr needs to go. I am tired of the excuses. I'm tired of hearing Jr. complain. Mr Hendrick PLEASE step in!
With Hendrick's $$$$$, I would look to get ANDY PETREE out of the broadcast booth and on Jr's. pit box, he needs veteran leadership from someone like ANDY, I say give him 5 to 6 races learning everything about the car, and the 88 car will start winning, he probably knows as much now or more than other crew chiefs about the COT, just listen to his commentary calling the races, wish someone would put this birdie in Rick's ear, GET ANDY PETREE, Money talks, bull---- walks, bye bye Tony Jr.
"On Lap 259 Earnhardt Junior took the lead after pitting by getting only two tires while most took four. He would lead a total of six. His chances of winning came to an end on lap 290 when he took his Chevy too high in turn one and scraped the wall."
I find it a little odd that an article on Jr.'s Sunday race, never once mentioned that Kyle ran him up the track again, while he was running first again, shades of Richmond all over again.
"I was there says:
I think the excuse for 'coming back around because of 'lapped cars' on that pit stop is Dale Jr's attempt to get the press and Jr Nation (me included) off of Tony Jr's back. I was in the stands listening to the radio scanner. If you've ever listened to race scanner communication, you know that the spotter and crew chief direct the driver through every inch of a pit stop. When Tony told Dale Jr to come back in (that was/would have been the second stop of that caution), Dale followed his crew chief's direction - but NO ONE said a word. Jr was on the radio saying "I can't see a damn thing", and still, NO ONE SAID A WORD. No one called out the pit stalls, counted him down, nothing - it was just silence, except for Jr asking for help. There was no direction from the spotter or the pit. The crew just sat on the pit wall - obviously they weren't told he was coming. With the lapped cars on pit road, there was no way Dale could know where his pit was without direction. All in all, missing that pit didn't negatively affect him on that run - but it is another example of how something HAS to change. Whether it be personnel or communication procedures, something HAS to change.
April 6, 9:57 AM"
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