NASCAR WCUP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Preview, Fontana

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

April 25, 2001

Dale Jr. Quotes

"I know I’m looking forward to Fontana. It’s an excellent track. We ran well last year and we always kicked butt there in the Busch Series. It’s a horsepower track – you need a lot of it to do well, and I think we’ve been good on power all year.

“The west coast trips are always different. I have a lot of friends in the Los Angeles area, so it’s a chance for me to catch up with them and check out a lot of different things.For a boy from North Carolina, LA is like a breath of fresh air.

“We’ve had three straight finishes of 11th or better, so I really feel like the team is getting better every week. I’ve been trying to be more involved at DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.). Since my dad’s accident, everyone has been looking to me to be more of a leader. But, I got some friendly advice from a buddy of mine, Kyle Petty, who told me the best thing I can do is to keep focused on driving the race car, and I think I’ve been able to do that.”

Dale Jr. at Fontana

• Winston Cup Starts: 1
• Best Start: 20th
• Best Finish: 12th

Notable: Dale Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8 team ran among the top 10 for much of the race last year at Fontana until the power steering failed on the red Monte Carlo. Dale Jr. was able to ‘hang on’ for a 12th place finish. Speaking of 12th, the team has moved into 12th place in Winston Cup points, their second highest point position ever. (They were second in points following the season-opening Daytona 500.)

What: NAPA 500 250 Laps, 500 miles / 2-mile oval / Race #10 of 36 Where: California Speedway Fontana, CA When: Sunday, April 29 / 2:30 pm Eastern Watch: Fox-TV / Pre-race: 2:00 pm (All Times: Eastern)

Bud Pole Qualifying: Bud Pole qualifying will be seen on FX Friday at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. You can hear it live on the Motor Racing Network on a radio station near you at 5:00 pm. The Winston Cup Happy Hour will also be seen on the FX Network Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm.

What to Watch

The Fontana facility is the finest on the circuit for the fans and competitors and it offers NASCAR a chance to perform in front of the huge car-crazed Los Angeles market.

Text provided by J. Gurss

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.