NASCAR WCUP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants consistent 'handle' at Dover
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 31, 2001
“Dover was a struggle for us last year. We were great there in the Busch Series, but we were never able to get a consistent handle last year in the Bud car. We led the race early last year, and then went backwards in a big hurry… a BIG hurry… chattering the tires and sliding the back-end of the car off of each corner like it was on dirt. Wild.”--Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“I remember getting out of the car thinking that we had finished twenty-something and then someone said ‘10th!’ I think the team worked hard to get the car better as the race went on and it paid off with a top 10. We’ve been consistently up front lately, so I think that’s a good sign for Sunday.”
Budweiser No. 8 Team and Dale Jr. at Dover
Previous Races: 2
Best Start: 6th (June, 2000)
Best Finish: 10th (June, 2000)
Dale Jr. and almost the entire current Budweiser team won two races at Dover during their two-year stint at the top of the Busch Series in 1998 and 1999. The Dove rwins were two of the 13 victories that the team scored on their way to two consecutive Busch titles.
Rick Oleshak Returns…
Rick Oleshak of Anheuser-Busch will be the media relations representative for Budweiser and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the event this weekend. (Jade Gurss will not attend.) Rick was a part of the NASCAR communications team that directed the Busch Series publicity until he and his wife moved to the St. Louis area last year. Rick can be reached at the track via cell phone (314-602-4548) or via pager (800-321-4726).
- What: MBNA Platinum 400 / 400 Laps, 400 miles 1.0-mile oval / Race # 13 of 36
- Where: Dover Downs Speedway / Dover,DE
- When: Sunday,June 3 1:00pm
- Watch: Fox-TV / Pre-race:12:30 pm (All Times: Eastern)
Bud Pole Qualifying: Bud Pole qualifying will be seen at 1:30 Friday afternoon on the Fox Sports Network. The Winston Cup Happy Hour practice session will also be seen on FX Saturday.
What to Watch
The concrete track is a like a longer version of the Bristol short track with tough, high-banked turns. The track has been torturous on tires, and recent testing crashes indicate it remains so. Watch for the teams that manage to get their car to handle on long runs and take care of their tires to be up front at the end.
Text provided by J. Gurss
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