NASCAR WCUP: Dale Earnhardt Jr Preview: Brickyard 400

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

July 31, 2001

“Indianapolis is a historic track, which makes it one of the more special events. I’d say it’s one of the top five on the calendar that you really want to win. The place just has that rustic feel; almost like you can feel the ghosts of all the great races they’ve had there.

“I think we should do really well this weekend. Last year, we ran in the top three for the first half of the race and then the car got really tight and we dropped back. It seems like we are so much better this year than last on flat tracks like Indy or Pocono. This team is improving so much that we expect to be up front every week now, plus we had a very productive test there a couple of weeks ago. We were happy with our race set-up and our qualifying set-up was really fast too…”

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser Team History at Indianapolis

Winston Cup Races: 1
Best Start: 6th(2000)
Best Finish: 13th(2000)

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team ran among the top three for the first 80 laps of the 2000 Brickyard race before dropping out of the top 10 near the finish. It was the team’s first-ever race at the rectangular track that was built in 1909.

The Playboy Interview

Dale Jr. is featured in the September issue of Playboy Magazine that is on newsstands now. The Playboy Interview is one of the more extensive interviews ever written about Dale Jr., covering nine pages and topics ranging from his childhood to the present. Former “Survivor” contestant Jerri is the cover “model.”

What: Brickyard 400
160 Laps, 400 miles, 2.5-mile rectangle
Race # 21 of 36

Where:

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis,IN

When:
Sunday,August 5 2:00pm

Watch: NBC-TV Pre-race:1:30 pm (All Times: Eastern)

Bud Pole Qualifying:

Bud Pole qualifying will be seen live on Saturday (rather than the usual Friday session) at 11:00 am on TNT. CNN/SI will also air the fina practice session at 4:00 pm.

What to Watch

The Indy track has been hosting races since 1909, but is not ideally suited for the heavy Winston Cup stock cars. The narrow groove into each of the four distinct corners of the 2.5-mile rectangle makes it very difficult to pass, so track position is essential. However,the same has always been said about the track at Loudon, New Hampshire, yet the Bud team was able to move up 20 spots from their 29th starting position to gain a top 10 finish there several weeks ago.

Text provided by Jade Gurss

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