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NASCAR WCUP: Budweiser Race Preview: Who's Ready for Dover?

20 September 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Quotes from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Hey, who's ready for Dover? I am! Loudon was like a bad pinball machine people checking up in front of me, people turning left in front of me, and then me turning right when I should have gone left.

"Dover's been good for me and for the team. We won a couple of Busch (Series) races there and we ran well earlier this year (in the Winston Cup race). We led the race early on but then we had some mechanical problems that fouled the handle on the car. The car just turned evil on me. It turns out the trackbar ran itself down to the bottom on the right side. I think it must have been a ghost or something that caused it!

"After all that, we still finished tenth, so I think it shows how hard the team worked to keep us in the race and overcome the problem. It's been really rough the last few months getting the car to work like we wanted, but the whole crew has been hard at it. I was encouraged that we did so well at Loudon - a track where we struggled before. Now, we feel good going back to a track where we've had some success."

This Week's Race

What: MBNA.com 400 Winston Cup Race 27 of 34
Where: Dover Downs Raceway, Dover, Delaware
When: Sunday, September 24, 2000
Watch: TNN, 12:30 p.m. Eastern

Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Dover

Previous Winston Cup starts: 1
Start: 6th
Finish: 10th
Previous Busch Series Starts: 4
Best Busch Series Start: 5th (Fall, 1999)
Best Busch Series Finish: 1st (Spring, 1998 & 1999)

What To Watch

Dale Jr. has led four out of five career races (Busch Series and Winston Cup) at the concrete Dover oval. The June race there was the last time the Bud team finished in the top ten (a span of 13 races). It was the end of an incredible run of races that included victories at Richmond and at the Winston all-star race, and a dominating performance in the Coca-Cola 600 where Dale Jr. led 175-laps and finished fourth. The race this weekend could mark a return to form that has seen the red Budweiser-sponsored car lead 399 laps this season.

Text Provided 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.