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NASCAR WCUP: Budweiser Race Preview: Season Ends in Atlanta

15 November 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Budweiser NASCAR Winston Cup Race Preview

Quotes from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I think we have a shot [at the race win] this weekend. We had an awesome car at Atlanta in the spring race. We led the early part of the race, and we were just taking it easy - just cruising - when we had a problem with a brake line. Even after we crashed, we went back on the track and were still as fast as the leaders with a beat-up car. We have a great set-up for this track, and I think it will be a great way to end the season."

This Week's Race

  • What: NAPA 500, Winston Cup Race 34 of 34
  • Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA
  • When: Sunday, November 18, 2000
  • Watch: ESPN, 1:00 p.m. Eastern

BUD Pole qualifying can be seen live on ESPN2 at 3:00 pm ET Friday, and heard live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) on a radio station near you.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Atlanta

  • Previous Winston Cup starts: 2
  • Best Start: 2nd (Spring, 2000)
  • Best Finish: 14th (Fall, 1999)

-- The spring race at Atlanta marked the first front-row start of Dale Jr.'s Winston Cup career. Dale Jr. and the Bud team led easily for eight laps before suffering a broken brake line, causing him to crash. Dale Jr. also briefly led this race in 1999, one of five Cup events he entered last season.

  • Busch Series Starts: 2
  • Avg. Start: 10.5
  • Avg. Finish: 2.5

What To Watch

Atlanta marks the finale of a long, grueling rookie season for the Budweiser team. While many in the NASCAR traveling circus will take some time off following the race, Dale Jr. will travel directly to Sebring, FL to begin three days of rigorous test sessions in the C5-R Corvette that he will pilot in the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona. Dale Jr. will team with his father and Andy Pilgrim in the twice-around-the-clock endurance race. The 24 Hour race takes place the first weekend of February, one week before father and son will race against each other in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. The Budweiser Shootout kicks off NASCAR's 2001 season on Sunday, February 11. The Shootout will also be the first NASCAR telecast for new broadcast partner Fox.

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.