Earnhardt, Jr ends the drought, wins in dramatic style at Michigan
Quote selected text Published June 15th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Dale Earnhardt, Jr nursed his Hendrick Chevy that was running out of fuel to the checkered flag to win the Lifelock 400 at Michigan. It is his first win in 76 races and his first win for Hendrick.
A spin by Patrick Carpentier on the 203rd lap brought out the final caution and probably saved the victory for Earnhardt, who ran out of gas moments after crossing the finish line behind the pace car.
”It is what it is man,” the jubilant Earnhardt said. ”We were going to stay out there no matter what.”
Asked if he could have made it if the green flag had stayed out, Earnhardt said, ”We were going to stumble to the finish and probably not win the race. We weren’t going to finish. The yellow saved us.
”They can write what they want, but we won one.”
Most of the day belonged to the Roush Fenway cars, Earnhardt’s teammate Jimmie Johnson and the Red Bull Toyota of Brian Vickers, who led 40 of the race’s 200 laps.
Fuel strategy, however, became pivotal.
Roush Fenway’s Matt Kenseth was forced to pit with 12 laps left and settled for third place.
Vickers was forced to pit for fuel with 13 laps to go and finished fourth, just ahead of Tony Stewart.
Johnson, who led 34 of the first 150 laps, stayed out when most other drivers pitted with 49 laps left but had to pit with 17 laps to go. He finished sixth.
“It always seems like there’s a crazy strategy at the end that keeps us from winning (at Michigan),” Johnson had said on Friday.
Earnhardt did win the first race of the season, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. but that was a non-points paying race. His best finish before Sunday had been a second at Las Vegas, although he did have six top-five finishes this season.
“I don’t want for nothing,” Earnhardt said. “These guys give me everything I need.”
Interview with Earnhardt, Jr, Rick Hendrick, Tony Eury, Jr
Michigan GM teams/drivers race quotes
Michigan Dodge teams/drivers race quotes
Michigan Ford teams/drivers race quotes
Michigan Toyota teams/drivers race quotes, notes
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
FIN, ST, CAR, DRIVER, MAKE, SPONSOR, PTS/BNS, LAPS, STATUS
1 3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard 190/5 203 Running
2 9 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser / LifeLock 170/0 203 Running
3 16 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt 170/5 203 Running
4 18 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 165/5 203 Running
5 12 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 160/5 203 Running
6 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 160/10 203 Running
7 4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 151/5 203 Running
8 13 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 147/5 203 Running
9 27 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge McDonald’s Big Mac 138/0 203 Running
10 23 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal Cask No. 16 139/5 203 Running
11 26 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Sylvania / Menards 130/0 203 Running
12 10 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 127/0 203 Running
13 1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 129/5 203 Running
14 5 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 126/5 203 Running
15 2 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 118/0 203 Running
16 19 28 Travis Kvapil Ford FreeCreditReport.com 115/0 203 Running
17 17 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 112/0 203 Running
18 8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 109/0 203 Running
19 39 84 A.J. Allmendinger Toyota Red Bull 111/5 203 Running
20 7 16 Greg Biffle Ford DISH Network / DishDVRs 103/0 203 Running
21 22 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 100/0 203 Running
22 35 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 102/5 203 Running
23 43 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge LifeLock 94/0 203 Running
24 38 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 96/5 203 Running
25 15 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 88/0 203 Running
26 11 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 85/0 201 Running
27 24 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditReport.com 82/0 201 Running
28 42 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row/ DenverMattress.com 79/0 201 Running
29 36 45 Terry Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 76/0 201 Running
30 25 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet CARQUEST / Kellogg’s 73/0 200 Running
31 20 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 70/0 200 Running
32 31 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 67/0 200 Running
33 34 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 64/0 200 Running
34 32 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 61/0 199 Running
35 28 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 58/0 199 Running
36 37 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 55/0 199 Running
37 33 00 Michael McDowell * Toyota Champion Mortgage 52/0 198 Running
38 21 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Big Red Slim Pack 49/0 194 Running
39 29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 46/0 179 Running
40 30 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Camping World/ RVs.com 43/0 150 In Pit
41 40 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 40/0 116 Out of Race
42 14 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Alltel 37/0 114 Out of Race
43 41 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge Juicy Fruit Slim Pack 34/0 30 Out of Race
- NHRA Interview with Tony Schumacher and Angelle Sampey
- 1992 Winston finish: Earnhardt, Allison, Petty
- Sprint Cup Top 12 and beyond heading into Michigan
- ‘I ran hard and got wrecked,’ Earnhardt Jr. says of contact with Busch
- Michigan stays on completed IRL schedule for 2007
Cue the Junior haters.
how can he be warned 3 times to stay behind the pace car and not be penalized???????????????
Finally. Thanks, Junior.
flguy - The same way Kyle Busch and others like to “play” with the pace car.
to all kyle busch fans,
BAM!!! all of u retarded kyle busch fans always say. “He should retire.” Look how bad kyle finished to Jr.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go Jr!!!! I sense a championship season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JR WINS JR WINS JR WINS JR WINS!!!!!!!
THE HATERS CAN KISS MY ***
flguy wrote:
Guy wrote:
The rule is your front wheel hub can not pass the center of the rear hub of the safety car. What Jr did is not the same as the Playing with the safety car that you are referring to. Jr was two to three car lengths in front of the safety car.
Fisha, what I’m referring to is, if Junior is to be penalized for passing the pace car, you shouldn’t be allowed to hit or nudge the pace car either. For that matter, pace cars should have a “Stay Back 50 Feet” sticker on the back.
Junior was doing what anyone else in that position would do. As he said, “They can write what they want, but we got a win.”
CHRIS
You this is one race that JR won compared to what 4 races Bush has won this yeah, and JR won on luck its not like talent was even involved he didnt lead all day. I bet Mr. Hendrick is glad Jr. finally won I bet he was starting to have sellers remorse. I bet know all the jr fans are going to start coming out and saying how good of a driver he is and how he has accomplished so much, which the truth is if he last name wasnt Earnhardt nobody would be kissing his ass they way they do. So jr nation go ahead and celebrate this win who knows it might take another 2 years for him to win another one
Rowdy, first off, Kyle seems to be having a bit of trouble - that hard-charging attitude finally catching up to him or is he just taking a breather? That points lead is getting awfully small now.
GUY, its funny how much trouble hes having but yet hes still in the points lead, as for the hard charging attitude you right maybe he should more of a pushover like JR and wait 2 years for his next win,
Guy wrote:
Trust me I agree with that, the Safety car is on track for a reason and that reason is because of unsafe track conditions, I have always been against cars playing with the Safety car, even if its just a nudge trying to get a wrapper off of the grill.
Rowdy - It’s funny now - he’s still in the points lead. It won’t be so funny when he’s fourth or fifth.
Junior clearly was 2 cars ahead of the pace car.. He simply cheated…
GUY, wow what a point proving response you have me rivited. as for jr nation just think next time jr wins a race it might help him in his contract negotiations with hendrick.
Vickers said that Kahne pushed Jr, and to me it looked like he was close and I think NASCAR should look at the video because intentional or not if Kahnes car made any contact with JR on that last lap coming to the finish line then thats a Push.
FISHA your right but is jr nascars golden boy they arent goint o pay any attention to that
Rowdy, I think I’m through arguing. If you could have it your way, I’m sure Junior wouldn’t even exist. The point is, Junior won, Kyle Busch finished in disappointing fashion for the second straight week in a row, and his points lead is dwindling. As for the pace car situation, I said it before, Junior was doing what any other driver in his position would have done, and that’s all there is to it.
The race is over and done - let the haters hate and give reasons for why Junior should be penalized; they’d do it anyway and that will never change.
i knew this would happen…no matter WHAT JR does he still gets harassed…but u know what..in the end that 88 team got the pts, the trophy and the money and the respect…many of these races this year has come down to fuel mileage or pit strategy…today was just another one of those days….and as for the guy saying JR has no talent and he won b/c of luck…..sounds like ur a little jealous that JR just chunked another 50pts off kyles lead…i smell more wins for that 88 and 9 team in the coming weeks….this is what JR needed…the pressure to win is GONE….have fun catching them now!!!
Go 88 for life baby!!!
Oh dear. Everyone comes out the closet and names all the flaws in why Jr should be penalized and Jr was Pushed as the “Intellectual Person” says above. Jr was clearly coasting under caution (He was no-where near to be stopped) almost at the line. You people that know Nascar do not Run Nascar. Give it up. Your thoughts and opinions are like crud on the bottom of my shoe. They mean Nothing. I like this board alot. I will say this though, a lot of people take things far too seriously in the shouting matches and trying to prove points that they know everything there is to know. That gets on my nerves so bad. Personally in my opinion. I think this should be News only without the commenting because far too many act childish. In closing all ive got to say is
“They can write what they want, but we got a WIN”
Jr Won. Get over it
Technically, as long as you are not in front of the pace car at the line, they really can’t do anything about it. Did he jump out in front of the pace car at the line???
GUY, got bad news for you, you are not arguing with me cause you have failed to bring up any good points, as jr i actually like him i just dont like his fans, and by no means would i call kyles finish disappointing, maybve only if you compare it to his past finishes this season, as for the pace car ive never seen a car pass the pace car like jr had and if kahne was pushing him after the yellow then that needs to be looked at, I must admit i was proud of jr i only heard 50 UH’s in his interview normally he is well into the hundreds
Jeff speeaking about coming out of the closet, bout time for Hendrick motorsports to do the same, its funny how everyone says here comes jr, my question is wasnt he coming long time ago and hes just now won a race, i hope he does winm more race so his fans actually have something to cheer for other then SR son
rowdy busch,
you realize dale jr. is 3rd in points…and only 80 points out of the lead…right? i’m not sure why rick hendrick would have seller’s remorse over putting together his best team…by far.
and as far as this whole pace car thing…shut up. we all know how inconsistent nascar is with their application of the rules. i think busch dropped below the forbidden yellow line a few times at talladega but was never penalized for it. dale jr. got warned and did what nascar told him to do from then on.
jr. also went the wrong way down pit road…on his way to victory lane.
I could care less what the haters say! Jr won!
IMHO….this is win #2 for the 88 team…he got wrecked by Rowdy at Richmond and we all saw it…wether it be on accident or on purpose it still happened….had hamlin not stopped this would be #2…and there will be more to come i assure u…glad to see that this ROWDY BUSH guy isnt crackin on JR like most of them do…there are a lot of ignorant fans of every driver not just JR NATION so i comend the ones who arent like myself…just dont be hating on the win…its done and over with
IN YOUR FACE for all of you who said he would never win again….
I looked at the finish again and when Junior came onto pit road to go to Victory Lane, he radioed that he had run out of gas when his crew arrived. That lends evidence to his behalf that Kahne was just really, really close to Junior at the start/finish line. Kahne didn’t push Junior, but it stands to reason Junior was coasting and Kahne had to check up a little bit so he didn’t push Junior.
Jr won Kyle finished what… 13th. either way. Junior won. END OF STORY!!!!
Im sure jr will win again and i hope he does bnut lets face it people other then being dale sr son hh hasnt really accomplished anything on his own no championships and hes won a few races, im not saying hes a bad driver all im saying is his fans really need to do a reality check and realize thats hes not as good as they think he is if he was he would be leading the point and not 80 points back, all i heard all off season is just wait now that hes with hendrick hes going to dominate well eventhough hes the leader of the team by no means is he dominating, if you say hes dominating then please tell me hpow good burton and bush are doing for being 1st and 2nd in points
All the JR haters can kiss all of JR Nations Ass. I just hope Ron hurts Kyle when he teaches that boy respect. We all saw that Rowdy Burns ended up on a hospital bed hopefully the same will to Kyle!!!
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
Wait til November. All it takes is a little momentum to ride a hot streak. Jr is have a break out year in terms of consistency and points. But you really cant compare the 2 drivers. One races clean and understands the history of the sport. The other one wrecks people just about every week in something that he drives. So to compare would be stupid. People like JR for alot mre reasons than having an Earnhardt name. And people boo Kyle for alot more than his last name. So name sake is what it is. Dale Jarret would not be racing if it wasnt for his daddy and Terry and Bobby wouldnt be racing if it was not for theres. I could go on and on but the fact of today is that Lil E got one. Sure it took 76 tries but hey people have bad streaks. It aint easy to win these races!!!
you know what i find MOST interesting about this…people say JR got lucky right…he wasnt running well enough to win….um forgive me if im wrong…but wasnt he in the top 10 ALL FREAKING RACE???? only fell out due to pit stops…
Just because you dominate the regular season doesn’t mean you’ll win the title.
Case and point: Jeff Gordon dominated last year’s regular season, but Johnson pulled off a hot streak and won the Cup for the second year in a row by a huge margin. When the Chase starts, that’s when the real games begin.
GUY…..i have already told all my friends that just b/c Busch is there now he wont win…the PTS leader going into the chase has NEVER won the chase
darrell wrote:
I agree. Theres some people who just like to hate what multiple like and try to find some excuse or reason to think why he didn’t deserve to win. Almost every win Jr has scored a win some one has to say that he didn’t deserve it because of some minor occasion.
This sums it all up. Jr ends the 76 win-less streak, Scores win #18 and got his first Cup win at michigan. Closed the Gap Between him and Ky. Busch and made millons of fans have the best day of their lives.
Can’t take away what some one has earned.
Ahh, sneaky Kasey in 2nd. I like it.
While you are all arguing about jr..
why not be happy for Tony’s final position?! ALL THE WINNINGS HE RECEIVES GO DIRECTLY TO THE INDIANA FUNDS FOR THE DEVISTATING STORMS!
ah i spent all the time to read all these replies and i have come to the conclusion that i have….NO COMMENT
While you are all fighting, I’m just going to step in a moment and say ………….
“Great job kicking some butt!!“
…………… This is where you all start with Round Two. (As you were.)
Will some one please tell me how many championships and in what series has Kyle Busch won? No Jr or any one else would be were they r if it wasnt from someone in theyre family they had to inherit there talent someone were
John wrote:
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If he did cheat, that is if he did, one cheat deserves another, I.E. Kyle Shrub……
JR clearly cheated. He was warned not to pass the pace car. Then did it again anyway. He did it 3 times on the air. Then TNT cut the cameras to show just the inside of his car so you couldnt tell if he was doing it again. He should be penalized but he wont just because of his name.
darrell wrote:
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THATS RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!♫♫♫♫
Music to my ears, Jr to kick @ss in the 88 in 2008 !!!
THEBULL wrote:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4
JR WINS, JR WINS, JR WINS, JR WINS$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$44
KEEP IT UP !! I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
What a terrible race.
Jeff wrote:
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All the Jr haters are just jealous cause their driver didn’t WIN………..YEE HAW, JUNIOR WON♫♫♫♫
Well atleast we wont have to hear Bill Weber say everytime there is a Junior onboard shot
“Its been 76 races since his last win…”
Sam wrote:
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Name has nothing to do with it♫♫♫♫
Someone name 3 good things about the race.
Other than the fact Junior won on strategy and Kyle Busch didnt win.
Ready set go.
Call me silly, but I like looking at things from a rather symbolic perspective: Dale Earnhardt Sr. won 76 points-paying races in his career, and it took Dale Jr. 76 races to win his next points-paying race, and on Father’s Day nonetheless.
He started from the 3rd position today, and including his Bud Shootout and Gatorade 150 wins, this is his third win of the season, points or otherwise.
Just thought I’d throw that out there.
Guy wrote:
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Don’t forget the BIT#$ing and crying……..
The 1st four letters of his name, EARN–HARDT,
Cause he EARNED TODAY ♫♫♫♫
You all should go to NASCAR.com home page and watch press pass interview with Dale jr. Love him or hate him it’s a great video,about 5 mins.Answers all questions about the race.And it’ll at least make you laugh,even the haters.
Guy wrote:
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Damn that is weird to think about, but true all the way☺☺☺
IAM GLAD TO SEE THAT DALE JR WON THIS IS WHAT
HE NEEDED …GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
JR GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Did nobody read my comment up there…?
You Jr fans really are closed-minded when it comes to battling others over the race..
if it’s not about Jr you don’t want to hear it at all.
=/
Sushstewart20 wrote:
Or they complain about Kyle Busch.
Sushstewart20 wrote:
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
It is not that we are closed minded, but we as fans needed this win.
Tony is to be applauded for what he is doing, and I think all fans would say that.
Sam wrote:
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Hat’s off to Tony for all his help in Southern, Indiana, I live in Northern Indiana and I am proud of my fellow Hoosier!!!
Hey Sushstewart20,
I read that comment. Tony is a heck of a guy. Next to JR he definately is my second favorite i do pull for.
RedDevil wrote:
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Our complaints about Kyle Schrub are legit and truthful, so I guess the truth hurts some people…
Yea JAG i agree with ur comment, i too live in Northern Indiana and as a Native of Indiana i always pull for the Indiana guys. Plus my uncles mom knows Tony, she lives in Columbus Indiana
Sushstewart20 wrote:
That may be well and good but has nothing to do with the topic