‘I ran hard and got wrecked,’ Earnhardt Jr. says of contact with Busch
Quote selected text Published May 4th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ready to win. His fans were more than ready. Alas, it was not to be.
Denny Hamlin’s misfortune provided a timely opportunity for Earnhardt Jr. to snap his career-long 71-race winless streak at Richmond International Raceway, where he earned his most recent Sprint Cup Series win in 2006.
Hamlin dominated the race, but with 20 laps remaining a slow leak developed in his right-front tire, which allowed Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch to cruise by. Earnhardt Jr.’s two-year victory drought appeared ready to end, but Busch would have none of it.
The two raced hard side-by-side until finally with three of the 400 scheduled laps remaining, the two made contact and Earnhardt Jr. slammed into the wall and Busch was passed by eventual winner Clint Bowyer.
“I wasn’t good at the bottom (of the track) so I moved up top. He got a great run around (Turns) 1 and 2 and nearly got by me,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
“I wouldn’t say it was intentional because if he wanted to he could have thrown me in the fence off (Turn) 2. We had been racing each other earlier and had no problems.”
The bitter ending seemed to sit uneasily with Earnhardt Jr.
“The worst part about it is, I’ve been priding myself on running good all year and I was in position for a win. I ran hard and got wrecked. I had a top-three car and should have finished in the top three,” he said.
- Dodge: All Star quotes and notes
- Busch’s Hans device cracks in Busch wreck at Talladega
- Biffle shatters track record and wins pole at Darlington
- Harvick not happy with Stewart after late race contact
- Montoya enjoying NASCAR transition
Kyle better watch it at Darlington.
What a jacked up situation. If Denny would have gone to the pits, Jr would have sealed the win. Ok, so the yellow went out and Kyle and Jr were back and forth, great race, however Kyle did not give him room. They were racing hard with each other, but should have gave him a little room. Glad to see Kyle not win it though.
let me go with the conspiricy theory for a second.
hamlin and busch are teamates
hamlin was out regardless
busch was NOT catching jr based on the lap times they were running ( i was watching trackpass)
hamlin stayed out to cause the caution to give busch one more chance
and well we all see what happened with that
all in all, even if im wrong I am hating the entire gibbs lineup more and more every damn week
let me start the gibbs conspiricy now
hamlin was done for, he should have pit
he didnt and my guess was to try and give kyl a chance to win
when he wrecked, he should have kept going and the
caution would have not waved but he stopped
as soon as the caution waved he went so it was clear he was drawing a caution
I do not think kyle wrecked earnhardt on purpous, but i do think that there is a gibbs conspiricy goin on here
Kyle is unable to race to win. If you look at his history in the close finish he will block and crash his opponant to win. I can and will not support him or any sponsor he has.
yah it was oviouse that the 11 stayed on the track perpoisly
and nascar should have fine him for dowing so whasent smart
with jr nation out their
again, eventhough I dont think kyle wrecked him intentionally, I do think it was a plot by the gibbs team to give kyle a chance at the win.
and any admin…
the site DOES NOT work with firefox 90% of the time… IE is garbage and I hate having to use it to see this site. Is anyone else having this issue?
It looks like Denny stopped on the track to get a caution so that Kyle could get to Jrs bumper and we all know what happened then! Kyle will never admit to making a mistake so it is pointless to ask and I am VERY SURPRISED WITH WHAT DENNY DID!
Kyle better watch himself this year. He has got all the talent in the world and then some, but he is at serious risk of losing all respect from veteran drivers. He drives like a maniac and with DW’s head so far kyles a@s, it’s not helping his cause. JR will get his!!!
I’ve never been as mad at a driver as I was with Busch last night. Despite his abilities, he does not know how to race cleanly; he thinks wrecking someone is a reasonable racing strategy. Somebody has to sit this punk down and have a talk with him, before he really hurts someone. I would have pulled the trigger and put this guy out of our misery, but by the light of day I realize that this a-hole isn’t worth it.
ganjadude wrote:
Contact me via the link on the right side of the page so we can work to resolve this. Kenneth
ganjadude wrote:
I use Firefox as well and I’ve never had any issues with this site. And I know what you mean about internet explorer, it does suck. Matter of fact, I’ve had more problems with this site using IE than Firefox.
Anyway, back to this article……
It sounds like none of you guys listened to what Jr. had to say about the accident. He said that they were both to blame for it, and by looking at the footage, I agree. Nothing wrong happened, it was just good hard racing.
Now, with that being said, I hate Kyle as much as you guys, but I’m just calling it as I see it.
Dustin:
What about Jr. saying “I ran hard and got wrecked”? Sort of implies that another party was to blame.
And why is it that Shrub is always in the middle of these incidents? It’s almost like he suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and can’t concentrate enough to race someone cleanly for more than a few laps.
He manages to hit his marks all night long until crunch time, then he starts the accidentally on purpose slides in the turns until he takes out the other driver. How many times have we seen it over the last two seasons?
ROFL jr crashed
Nascar should do something about Hamlin purposely causing that caution last night. Race should belong to Jr. Kyle Bush sucks! there isn’t a professional drivers bone in his tacky body. I hope that Jr. shows him what a true professional driver is made of.
Joe Gibbs is always talking moral values and religion, well what his two little boys did last night was neither. I was not at all surprised by Kyle, as he has already said he will wreck anyone for a win. Denny, however, did surprise me. I guess Kyle has more influence on him than Tony. Tony has always been my favorite after Jr, however, I will never support a Gibbs driver or sponser again. If Joe Gibbs is even half the person he wants people to think he is, he and his two drivers will publicly apologize to Jr, his team, and fans. As for DW will he think Kyle is so great when he gets someone else or himself killed.
WOW…SPELL CHECK PEOPLE.
TWO WORDS
SPELL
CHECK!!
Dang.. not only are they making themselves look like idiots for starting a conspiracy theory, but their spelling sucks.
I taped the race so I could watch the last 50 laps over this AM and maybe get a more reasonable perspective on what happened between Shrub and Dale Jr.. Well I did see some things that I overlooked last night.
1. Shrub in his interview made sure he put in the line about how this was no way a thing between him an JR. “carry over from last year” and thats pure BS !!!
2. Shrub said he felt that when Rick Pigeon from Jr’s crew came down and said some disparaging things to him “that was uncalled for” and he probably won’t be his friend anymore… I will just state the obvious. What a A$$ shrub is just for having the nerve to say that after what he did to Steven Wallace (66) in the Nationwide race Friday night. Shrub marched down to the 66 car and stuck his head in Stevens window and barked at him saying it was not cool to mess with a “VETERN DRIVER of his stature” ( just turned 23 yrs old Friday)
Shrub should count his blessings that one of those BIG boys didn’t rip his head off and place it in a dark brown spot…Don’t give up it will happen sooner than latter.
3. Also in that on camera rant he had he said “it’s not all about JR. and he will know what i mean”..
That is the 3 time he has said that very line sooo I gota think it’s really on his mind that it IS all about Jr. and NOT him or he wouldn’t keep referring to it… Who gets booed @ driver introduction the most ??..Shrub of course… Who gets the biggest ovation ??.. Dale JR.
4. Last but not least, DW must be queer because he has of late been gushing over and kissing shrubs a$$ on TV sooo much people are starting to wonder about him…
Just a few thing I noticed and wanted to put to put out there for comment…
for one its the internet…spell check is not a necessity….so get ovef it….
and second…DENNY HAMLIN is a jacka__…..he and dale jr are FRIENDS…and he had plenty of time to get to pit road…he stopped the car…and WAITED for the caution to come out…then casually pulls away after JR 1.5 sec lead evaporated….give me a break…everyone says JR sucks…and he proved last night that he does….drive past 2 cars on the high side to take the lead….now granted NO ONE had the 11 covered…but i said it all night that he would have problems at the end…he always does…i feel for him…but stopping on the track, not only putting yourself in danger, but alot of other competitors…its just down right outrageous….
for once i just wish Dale JR would grow a pair, and start racing people the way they race him….Kyle will be fine, JR will not retaliate…hes not that kind of driver…and he should be…Kyle cries and whines cause steven wallace got into him…during the NW race…is this NOT the same deal? just plain hard racing…give me a break…he didnt get loose…he has better car control than anyone else on the track…his wheels turned right on purpose and there is nothing in this world gonna change that for me…givin how Kyle ALWAYS races….thats vindictive of his actions last night…and until someone puts him into the wall, when hes racing for a win…he will not stop….
he spent way too much time in the hendrick camp around JEFF GORDON….cause he whines and cries just like Gordon….its ok for him to wreck people to gain a spot in the closing laps…but it damn sure aint ok for someone to even TOUCH his car when they are racing…just perposterous…..
if someone doesnt start running kyle busch back into the wall i will stop watching this garbage every week…88 car had his first HMS win SEWN up…and everyone knows it….i hope kyles plane crashes on his way to darlington….wouldnt hurt my feelings 1 freakin bit
After this, Shrub is gonna be the first driver to need an armed bodyguard by his side 24/7, and particularly at the track.
This is the first time i have ever blogged, however,i was furious after last night, and i
guess i just needed a place to vent. I agree whole heartedly that Hamlin’s bonehead move was done as a team player. It was obvious, when Hamlin faded and Junior took the lead that the
88 was “checking out”. I also believe “shrub” (that’s funny) is a loose cannon just like his
brother was in his beginning and sometimes still is. I completely agree with the comments
about Gibbs and his so called morals. I will no longer support any Gibbs sponsor. I have
been a nascar fan since highschool, and have seen twenty years of changes. I wonder if nascar
will go by the way of baseball, with ratings and money appearing to be what they are after.
These two “shrubs” are cowards. Both very talented drivers who can do anything with a car,
and will. Getting either of them out of a car to discuss things like men, however, is
something you do not see. The younger shrub needs a little dose of Spencer. It did not seem
to help Kurt, but it sure made me feel good!
Sushstewart20 wrote:
Ok, so the rules say that you cannot comment on anyone else’s spelling!!
How do you explain the fact that Denny stopped a perfectly intact car on the track?
Dustin wrote:
I use Firefox also and the only problems I have ever had with this site is every once in a while the RSS feed does not load (same thing happens with my Jayski RSS as well as my other ones)
As far as Hamlin purposely causing that caution, Jr has done it, Sr has done it, Both Gordons have done it, Rudd, Blaney, Petty (Kyle and Richard) and many many more drivers not just in NASCAR but in other forms of racing as well have all purposely drawn a caution in order to help themselves or a teammate, and the last few times it has happened (since Jr did it a few years ago) NASCAR has been giving 2 lap penalties for it.
As far as Hamlin helping Kyle by riding around with a tire going down. Then how come Denny ran the low/middle line when his tire was going down blocking Kyle? If Denny was trying to help Kyle he would have ran the High line and blocked Jr till Kyle got past.
Sam wrote:
It wasn’t perfectly intact, it had a ripped up left front tire.
Fisha695 wrote:
Did you even watch the race? A front left? I tell you what fishy, I will give you a chance to review the facts and then you can eat crow!
Sushstewart20 wrote:
spoken like the words of a man who knows we are right and has no argument…
I KNOW!! Attack the spelling!! That will get us…,.
Sushstewart20 wrote:
If you have nothing to add go away!!!!!!!
Sam wrote:
Sorry I got my left and Right mixed up I’m dyslexic so sue me.
Fisha695 wrote:
***************************************************************************
It’s close to the 1st of the month (you get 1 free 1 a month) so you get a do-over for that one fisha…
But now you have to be perfect the rest of the month.. lol
Yea he had a tore up RIGHT front tire but I think we can agree that his stopping /then taking off was not for the tire !!! yes most drivers have done the same DURING a race but the timing of this one was really bad and will be remembered by other drivers…
ganjadude wrote:
*************************************************************************
I use spell check ALL the time because I want people to be able to understand what I was saying…
some of the posts are so bad (spelling) that the meaning is lost…
So if you don’t care that readers can’t dicpher what you want to say don’t use it, your choice..
Hamlin was held 2 laps for stopping on track. NASCAR knew what he was doing and he (Gibbs) got away with it. We’ll see Tuesday if there is any justice in NA$CAR.
Shrub should be punted by someone different every race. Heck, let Mikey take the first shot (he’s already in hot water over Mears anyhow). Once the moron tries fighting back, send Chrissy Wallace to clean his clock. All the Wallace boys can form a circle so he can’t escape while she does the hard work. Grab him by the ears (since he has no brains or ba^^s) and let ‘em have it before he killls someone on the track. Just make sure DW’s nose isn’t buried someplace that he’d get hurt too.
X Bush Fan wrote:
LMAO…
I’ve never been a busch fan, but the only thing that was truly unfortunate about last night… is that dill-weed Dale Junior was permitted to finish way too high in final placement.
So far, I’ve placed bets with people before each race this season about where Dale Junior would finish at the conclusion of each race. Thus far, I haven’t lost a bet yet! When you know the FACTS about what a narcissistic little monster Dale Junior is… it’s very easy to know why this stuff happens to him, and where his over-rated, useless career is heading.
Last night at 7:30 pm, my “bet” ~ was that Junior would finish NO BETTER than eleventh place at Richmond. On lap 380-ish, when Junior took the lead by showing off and over-driving his car again (as he always does)… somebody called me on my mobile and said “see… told ya so”…
My immediate, calm response was: “not a problem… just be patient…. DOOM will soon strike, because “divine justice” would step-in and “correct” the little brat.
Fast forward 15 laps from that moment… and BOOM! Justice struck promptly in time to “correct”.
Once again, “blackmail embracing, pornography approving Junior Nation” is acting like their disgusting self, which is further evidence as to why I repudiated and parted ways with Dale Junior and THEM last year.
If you watch all the camera angle replays of Junior’s “Justice”…
It is plainly clear that Kyle did nothing wrong or intentional. In fact, It appears Junior came down into Kyle’s lane before his car was a full length ahead of him. Junior did what he always does…. he was showing off and over-drove the car.
The truly shameful dimension of the whole evening is that despite the “Justice”… Dale Junior was still able to finish far better than he deserved. 15th is way too good for the little jerk… But fortunately, there are still 16 more races before the chase begins, in which Junior will not even finish in the top-10 for the balance of the season. THAT’S JUSTICE!
It’s coming ~ BANK ON IT!
I will never buy or support any sponsor of Dill-weed Dale Junior’s…
gotta love people who dont bother making names….
MOST of us realize that kyle didnt necessarily do it intentionally
we are pissed off at hamlin for bringing out the caution when he should have kept going and got off the track
than al lthis would be a non issue
I see “racing deals” going against Kyle Busch in the near future.
All I can say is this listen to what Kyle said in an interview Friday ‘I will take out as many cars as needed to win’…that in itself should tell you what kind of driver he is…he does not care…but bump him and he get’s all upset and goes after you…nice Kyle…what is good for the goose is good for the gander!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i say fire bush and send him to be a demolition derby racer… thats only thing he knows how to do.. he had me so mad last night i wanted to go to the track and hit his car with my 4 wheel drive pick up with my big tires and with a lift on it.. i am so sick of kyle bush that it makes me not want to watch nascar anymore, he was cocky fri and sat night there is something odd about why nascar won’t punnish him.. look what they did to waldrip!he had to sit out the rest of the race for hitting casey mears why didnt they take away is 2nd position and dock his points and fine him.. they wont let our other racers get away with this why should he? kyle you have very angry jr fans (i am a jr and stewart and hamlin and martin fan) but i dont like you.. i say keep him from racing a few races maybe he will straighten up . atleast your brother kurt is being quiet now but you kyle when you say dont mess with the bull you better watch it cause you are messing with the wrong racers. go home kyle now!!!!
X Bush Fan wrote:
I give you alot of credit for being a X-Busch fan, that takes good sense to do that!!!
Ron F. wrote:
Very well said……………
Carol wrote:
what does religion have to do with saturday night racing???
Dustin wrote:
Why did Jr say Kyle is in need for security then?
i think that just because Dale Jr. hasnt won a race yet , you are all crazy. i am a Dale Jr. fan but give him a break , if it was meant to be he would have won. Kyle could have taken him out in 1 or 2 so why do you blame Kyle, its just racin and you are acting like Jr. fans use to act against Jeff Gordon . who will it be next? God just because he got wrecked do you have to blame someone. give it a rest .
gonesouthern wrote:
GOOD COMMENT GONESOUTHERN, and what a truthful one it is at that!!!☺☺☺
JAG wrote:
Because to get from the inside of the track to where he gets in his helicopter you have to ride a golf cart out the tunnel and on to a dirt road and the dirt road is filled with fans waiting to see their favorite driver and that is the only way out of the track and that is why Dale Jr. said that about the security
teresa88fan wrote:
morals != religion
non religious people tend to have morals as well, usually more so than the religious folk for some reason
Guest wrote: