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Big Decision for Little E
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Although Dale Earnhardt Junior did not win the Brickyard 400, his big decision earned him a little victory. Coming off two straight last-place finishes, which saw Dale Junior fall from third in the Nextel Cup points standings to 11th, Junior appeared to be heading for another near last place finish again on Sunday. Thoughts of repeating last year's missing out on the Chase for the Nextel Cup were beginning to look more prominent.
All day long Dale Earnhardt Junior had a below average car. He could barely crack the top 20 and hovered around 30th place for most of the race. After the race Earnhardt Junior expressed his disappointment in the car. ``We need to do better and get better cars. We can't make the Chase with 30th-place race cars." said Junior. This thinking is what propelled Dale Earnhardt Junior's crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., to leave Dale Junior out on a lap 142 caution. It was a gamble that paid off in more ways than one.
Only one of the drivers ahead of Dale Junior stayed out. For the first time in the race, the Chevy Bud # 8 was up front. The fans were excited, as I was, to finally see Dale Junior looking like a competitor and not just a Sunday driver. Within a few laps, Junior passed Kyle Bush for the lead and the crowd erupted. But the jubilee would only last for half a lap. With 4 new tires, race winner Jimmie Johnson passed Junior and took the lead for good. The question then became, where Dale Earnhardt Junior would finish.
As each lap went by, another car with fresh tires passed Junior. Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Mark Martin all passed Dale Earnhardt Junior in the final laps. Shuffling backwards, all of Junior's fans collectively held their breath and hoped that the race would end before Junior fell too far back. On the last lap of the race there was a crash bringing out the 8th caution and cementing Earnhardt Junior in 6th place; a finish that excited his fans but did not bring much joy for Junior. ``We took a chance and we got lucky, but I'd like to have a better car so we don't have to make those kinds of calls,'' Junior said. ``I just had to drive really hard at the end with old tires, harder than I normally drive. We didn't have a good car all day. But, after the last two weeks, we'll take what we can get.'' What they got was a jump back into the Chase for the Nextel Cup. What Junior's fans got was renewed hope.
Earnhardt Junior now sits in 10th place only 7 points behind Tony Stewart who is in 9th place and only 15 points behind Jeff Gordon who is in 8th place. In fact, one hundred points separate 6th place Mark Martin and 10th place Dale Earnhardt Junior. It's clear that NASCAR will go down to the last lap in Richmond before we learn who will make the Nextel Cup Chase.
I find it exciting to watch a major battle play out between NASCAR's top stars. Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt Junior are all fighting to make the Chase and are within 15 points of each other. Each driver has their own story yet they all intertwine to make one big story. This is what sports is all about. For the next 5 races we will be treated to lap by lap dog fight. And it's not just NASCAR's biggest stars fighting it out; there is a slew of supporting cast trying to make the Chase. Except for Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, 3rd place through 15th place is up for grabs.
My money is on Dale Earnhardt Junior, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart to all make the Nextel Cup Chase. I believe they all got their rough patches, bad cars, and mental mistakes out of the way. I also believe that champions rise to the occasion. Stewart and Gordon have each one a championship and know how to respond to adversity. And if adversity is a measuring stick then we all know what Dale Earnhardt Junior has had to face over the last 5 years.
Double R
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