Post by dalejrfan on Oct 30, 2005 18:14:43 GMT -5
Junior, No. 8 team happy with strong run at AMS
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't hesitate when he was asked what the difference was between his fourth-place finish Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 24th-place effort the No. 8 bunch turned in after the spring race at AMS.
"Probably Tony Jr.," he said.
Of course, Earnhardt Jr. was referring to recently reinstalled crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who was atop the No. 15 pit box of Michael Waltrip for the Golden Corral 500 in March.
"This is a track that we ran great at and he's the best guy for me at this track as a crew chief," Earnhardt Jr. said.
The Atlanta run was the best for Earnhardt Jr. since he won at Chicagoland in July with Steve Hmiel as his crew chief. In some respects, it may have been better. While the No. 8 car led 11 laps in that victory, it was out front for 142 circuits Sunday.
To put that in perspective, Earnhardt Jr. had led just 27 laps all season before Sunday.
"It was fun to lead and fun to dominate and show what we're capable of," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We've had great cars the last several weeks, we just haven't been getting the finishes."
But even with all the positive numbers, there was one more that Earnhardt Jr. wished he could have gotten Sunday.
"We would have liked to have finished better because we were really dominant in the first half of the race," he said. "Either the track got away from us -- we didn't adjust enough for the track -- or our method, as far as how our spring rates changed throughout the race from set to set on the tires was wrong.
"It just went away and we had such a dominant car, it really should have been able to stay more consistent," he said. "I think the guys will go home and try to figure that out."
As others did throughout the afternoon, Earnhardt Jr. is noticing a change in the personality of the Atlanta track. He attributes the change to Mother Nature.
"I think that storm, [the tornado that hit AMS earlier this year], may have accelerated the wear on the track a little bit, but you've seen that in the past here.
"A couple of races ago, [the track] was really at its peak," he said. "It's getting toward the too-worn-out point now, but I think it's got a couple more races before they have to think about repaving it. It's in the Darlington, Rockingham area, but it's still a great racetrack. It's one of the best on the circuit."
Looking ahead, Earnhardt Jr. sees something that he may not have seen at other points during the season -- a legitimate chance to visit Victory Lane.
"I think we'll go to Phoenix and be really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I think next week at Texas we'll be good. We're just going to have a really solid end to the season."
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't hesitate when he was asked what the difference was between his fourth-place finish Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 24th-place effort the No. 8 bunch turned in after the spring race at AMS.
"Probably Tony Jr.," he said.
Of course, Earnhardt Jr. was referring to recently reinstalled crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who was atop the No. 15 pit box of Michael Waltrip for the Golden Corral 500 in March.
"This is a track that we ran great at and he's the best guy for me at this track as a crew chief," Earnhardt Jr. said.
The Atlanta run was the best for Earnhardt Jr. since he won at Chicagoland in July with Steve Hmiel as his crew chief. In some respects, it may have been better. While the No. 8 car led 11 laps in that victory, it was out front for 142 circuits Sunday.
To put that in perspective, Earnhardt Jr. had led just 27 laps all season before Sunday.
"It was fun to lead and fun to dominate and show what we're capable of," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We've had great cars the last several weeks, we just haven't been getting the finishes."
But even with all the positive numbers, there was one more that Earnhardt Jr. wished he could have gotten Sunday.
"We would have liked to have finished better because we were really dominant in the first half of the race," he said. "Either the track got away from us -- we didn't adjust enough for the track -- or our method, as far as how our spring rates changed throughout the race from set to set on the tires was wrong.
"It just went away and we had such a dominant car, it really should have been able to stay more consistent," he said. "I think the guys will go home and try to figure that out."
As others did throughout the afternoon, Earnhardt Jr. is noticing a change in the personality of the Atlanta track. He attributes the change to Mother Nature.
"I think that storm, [the tornado that hit AMS earlier this year], may have accelerated the wear on the track a little bit, but you've seen that in the past here.
"A couple of races ago, [the track] was really at its peak," he said. "It's getting toward the too-worn-out point now, but I think it's got a couple more races before they have to think about repaving it. It's in the Darlington, Rockingham area, but it's still a great racetrack. It's one of the best on the circuit."
Looking ahead, Earnhardt Jr. sees something that he may not have seen at other points during the season -- a legitimate chance to visit Victory Lane.
"I think we'll go to Phoenix and be really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I think next week at Texas we'll be good. We're just going to have a really solid end to the season."