NASCAR-WCS: Long Pond II: Dale Earnhardt Jr race notes

NASCAR-WCS: Long Pond II: Dale Earnhardt Jr race notes

Post by pr.. » Tue, 30 Jul 2002 17:36:20

Bill Elliott wins, Dale Jr. uninjured in horrific crash
Earnhardt Jr. and No. 8 Budweiser Team make repairs after lap one crash,
finish 37th

Bill Elliott grabbed his first victory of the season Sunday in the
rain-delayed Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway, scoring a victory for
the aging veterans against the new breed of young drivers that have been
grabbing many of the headlines this season. One of the youngest drivers,
Kurt Busch, was second while points leader Sterling Marlin finished
third. It was a rough day for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser
team, as Dale Jr. was a helpless passenger in a multi-car wreck on the
first lap. Junior was swept up as teammate Steve Park shot across the
track and then the two DEI cars slid across the wet infield grass before
making horrendous impact with the inside guard rail. The Bud car was
seriously damaged, but the immediate concern was for Park, who was
briefly trapped in his destroyed race car. Park and Dale Jr. were both
checked out and quickly released from the infield medical center. The Bud
team was able to make repairs, and returned to the track just as a rain
storm stopped the race for an extended period of time. The shortened race
(175 laps instead of the scheduled 200) ended in near-darkness, with Dale
Jr. in 37th position, 31 laps behind the lead-lap finishers.

The Key Moments:  Dale Jr., starting 11th, seemed poised for a strong run
at the race where he finished second last season, but high hopes ended
almost before they began when contact between the cars of Steve Park and
Rusty Wallace sent Park sliding across the track and into the No. 8 car.
The two machines remained together as the hit the inside guard rail, with
the Park car flipping wildly as Dale Jr. slid backwards along the rail.
Dale Jr. raced to the crashed No. 1 car, where Park was temporarily
trapped inside. Both drivers rode to the care center together, where they
were examined and quickly released. The Bud team made significant repairs
to the heavily-damaged car, cobbling together parts and pieces from all
of the DEI teams. As many as 23 crew members representing all three DEI
teams worked to repair the car, replacing the entire front body work and
much of the mud-caked external engine parts (radiator, pumps, etc.) in 31
minutes. The multi-colored tape that somehow held together the patchwork
body flapped in the wind like a bad 1960's fringe jacket, but allowed
Dale Jr. to finish the race.

Dale Jr's Quotes:  About the crash:  "The 1 (Park) and the 2 car
(Wallace) got together and Steve just shot across the track. I was in his
way, and we slid down into the grass. I was trying everything I could to
separate my car from his because I knew it would be a really hard hit if
both cars were still together when got there. I saw that guardrail coming
up fast and it scared me --  bad. I thought Steve and I would both go
right through it and end up in among the fans and the RVs and the
campers. That guard rail there is no good for anyone. That's not a good
deal, but it may have helped lessen the impact for Steve. After we hit, I
was sliding backwards and I just saw Steve flipping over and over. I knew
I had to get to him to make sure he was OK. When I got to him, he had
unbuckled, but the angle of the car meant he couldn't get out with his
helmet on. The big headrest in there was blocking him, so he undid his
helmet and slid out. We need to think about that sort of thing as we keep
building these seats bigger and bigger. I'm really glad Steve was
alright. I'm going to be sore, but I'm OK. I didn't feel anything (any
pain) until I strapped back into the car and felt the spot where the seat
belt rubbed my neck in the crash. I thought 'damn! That hurts!'"

About the fast work of the team to make the extensive repairs in a short
time:  "I could not be prouder of my guys right now if we were leading
the race. That car was torn up bad, and there was mud everywhere. They
did a great job. I mean, this really sucks, but the guys are getting good
at putting these things back together when they're crashed. You can never
say die, and we hung in there all day when we were really just making
laps. That tape was flapping all over the place and the car was jittery,
but we picked up a few spots by the end. We could have even pulled in a
few laps early and not lost any positions, but we hung in there all day
and I didn't wanna see a DNF (did not finish) next to our car on the
results, so we stayed out there to the end."

Best Radio Conversations
Because they returned to the race 26 laps behind the rest of the field,
it was a long, lonely day for Dale Jr., as he rode around  at the back,
merely logging laps and gaining spots as others crashed or dropped out of
the race. Consequently, there was very little chatter until late in the
race, when Dale Jr. turned to humor.

As the team prepared for their final pit stop of the day (well, actually
evening by that time), Dale Jr. decided to narrate his approach to the
pit stall.

Dale Jr.  "OKkkkkkkk --  I'm comin' innnnnn --   pitting nowwwwwwww --
comin' 'round the cornerrrrrr --  comin' in --  here I come -- "

After the team changed a faltering battery on the same stop, Dale Jr.
happily reported the new and improved voltage reading in a manner much
like a Spinal Tap movie moment.

Dale Jr:  "Hey, it's back up to 12 --  nice --  that's one more than
11 -- "

As the race neared the final restart, Dale Jr. remained at the back of
the longest line, and reminded his spotter, Joey Meier, about the
possibility of crazy driving and big crashes --

Dale Jr. : "Hey --  Joey --  if there's a big crash in front of me, just
say 'WHOA!' a buncha times."

Today's Stats
Started:        11th
Finished:               37th
Points Position: 16th
Money Won:        $55,100
Laps Led:               --
Best Pit Stop:        Lap 91 / 4 tires and fuel as well as bodywork tape
"resituating" / 23.02 seconds

-dei/budweiser-

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