(By Greg Engle)
Posted: Monday,July 6th, 2009
(By Greg Engle, NDN Editor)
The last time Dale Earnhardt Jr. visited Daytona International Speedway he was no doubt full of optimism as the season got underway.
The first visit of the years ended in misery for the sports most popular driver however when a pit road miscue and a lost lap put him at the center of an accident and a 27th place finish.
From that point the season didn’t exactly turn around.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 04: Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the #88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars after an on track collision during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 51st Annual Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
After several less then stellar runs, most caused from pit road mistakes and equipment failures, Hendrick Motorsports replaced Earnhardt’s cousin as crew chief.
Earnhardt headed back to Daytona hoping for a good run, a well-needed shot in the arm.
What he ended up with however was another race to forget, but at least it wasn’t his fault.
Earnhardt was swept up in a 13-car wreck on lap 77 trigged by Kasey Kahne and David Stremme. Both Earnhardt and David Reutimann received the most damage.
“I guess there were a couple of guys going for the same piece of real estate there and I tried to stay high because I thought they would spin down off the wall and the No. 00 got crossed up trying to miss them and we hit him,” said Earnhardt. “So the National Guard Chevrolet was just getting going. We had just freed the car up enough and was moving toward the front and the car was driving good. I thought we had a shot of getting up there and mixing it up with the leaders.”
For Earnhardt it was another race of misery, he finished in 37th, and he can now only hope for better races ahead.
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