NASCAR’s most popular driver had a Sunday he’d rather forget. Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew he would need to step up his game during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Hollywood 400 at Kansas Speedway. However, not having won a race at a 1.5-mile track in over a decade, the chances were slim. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was optimistic after qualifying Friday securing a 15th place starting spot.
Earnhardt was biding his time but was struggling to move forward. He was mired outside the top 20, but after pit stops and adjustments, Earnhardt was starting to find some speed and made a brief appearance inside the top 10. On lap 165 though, he reported a vibration from a possible loose wheel and was forced to pit under green. He rejoined the field 27th, one lap down.
“We had a lot of wheels shaking, tires shaking because of the wheels spinning inside the tire,” he said later. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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