It was fitting that the NASCAR Sprint Cup series was racing in Las Vegas Sunday. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his Hendrick Motorsports crew decided to gamble. The payoff would have been a win. In the end, the gamble failed, but Earnhardt could still smile when it was over.
Earnhardt started the day fourth and led twice for four laps. He ran inside the top five for much of the 267 laps and looked to be a contender for the win. On the final round of pit stops however, Earnhardt’s crew chief Greg Ives took the gamble of only outing two tires on Earnhardt’s Chevy. The stops came under green at lap 231 and the move to put on only two tires paid off as Earnhardt got out ahead of leader Kevin Harvick.
Earnhardt took the lead but didn’t stay there long. 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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