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Earnhardt Focuses On Positives

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By CARTER GADDIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 18, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH - Dale Earnhardt Jr. was tantalizingly close enough to the front of the field for most of the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Close enough for his legions of fans to feel the first spark of elation that would have accompanied a victory in the biggest race of NASCAR's season.

But it wasn't to be. As promising as Earnhardt's coming-out party in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports was the past week at Daytona International Speedway, he fell behind late and settled for ninth.

"I would've liked to finish better tonight, obviously," Earnhardt said. "I think we had a top-five car all day."

As it was, he was the top finisher among the vaunted Hendrick stable, which lost Jeff Gordon to a broken suspension and Casey Mears to a wreck with four laps to go. Defending Sprint Cup champion and polesitter Jimmie Johnson was involved in a wreck on Lap 178 and finished a disappointing 27th.

That left Earnhardt to battle it out in the closing laps with Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart, as well as eventual one-two finishers Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

Earnhardt led five of the final 30 laps. He stayed on the track to take the lead during a late caution, a decision that might have cost him in the long run as he raced against cars with fresher tires.

"I would have loved to have had four fresh tires" at the end, Earnhardt said. "Then we would have been able to come up back through there."

His No. 88 Chevrolet was in the thick of things on the final lap, when he managed to hook up briefly with longtime drafting buddy Stewart.

"I tried to help him, help Tony there at the end," Earnhardt said. "That's just who I ended up behind and I couldn't do much. I don't know. We were just kind of in a box there at the end."

For a brief moment after a restart on Lap 198, it appeared Stewart would carry Earnhardt with him to the front, and the rivals would duke it out over the final two laps. But Earnhardt couldn't stay with Stewart, and Newman made the winning pass on the final lap.

"It is frustrating," Earnhardt said, "but at the end of that race, anything is going to happen and guys get shuffled around. You just kind of take what you can get without wrecking."

Still, Earnhardt came away from the week riding positive momentum after winning the Bud Shootout in his Hendrick debut and a Gatorade Duel 150 qualifier Thursday.

If this is how it will be every week working for new boss Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt will take it.

"I am real proud of Hendrick and the effort they gave me, because I have had a great time this Speedweeks," he said. "I think the year is going to be like that, and I'm really going to enjoy it."

Reporter Carter Gaddis can be

reached at (813) 259-8291

or igaddis@tampatrib.com.

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