Busch Race: Top-Three for Junior Transcript

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Busch Race: Top-Three for Junior Transcript

Date Created: Oct 13, 2007, 10:36 AM

An Interview With DALE EARNHARDT, JR. 
THE MODERATOR:   We are joined in the infield media center by our top finishers in tonight's race. We've got Dale Earnhardt Jr. third place finisher, driver of the No. 8 Menards Super Clean Chevrolet.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I had a pretty good car. We got in a wall and messed it up. I was about to come in the pits and just get out; but I got it going again a little bit and we found some speed, fixed the fender and my pit stops were amazing. We would get like six or seven spots on pit road, my guys    come in tenth and come out third once, and that's how I got out there. A couple guys wrecked this front of us, the 16 and 2, and then I raced with the 29 and the clean air out front made my car even better; and Jeff broke out and I thought we could race him and try to win but once the caution came out we were just too tight on the short run and I got passed by Kyle. I got passed by 18, too, but finally got going there with about three to go and got back by the 18.

Q. So Dale, did the Speedy Dry at all affect your high lineup there any? Because on TV they seemed to speculate that's what the problem might have been.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: "It was all over the corner and sometimes, it's dirty but it wasn't dirty. It just looks like it is. Still gripped up there, my car was just not good on the short run. And that caution was so long, it gave the 29 a chance to cool his tires up; and he was so good out front he just took off, about three laps he would shoot out there about 20 car lengths and everybody would run the same speed. But three or four laps, he was turning really, really good and that's where he beat everybody.

Q. Dale, just how close was it on turn four? It looked like you just about got Burton's bumper when you came up behind him.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I don't know, some of the stuff that happened out there, I can't remember every little thing. I got on him off 2 after the caution come out. That's the first race I ever felt like I knew I was going to win and didn't. Because I just knew we was going to win because the 29 was giving up; his car was tightening up pretty bad before that caution; and my car was starting to turn better and better, and he had not even tried to run at top yet. And I got right to him and I knew if he ran at top, it would take about two corners to figure out and I would have a chance to get by him.

Q. Your crew chief was saying you were pretty excited in the race car, having a lot of fun; how much fun was it tonight?
   
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: It's always good to run in the Busch Series. I don't do it that much because I really don't like to, but it makes a long weekend and I don't like to work no more than I have to. It is fun to run Charlotte. It's fun to run Bristol. There's tracks that me and Kyle like running    some other drivers do like running in the Busch Series. It's kind of fun to get in there and beat up on them guys but now there's so many Cup guys in there, you end up beating up on Busch guys half the race, and the other half the of the race you end up getting beat by Cup regulars. It was fun. Tonight was good. Like I said, I thought it was over with when I hit the wall. I was real close to bottom and I was sliding around on the bottom and I was like, man, I don't need to park; these guys will think I'm an idiot if I park, and got going again and I ran another hundred laps. The car was pick picking up speed, and fixed the fender.   It was fun, though."

Q. Are you doing any more Busch races this year? 
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: "I don't know. I really don't know until like    somebody knows, but I don't. I thought maybe Homestead might be on the deal... no, I don't have anymore? Okay, that was it. (Laughter) That was my last Busch race with DEI.

Q. So how cool would it have been to have won?
   
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: It's always cool to win and it would have been fun. I was trying really, really hard, believe me, to win. Because when you're running second and you think you have a shot at it. I was just really trying hard. And I want to thank Menards for working with me and for working with the Busch Series at DEI for the last couple of years. That whole family has been great to DEI and great to me and helped me a lot. And I want to thank DEI and anyone who has ever had their hands in the Busch program since I even started there; that's been a lot of fun. Every time I drove that car, I've always been treated well and always enjoyed it. I've never really walked out of that car angry or pissed at anyone. The team has always enjoyed the experience and so have I, so I just want to thank everybody for that."

Q. Before the race, you said that if you were in Vegas, you would have put all your money on Jeff Burton for tonight, and you were right. Care to make any predictions for tomorrow night?
 
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: "Not really. I think I've got a really good chance. We were really good in practice and I was real happy with my car. I've got a good chance again tomorrow. We've been running good here the last couple times so I feel like we've got a shot."

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