Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and teammate Jimmie Johnson (48) draft together in practice at Daytona. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The April 17 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway ended with Dale Earnhardt Jr. playing the team role perfectly as he pushed Jimmie Johnson to a .002-of-a-second victory over Clint Bowyer in a spectacular finish.
With Junior Nation longing to see Earnhardt Jr.’s long winless streak finally end – and at one of the tracks that has been a special place for the Earnhardt clan over the years, Junior’s willingness to play second fiddle to his five-time champion teammate was admirable.
Now, skip forward to Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, a track where many think Junior can call halt to a frustrating streak that now sits at an alarmingly high 109.
Could Johnson return the favor?
Maybe.
“The No. 48 (Johnson) and the No. 88 (Earnhardt Jr.), if those two cars are on the track we are working together,” Johnson said. “The way things worked out in Talladega, the guy being pushed was in the catbird’s seat. … Long story short, I don’t know which position you want to be in, but I do know that the No. 88 and No. 48 are committed to working together all race long.
“We don’t know how it’s going to unfold coming to the checkered, but our plan is to have those two nose to tail and going like crazy for the win. Yes, we are tied to one another, and, yes, I certainly do respect and understand that if he wasn’t pushing me I wouldn’t have won the race in Talladega, but you can’t sit there and create things. There is a level of – I don’t know if it’s debt, but I do recognize he pushed me to the win, so if I’m pushing him and he wins I’m going to smile and be there in victory lane and shake his hand.”
And then there will be an exchange of beer, Johnson said. “Then he owes me some Schlitz because I bought him Schlitz for pushing me,” he said. “That’s what he asked for.”
Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. will be among the favorites in Saturday night’s (7:30 p.m.) race, the 17th event of the season and the traditional halfway point of the year.
The Hendrick Motorsports crowd is well-represented in the starting top 10, with Mark Martin on the pole, Jeff Gordon starting fourth, Earnhardt Jr. sixth and Johnson eighth. Unless plans meet a dramatic change, Martin and Gordon will link up early in the tandem draft, as will Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson.
The top Fords early in the race likely will be those of Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, starting second, and David Ragan, starting fifth.
Series point leader Carl Edwards qualified 14th.
If Friday night’s Nationwide Series race (won by Joey Logano) serves as an example, Saturday’s race will be filled with two-car drafting, then the final laps will be rather chaotic as drafting partners try to arrange themselves for the closing run to the finish.
That part should be more than interesting. Friday night’s race ended with a monster crash a few paces behind the lead cars.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
