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Sprint Cup
CUP: Earnhardt Jr. Wins At Michigan
After a 143-race winless streak, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally scores…
The long national nightmare is over.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won a Sprint Cup race.
Four years after his last victory, Earnhardt Jr. ended a 143-race winless streak Sunday by dominating the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
The crowd, which saw a risky race run under unusual conditions, exploded with joy as Earnhardt Jr. finally kicked to the curb the frustrations that have followed him for years.
Oddly enough, Earnhardt Jr. returned to victory lane in a black car, courtesy of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” sponsorship for the day. And he won on Father’s Day.
Earnhardt clearly had the race’s best car over the final 200 miles. He led 95 of the 200 laps, including the final 30.
Junior outran second-place Tony Stewart by 5.39 seconds, making the victory far from a fluke. When he returned to victory lane, he did it in a big, big way.
Completing the top five were point leader Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson.
In the second five were Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, pole winner Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick.
Earnhardt Jr., the only driver to complete every Cup lap this season, also edged closer to the point lead. He trails Kenseth, who was one of several drivers to congratulate Junior in victory lane, by four points entering next week’s race at Sonoma, CA.
The race’s first major incident occurred on lap 126 as Joey Logano lost control of his car while passing the slower car of David Gilliland and tagged the outside wall. Kasey Kahne also became involved in the crash.
Seven laps later, the bad vibes for Joe Gibbs Racing continued as Denny Hamlin lost control on a restart and slid onto the inside apron. As he recovered and headed toward pit road, Hamlin’s car burst into flames. He scrambled from the car with the aid of crewmen as safety workers used extinguishers to smother the fire.
The crowd got a charge before the race reached halfway when Earnhardt Jr. surged to the front. Stewart later claimed the lead, but Junior moved around Stewart on the outside to retake first.
Adding to the day’s intrigue was a late start. Morning rain pounded the speedway area, delaying the green flag by two hours and throwing another wacky variable into the thinking of drivers and crew chiefs. The moisture changed the nature of the track surface significantly.
Drivers experienced tire issues on and off during the afternoon, a circumstance that was not unexpected after high speeds rocked practice sessions and Goodyear made a last-minute left-tire switch.
The day continued a difficult spring for Kyle Busch, who drove into the garage near the race’s halfway point with engine troubles for the third straight week. He finished 32nd.
And Kurt Busch had a sour return to the track after a week’s suspension. He spun out twice, finishing 30th.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won a Sprint Cup race.
Four years after his last victory, Earnhardt Jr. ended a 143-race winless streak Sunday by dominating the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
The crowd, which saw a risky race run under unusual conditions, exploded with joy as Earnhardt Jr. finally kicked to the curb the frustrations that have followed him for years.
Oddly enough, Earnhardt Jr. returned to victory lane in a black car, courtesy of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” sponsorship for the day. And he won on Father’s Day.
Earnhardt clearly had the race’s best car over the final 200 miles. He led 95 of the 200 laps, including the final 30.
Junior outran second-place Tony Stewart by 5.39 seconds, making the victory far from a fluke. When he returned to victory lane, he did it in a big, big way.
Completing the top five were point leader Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson.
In the second five were Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, pole winner Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick.
Earnhardt Jr., the only driver to complete every Cup lap this season, also edged closer to the point lead. He trails Kenseth, who was one of several drivers to congratulate Junior in victory lane, by four points entering next week’s race at Sonoma, CA.
The race’s first major incident occurred on lap 126 as Joey Logano lost control of his car while passing the slower car of David Gilliland and tagged the outside wall. Kasey Kahne also became involved in the crash.
Seven laps later, the bad vibes for Joe Gibbs Racing continued as Denny Hamlin lost control on a restart and slid onto the inside apron. As he recovered and headed toward pit road, Hamlin’s car burst into flames. He scrambled from the car with the aid of crewmen as safety workers used extinguishers to smother the fire.
The crowd got a charge before the race reached halfway when Earnhardt Jr. surged to the front. Stewart later claimed the lead, but Junior moved around Stewart on the outside to retake first.
Adding to the day’s intrigue was a late start. Morning rain pounded the speedway area, delaying the green flag by two hours and throwing another wacky variable into the thinking of drivers and crew chiefs. The moisture changed the nature of the track surface significantly.
Drivers experienced tire issues on and off during the afternoon, a circumstance that was not unexpected after high speeds rocked practice sessions and Goodyear made a last-minute left-tire switch.
The day continued a difficult spring for Kyle Busch, who drove into the garage near the race’s halfway point with engine troubles for the third straight week. He finished 32nd.
And Kurt Busch had a sour return to the track after a week’s suspension. He spun out twice, finishing 30th.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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