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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Junior Gives Crowd A Thrill
After a lackluster 2009 Junior nation has something to crow about....
Mike Harris  | http://www.RacinToday.com  |  Posted February 15, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like his old plate-race-dominating self on Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500. (Photo: Getty Images)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. discovered some of his old plate racing magic Sunday in the Daytona 500.

The crowd favorite charged from 10th to second place on the final lap of the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup race – it was probably the most important runner-up finish of his career.

Earnhardt, the son of a seven-time Cup champion and long considered one of the biggest stars in the stock car sport, has suffered through two miserable seasons since joining the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team.

He won one race and made the Chase in 2008, but finished 12th in the points. Last year, while teammates Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finished 1-2-3 in the championship, Junior failed to win a race and wound up 25th in the points.

Team owner Rick Hendrick has said repeatedly since the end of last season that he and the team were going to do whatever it took to get Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet turned around this year.

It wasn’t the win he had hoped for, but Sunday’s performance was definitely a step in the right direction.

“I feel good about the finish,’’ Earnhardt said. “It’s just frustrating coming that close. … you’re mad because you just want to get a top 10. When you get a top 10, you’re pissed off because you can’t get in the top five. Then when you’re running second it gets you mad because you didn’t get a win. That’s how race car drivers are, I hope.

“We worked hard all week. I felt foolish about what happened to us in the 150 (qualifying race). We beat the fenders off the car and had to drop back and punt. I just didn’t like racing that way. We ran pretty hard today. We had a car that got ill handling and we faded a bit. We worked on it. We had all kinds of messes going on there.

“When it got cool,’’ he added, “everybody’s car gripped up. The outcome, I don’t know. We worked hard. I’m pretty happy for my team. They needed a good finish.’’


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Mike Harris

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