Ft Worth: Dale Earnhardt Jr. preview

Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser race preview Dale Jr.: "Texas it's one of those place where I love going. It seems like we kick butt there every year and we always run up front, so you come into the weekend with a good attitude and in a good mood. Plus, ...

Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser race preview

Dale Jr.:

"Texas it's one of those place where I love going. It seems like we kick butt there every year and we always run up front, so you come into the weekend with a good attitude and in a good mood. Plus, we're coming off of three straight races with top-four finishes, so the momentum is certainly wearing Bud-red right now.

"It's a really, really fast track, which I love, and it'll be even faster with the new surface. But, the new pavement will make passing more difficult, so you need to be near the front all day. We were on the Bud Pole there last year, so maybe we can do that again and lead it from start to finish. We led a lot here last year and I think we would have won if we didn't get a late yellow flag"

About his on-track and post-race difficulties with Robby Gordon at Bristol: "I have no ill-will toward Robby. My comments (on the Fox telecast) were right after I jumped out of the car, and it was mainly just to get a laugh from the audience. Robby and I are similar in a lot of ways, and we have been friends for a while. I'm sure he doesn't take what I said to heart, although it was a low blow, wasn't it? I'll remember to be more sensitive toward him next time we trade paint."

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Texas
Winston Cup Starts: 2
Best Start: 1st (2001)
Best Finish: 1st (2000)
This Race, Last Year: St: 1st Fin: 8th

Good things seem to happen at the Texas track (near Fort Worth) for Dale Jr. and the entire DEI Budweiser team. Dale Jr. grabbed his first Busch Series win here in 1998 (with much of the same Tony Eury-led crew as is in the Bud pit area this season), and then duplicated the feat in 2000 with his first Winston Cup victory in only his 12th career Cup start. At this race last season, Dale Jr. started from the Bud Pole position, and led 108 laps before finishing 8th due to a late pit stop. In only two Winston Cup starts at Texas, the Budweiser No. 8 car has led 214 laps.

People! People! People!
Dale Jr. is featured "In the Spotlight" in this week's issue of People magazine (April 8 "double" issue). This is his third appearance in the magazine since being selected among the "Sexiest Men of 2000."

What:
Radio Shack 500
334 laps, 500 miles, 1.5-mile oval, Race #7 of 36

Where:
Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

When:
Sunday, April 7th, 2:00 pm

Watch:
Fox Pre-race: 1:30 pm
(All Times: Eastern)
You can also listen to the race live on the Performance Racing Network
(PRN) on a radio station near you.

Bud Pole Qualifying:
Live coverage of Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session can be seen on the Fox Sports Network at 3:00 pm. See if Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser team can repeat as winners of the Bud Pole and earn their way into the 2003 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

What to Watch
The fans The Texas track holds close to 200,000 and they love to cheer very loudly for Dale Jr. Perhaps because of his two drama-filled victories at the track; they have joined in Dale Jr's mutual love affair with the 1.5-mile oval. In a recent poll conducted at NASCAR.com, race fans selected Dale Jr. as "the driver most likely to win again at Texas" with more than 70 percent of the total votes cast. As Dale Jr. once said, "Texas loves me, and I love Texas"