NASCAR Cup
Texas II: Dale Earnhardt Jr preview
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- driver, No. 8 Budweiser team: On his first career Cup victory at Texas in 2000: "It was an awesome day. We hadn't been to too many races at that point, and to go to Texas and win was pretty special. I won my first Busch ...
Published: Nov 2, 2005, 11:06 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- driver, No. 8 Budweiser team:
On his first career Cup victory at Texas in 2000:
"It was an awesome day. We hadn't been to too many races at that point, and to go to Texas and win was pretty special. I won my first Busch race there in 1998 too, so to come back and win my first Cup race at the same place two years later meant a lot. I know I'll never forget it and it's something I think about every time I go back. It seems we always run at the front there, too.
"We're taking the same car we just ran at Atlanta. They'll take it back to the shop, turn her around, and load 'er up for Texas. When you have a car that's as fast as this one, we can't wait to get it on the track and go after it again.
On a strong performance Sunday at Atlanta:
"It was fun leading all those laps but equally disappointing not to win. I had a great car, we had fast pit stops all day, and it was nice to come out with a strong top-five. I think it's a sign of things to come. Tony (Eury) Jr. builds great race cars, and I enjoy driving 'em. I'm really happy with the way things are coming together. The guys in the engine shop are giving me great motors. They've been burning the midnight oil to give me great horsepower, and I hope it keeps coming. The guys at the body shop do such a fabulous job."
BUDWEISER QUICK NOTES: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #8 Budweiser team enter the Texas race weekend after a fourth-place finish at Atlanta, their seventh top-five of the season and first in six races. Junior now has one victory (Chicagoland Speedway) and 12 top-10s in 33 starts. He is 19th in the Nextel Cup point standings with three races to go.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Dale Jr.'s 142 laps as the leader in Sunday's race at Atlanta was the eighth-most laps led in his career, and it was more than five times his previous laps-led total of 2005. This season he has now led in six races for 167 laps.
TEXAS TIDBITS: Dale Jr. has finished in the top-10 in five of his six races at Texas Motor Speedway, including a victory in 2000 in only his 12th career Nextel Cup start. He has led laps in every race but one for a total of 253 laps. The Brew Crew is currently riding a string of three consecutive top-10s at TMS, most recently a ninth-place finish in the April race this year.
STARTING STRONG: In six races at Texas, Dale Jr. has never started worse than 11th. In four of those races he started among the top-10, and in one -- the 2001 race -- he led the field to the green flag after earning his second career Bud Pole Award.
-dei-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Edwards doubles up for Atlanta sweep
Next article Texas II: Travis Kvapil preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Justin Allgaier confirms he will return for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
NASCAR O'Reilly
NASCAR O'Reilly
Martinsville II
Justin Allgaier confirms he will return for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
NASCAR makes amends for 2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr. swearing fine
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
NASCAR makes amends for 2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr. swearing fine
Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen to race for JR Motorsports again in 2027
NASCAR O'Reilly
NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen to race for JR Motorsports again in 2027
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe