Long Live #3
04-05-2003, 02:40 PM
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. had just enough gas to wiggle across the finish line Saturday and win the Busch Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Earnhardt, who has three consecutive Winston Cup victories at Talladega, probably did not have enough gas to win the race under a green flag.
But a caution with two laps to go allowed him to slow enough to conserve fuel by pulling down on the apron and moving his car back and forth to move the gas around. That let him make it across the finish line to go 2-for-2 in Busch Series events this year.
Earnhardt, who won the season-opener at Daytona, ran out of gas right after he crossed the finish line for the Aaron's 312. He needed a push from Jason Keller to make it back around the track.
"We ran out in Turn 1, right after we took the checkers," Earnhardt said. "We had a good car all day long, we just didn't have enough gas if it went green.
"So we really needed that caution, and even then I had to shake it back and forth to get enough gas out of it."
His late father is the all-time winningest driver on NASCAR's longest and fastest track, with 14 victories in three series.
Earnhardt Jr. has inherited his father's mastery of drafting around the 2.66-mile oval and will try to become the first driver to win four straight Winston Cup races at Talladega in Sunday's main event.
"I feel real confident about tomorrow, but going for four in a row is going to be hard to do," he said. "The odds are probably against me, but your heart says to go for it so I'm going to try to do it."
Although he led a race-high 60 laps, his run Saturday was not as dominating as some of his other restrictor-plate wins. He took the lead with 60 laps to go when a fuel-only stop made him the first car out of the pits.
From there, Earnhardt led the lead pack of cars around and around Talladega, anxiously watching the fuel gauge on his No. 8 Chevrolet. With 25 laps to go, his team began to worry he didn't have enough gas.
"Just do the best you can and try to save it," crew chief Kevin Manion radioed him.
Earnhardt's car was donned with a special paint scheme advertising the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert he and his stepmother are organizing in June.
Earnhardt was determined to make his gas last Saturday.
"As a driver, you don't ever want to hear the words, 'You need to conserve fuel,"' he said. "There's never been a class on how to conserve fuel. But we were not coming in for gas, we were in the lead and here to win.
"Taking a third or a fourth or a fifth is good, but not as good when you only run three times a year. Winning is where it's at."
Just when it looked like Earnhardt might come up a lap or two short, Chase Montgomery spun out with eight laps to go to bring out a caution flag that slowed the field -- prime conditions for conserving fuel.
The field went green with four laps to go and Earnhardt got a great jump on the restart to stretch his lead over Joe Nemechek.
Nemechek looked high and low several times to try a pass, but never had enough to make it by. Then Ashton Lewis' car came to a stop on the track, NASCAR threw the yellow flag, and Earnhardt simply had to stretch the gas as he followed the pace car.
"I don't think he was going to make it," Nemechek said. "If he ran out, I was ready to go. But today he got lucky because he made it."
Shane Hmiel, in a sponsor struggle and his team operating on a week-to-week basis, finished third and was followed by Ron Hornaday and Mike Bliss.
Jamie McMurray was sixth, Michael Waltrip seventh, and Mike Wallace, Coy Gibbs and Tina Gordon rounded out the top 10.
Earnhardt, who has three consecutive Winston Cup victories at Talladega, probably did not have enough gas to win the race under a green flag.
But a caution with two laps to go allowed him to slow enough to conserve fuel by pulling down on the apron and moving his car back and forth to move the gas around. That let him make it across the finish line to go 2-for-2 in Busch Series events this year.
Earnhardt, who won the season-opener at Daytona, ran out of gas right after he crossed the finish line for the Aaron's 312. He needed a push from Jason Keller to make it back around the track.
"We ran out in Turn 1, right after we took the checkers," Earnhardt said. "We had a good car all day long, we just didn't have enough gas if it went green.
"So we really needed that caution, and even then I had to shake it back and forth to get enough gas out of it."
His late father is the all-time winningest driver on NASCAR's longest and fastest track, with 14 victories in three series.
Earnhardt Jr. has inherited his father's mastery of drafting around the 2.66-mile oval and will try to become the first driver to win four straight Winston Cup races at Talladega in Sunday's main event.
"I feel real confident about tomorrow, but going for four in a row is going to be hard to do," he said. "The odds are probably against me, but your heart says to go for it so I'm going to try to do it."
Although he led a race-high 60 laps, his run Saturday was not as dominating as some of his other restrictor-plate wins. He took the lead with 60 laps to go when a fuel-only stop made him the first car out of the pits.
From there, Earnhardt led the lead pack of cars around and around Talladega, anxiously watching the fuel gauge on his No. 8 Chevrolet. With 25 laps to go, his team began to worry he didn't have enough gas.
"Just do the best you can and try to save it," crew chief Kevin Manion radioed him.
Earnhardt's car was donned with a special paint scheme advertising the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert he and his stepmother are organizing in June.
Earnhardt was determined to make his gas last Saturday.
"As a driver, you don't ever want to hear the words, 'You need to conserve fuel,"' he said. "There's never been a class on how to conserve fuel. But we were not coming in for gas, we were in the lead and here to win.
"Taking a third or a fourth or a fifth is good, but not as good when you only run three times a year. Winning is where it's at."
Just when it looked like Earnhardt might come up a lap or two short, Chase Montgomery spun out with eight laps to go to bring out a caution flag that slowed the field -- prime conditions for conserving fuel.
The field went green with four laps to go and Earnhardt got a great jump on the restart to stretch his lead over Joe Nemechek.
Nemechek looked high and low several times to try a pass, but never had enough to make it by. Then Ashton Lewis' car came to a stop on the track, NASCAR threw the yellow flag, and Earnhardt simply had to stretch the gas as he followed the pace car.
"I don't think he was going to make it," Nemechek said. "If he ran out, I was ready to go. But today he got lucky because he made it."
Shane Hmiel, in a sponsor struggle and his team operating on a week-to-week basis, finished third and was followed by Ron Hornaday and Mike Bliss.
Jamie McMurray was sixth, Michael Waltrip seventh, and Mike Wallace, Coy Gibbs and Tina Gordon rounded out the top 10.