| | | | | |  | | CIA Stock Photo | Can he grab the trophy once more in this weekend's Crown Royal 400? The team certainly hopes so | | | | A LONG TIME | Richmond Cup race marks two-year anniversary since Junior's last win | |
| | SceneDaily Staff Dale Earnhardt Jr. must be getting tired of the questions concerning his 71-race winless streak. The two-year anniversary of his last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points victory is this weekend at Richmond International Raceway, where he will be hoping to end the streak.
It's a good place for Earnhardt Jr. to make his latest attempt for a win. The Hendrick Motorsports driver and his team have been on top of their game in this, their first season together. They're challenging for wins week to week and leading laps on a regular basis. Earnhardt Jr. is third in the Cup points standings after nine races, but the driver is still hungering for that first win with his new team.
Earnhardt Jr. last won May 6, 2006, driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. at Richmond. On this 0.75-mile oval, he has won twice and has seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He's led 322 laps there.
This season, Earnhardt Jr. has an average start of 9.4 with an average finish of 10.4.
Can he grab the trophy once more in this weekend's Crown Royal 400?
The team certainly hopes so.
"The last time I won was at Richmond [and it] seems like forever ago, but I try not to think about it," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don't want to be thinking of how long it's been since a win. Knowing we have a shot at it every week and something or another happens can make it frustrating. We couldn't be doing anything different to prepare – the team and everyone at Hendrick has been working so hard. It will happen."
He expects another strong effort this weekend. Earnhardt Jr. loves short-track racing and says that Richmond fits his style, reminding him of the type of racing he used to do at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway.
"I've learned how to get around short tracks," he said.
So has crew chief Tony Eury Jr. He also characterizes racing at Richmond as "a lot of fun" and says he's looking forward to this race weekend.
"It's my favorite place to go because it's a short track, but it's multigrooved," Eury Jr. said. "Your driver can do a lot to help you out as far as the setup changing. You don't just have to ride behind a guy. You can go to the upper groove, the middle or bottom; you can go three wide. It's whatever your car will let you do. It's unique. It's a driver's race track, and if anybody ever wants to see a great race, that's the place to go. I look forward to going there more than anywhere."
| | Posted April 30, 2008 , 5:57 pm EST
Last Updated May 01, 2008 , 11:19 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
