- Mar 19, 2006
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By MIKE HARRIS, AP Auto Racing Writer
Aug 17, 7:16 pm EDT
Buzz Up PrintBROOKLYN, Mich. (AP)?All Dale Earnhardt Jr. could do was shake his head and lament what might have been.
The winner of the June race at Michigan International Speedway, appeared on the way to a top-five finish despite an ill-handling car in Sunday?s 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. But his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet bounced off the wall on a late restart and Earnhardt wound up a disappointing 23rd.
?Yeah, I can drive ?em, man, they?re just hard to drive like that all day,? he said, laughing. ?I ran fifth all day and maybe better than that at some parts of the race, and I?m a good enough driver. I should have finished somewhere around there with that car.?
Earnhardt, who has only that one win this season, has been consistent and is still fourth in the season points despite failing to contend for wins most of the year. Sunday was typical, with Earnhardt leading early in the race, then trying to keep the other leaders in sight as he dealt with a very loose race car.
?It?s been the same old story,? he said. ?We show up fast, but we can?t put a whole race together. So we?ve got to do some homework. We?ve got to science it out and figure out what the heck is going on, because we are sure fast when that race starts.
?But I?ve been like that my whole career.?
:director: ...sure have..
OVER-RATED from day 1
Aug 17, 7:16 pm EDT
Buzz Up PrintBROOKLYN, Mich. (AP)?All Dale Earnhardt Jr. could do was shake his head and lament what might have been.
The winner of the June race at Michigan International Speedway, appeared on the way to a top-five finish despite an ill-handling car in Sunday?s 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. But his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet bounced off the wall on a late restart and Earnhardt wound up a disappointing 23rd.
?Yeah, I can drive ?em, man, they?re just hard to drive like that all day,? he said, laughing. ?I ran fifth all day and maybe better than that at some parts of the race, and I?m a good enough driver. I should have finished somewhere around there with that car.?
Earnhardt, who has only that one win this season, has been consistent and is still fourth in the season points despite failing to contend for wins most of the year. Sunday was typical, with Earnhardt leading early in the race, then trying to keep the other leaders in sight as he dealt with a very loose race car.
?It?s been the same old story,? he said. ?We show up fast, but we can?t put a whole race together. So we?ve got to do some homework. We?ve got to science it out and figure out what the heck is going on, because we are sure fast when that race starts.
?But I?ve been like that my whole career.?
:director: ...sure have..
OVER-RATED from day 1
