“The world has been placed back onto it’s axis once again now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won a race. However, the manner in which he made it to the finish has been raising some eyebrows from other drivers. Multiple times during the pace laps Dale would accelerate his #88 Chevy past the pace car (which supposedly is not permitted) then cut off his engine and coast in order to save fuel. Radio communications telling Dale to stay behind the pace car were broadcast at least twice during the telecast itself. At the same time, his car was clearly shown running ahead of the pace car. Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers are two drivers who have since questioned Dale’s actions as well as how the situation was handled by NASCAR.
Below are Dale Jr.’s post-race loop data statistics for the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway. As you can see, Dale was one of the top cars this weekend and didn’t just back into a fuel mileage win. Instead, he coasted into it. With the final restart being that of the green/white/checkered variety, Dale’s actions appear to have been just what was needed to save enough fuel and enable him to maintain the lead until the final lap. At that point, the caution came out for an accident and the race was officially over. Momentum (and perhaps a small amount of remaining fuel) carried him around to the start-finish line where he broke his 76 race winless streak.
- Starting Position = 3rd
- Mid Race Position = 6th
- 20 Laps to Go = 10th
- Lowest Position = 16th (best of all drivers)
- Average Position = 6th
- # of Fastest Laps = 11
- Laps in Top 15 = 203 (best of all drivers)
- % of Laps in Top 15 = 100% (best of all drivers)
- Laps Led = 14
- % of Laps Led = 6.9%
- Final Driver Rating = 115.1 (4th best)
Earnhardt Jr Picture Pairs
Below are two images of the #88 team at Michigan International Speedway. They appear to be alike, but in fact there are twelve total differences between them. The first image is the original. Can you spot all twelve differences in the picture pairs? Spoiler Alert: Do NOT view comments until you’re ready as other members may have posted answers already!
