DALE EARNHARDT JR. GETS HIS GROOVE BACK
Earnhardt Takes Michigan Win and Emerges as Title Contender
For Immediate Release: June 19, 2012
CARLSBAD, Calif.—Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced to victory at the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 17. Earnhardt Jr.’s first place finish broke a 143-race winless streak, ending a four-year drought that began after a win at the same track back in June of 2008.
“Those last 15 laps were the longest laps ever,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I know you guys have been waiting on that one. I know I have. We’ve got this victory bell that I get to take around for the first time since we built it. I plan to ring that bell all over the complex—and ring that damn thing as hard as I can.”
Earnhardt Jr. led for 95 laps of the race, including the final 25 where he pulled away in the No. 88 Chevrolet, ultimately crossing the finish line a whopping 5.393 seconds ahead of trailing driver and three-time Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart. This is Earnhardt Jr.’s 19th win in the Cup Series where he now stands firmly in second place in the standings, four points behind leader Matt Kenseth.
“I just sort of saved a little bit in my pocket for the last 50 laps and ran only as hard as I needed to,” added Earnhardt Jr. “At the end of the race that thing was a rocket, I couldn’t slow it down it was so fast.”
With the grandstands crowd on their feet, Earnhardt Jr. ripped into a triumphant burnout on the front stretch where fans and crew members crowded around Victory Lane. With seven second-place finishes between victories, he dedicated the long sought triumph to his unconditionally supportive Jr. Nation.
“This win was for my fans—they stuck behind me for all these years,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I appreciate their loyalty and their support. We wouldn’t have made it back to Victory Lane without it.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to Sonoma, CA this Sunday, June 24, looking for another 1st place finish and enough points to move from 2nd to 1st in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Tune into TNT at 2 p.m. ET for live coverage of the race.
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