By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. knew he was already facing an uphill battle for the championship. Earnhardt Jr.’s quest for his first Sprint Cup Championship is going to be hard to realize now.
In the first race of the Chase, his No. 88 Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet SS blew an engine at Chicagoland Speedway. He had a collision in pit road that damaged the front end of his car.
Then, with 44 laps left in the rain-delayed race, the engine in his car blew. That knocked him out of the race, as be began the race in 9th in the points standing of the Chase.
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“I guess handling was the least of our problems,” crew chief Steve Letarte said.
He did pick up some points for leading a lap, as he inherited the lead after green-flag pit stops by the leaders. He was forced to pit under the green when his car started to fill with smoke on Lap 226.
Shortly after that, he took his car to the garage in 34th place.
Earnhardt is now in 13th place of the Chase standings, as he is 53 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.
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His team will look to rebuild at their next race. With his 13th spot in the championship points standings, he will have to have very good races in the weeks ahead to remain a championship contender and not fall out of the picture.
Earnhardt Jr. finished 35th in the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. He was one of numerous drivers, who experienced engine problems at this event.
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