FONTANA, Calif. - A mechanical issue in the left-rear of the No. 88 resulted in a 32nd-place finish here Sunday for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Guard-car team.
Looking at the guys around the top 10, we should have been right around there, I think," said Earnhardt after the race. "It was a tough day."
Earnhardt and the Guard-car team qualified 27th for the 500-mile event. At the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt radioed crew chief Lance McGrew that he was battling a loose-handling condition. Earnhardt improved six spots in the opening laps while working through the handling issue.
Green-flag pit stops began on Lap 36, and Earnhardt made his way down pit road for fuel and handling adjustments. As the field cycled through, Earnhardt was shown 21st on Lap 40.
The day's second caution flag waved on Lap 92, and Earnhardt brought his No. 88 Chevy back down pit road. McGrew called for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments to improve the handling of the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt restarted in the 14th spot, improving seven positions, after a solid pit stop by the crew.
The team continued to work on the handling of the No. 88 Chevy during the middle stages of the race. By Lap 153, Earnhardt radioed that the car was good and he began to climb the leader board after a pit road penalty had the team as far back as the 30th spot.
Earnhardt was running 23rd on Lap 178, when he radioed that he was coming down pit road with what he thought was a flat tire. Upon further assessment by the team, McGrew told his driver to take the car to the garage to repair a part failure in the rear of the car.
After making the necessary repairs, the No. 88 team sent Earnhardt back onto the track on Lap 200 running in the 33rd position. He picked up one spot to finish 32nd.