ATLANTA - The National Guard sponsored two top NASCAR Sprint Cup teams and drivers in one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 car and Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 car both raced in the 500.5-mile event with race cars bearing the National Guard logo.
Earnhardt started the race at the pole position and finished 15th. Gordon started the race in 5th position and finished 18th.
"We were running pretty good," said Earnhardt, who battled tire problems throughout the race, along with Gordon's race team.
"I think it's one of those things where when they come here and test, you expect them to build a tire that we can abuse and that we can race hard with," said Gordon. "That obviously wasn't the case."
Earnhardt set a positive tone for Sunday's race by scoring the pole position during a qualifying session last Friday. In fact, Earnhardt raced the clock to circle the 1.54-mile track in 28.761 seconds at roughly 192.761 mph to earn the front-row spot. His effort also set a record for fastest in the new Sprint Cup Series car.
Gordon started the race fifth. The tire issue, said Gordon, slowed him down in order to prevent an incident.
Officials said Crew Chief Steve Letarte and the No. 24 team continued to make adjustments while Gordon moved through the field cautiously. In the final 60 laps, Gordon climbed 13 spots to finish the event 18th.
Gordon improved two spots in the driver standings after Sunday's race and now sits 11th.
Earnhardt said his team also battled tire problems.
"We got two bad right-side tires and the right-rear tire, I don't know, it felt like the wheel was coming off," he said. "We pitted and the wheel was fine, but the car was vibrating so bad, I could hardly see. I should have not pitted, but I thought the wheel was loose, and I have had them come off here, and that isn't fun."
Tire problems forced the team to make two unscheduled pit stops.
Officials said the No. 88 "made the most of several late-race cautions to put Earnhardt back on the lead lap."
Earnhardt was running 25th for the race's first attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish.
During the restart, seven cars in front of Earnhardt were involved in an accident. The No. 88 team opted to pit for four fresh tires, and Earnhardt lined up 20th for Lap 229 restart. During the second, successful green-white-checkered flag attempt, Earnhardt picked up five positions to finish 15th, behind race winner Kurt Busch.