MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard-sponsored car, and his team worked a tight-handling car to a 15th-place finish, Monday at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race here.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event was rescheduled after strong thunderstorms moved into the Martinsville area on Sunday afternoon.
The Guard-car team had a strong opening run and maintained their footing inside the top 10 after the green flag dropped.
Earnhardt radioed crew chief Lance McGrew on Lap 109 to report a tight-handling condition.
When the caution flag waved on Lap 128, McGrew called in Earnhardt to pit road where the team added fuel, four fresh tires and made a chassis adjustment.
The field went back to green-flag racing on Lap 134 with Earnhardt running eighth. The adjustments helped, and the Guard-car ran as high as sixth.
The day's seventh caution flag waved on Lap 234 with Earnhardt running eighth.
He made his way down pit road, but the car stopped too close to pit wall, and the pit crew needed extra time. Earnhardt made his way back to the track, running 15th.
The team continued to make adjustments to improve handling.
The caution flag waved on Lap 493, setting up a five-lap showdown to the checkered flag. Earnhardt was running 16th when the green flag waved.
A spin brought out the caution flag once again setting the stage for a green-white-checkered finish. Earnhardt maneuvered up to finish 15th.
Earnhardt and the team now rank 10th in the standings, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 159 points, after six races.