RICHMOND, Va. - Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard-sponsored NASCAR racecar, finished 34th after dealing with the handling of his green-and-white Chevrolet during Saturday’s 300-mile event, at Richmond International Raceway.
Based on notes from their practice, the No. 88 team opted to run an experimental setup in an attempt to find to find something that might work in the team’s favor during the Air Guard 400.
The Kannapolis, N.C., native opened the weekend on a positive note, posting the ninth-quickest qualifying lap on Friday. At the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt notified crew chief Lance McGrew that his No. 88 racecar was loose.
This proved to be a circumstance the team would address throughout the event.
By the time the first caution flag waved on Lap 55, Earnhardt had slipped to the 27th position. McGrew called his driver to pit road for four tires and a series of chassis adjustments. Earnhardt went back to green-flag racing on Lap 62 running 28th.
The loose-handling condition was unaffected by the adjustments, and Earnhardt reported he was loose entering the corners and pushing off of Turn 4.
Earnhardt continued to battle the handling conditions, while his National Guard team continued to work to find a solution, eventually crossing the finish line 34th.
“I’m pretty upset,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard-sponsored NASCAR racecar, “and I think Lance feels the same way.
“We’re both pretty beat up with how the car performed after what we thought we saw in practice the other day. I feel like you’ve got to go home and figure out how to get over it, show up and go to work Monday, kind of get over it quick.”