Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet, didn’t think he had the car to win Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, but on Lap 479 of 500 he found himself in the catbird seat.
Only four laps remaining, Kevin Harvick slipped by the No. 88 for the win and Earnhardt finished second.
With his second-place finish, Earnhardt advanced to the eighth position in the championship standings and trails leader Kyle Busch by 20 points.
Earnhardt lined up 26th for Sunday’s 500-lap event, and due to his starting position, had to race his way through traffic at the drop of the green flag. Two caution periods in the first 110 laps of the event allowed crew chief Steve Letarte time to fine-tune the handling of the No. 88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt was running 17th at Lap 125.
The fifth caution period came out on Lap 205 with Earnhardt running 14th. Letarte brought his driver down pit road for a two right-side tires, a strategic move that allowed Earnhardt to restart in the second position on Lap 210.
Earnhardt maintained his footing inside the top 15 for the remainder of the race.
The final round of green-flag pit stops began on Lap 459 with Earnhardt running seventh. The field began to make its way down pit road, and before Letarte called his driver to pit road, the caution flag waved on Lap 466 for an accident in Turn 2.
Earnhardt, who was running fourth, made his way down pit road under yellow for four tires and fuel. Quick work by the team netted its driver one position on pit road.
Earnhardt restarted on the coveted inside line in third in a 29-lap showdown to the checkered flag. He quickly made moved his way into the second position, and on Lap 279, Earnhardt took over the lead and held it for the next 17 circuits.
With five laps remaining however, Harvick took over the lead and Earnhardt crossed the finish line second.