An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 12, 2011

Earnhardt will start post-season Chase for the Cup in 10th position

By Courtesy Story

Dale Earnhardt Jr. clinched a spot in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Saturday night with his 16th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. The 400-lap event was marred with multiple on-track accidents, including one that collected Earnhardt on Lap 8.

Earnhardt is seeded 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings as the series heads into the 10-race playoffs next weekend in Joliet, Ill., 12 points behind first seed Kyle Busch.

Earnhardt lined up 27th for Saturday’s green flag and things got interesting quickly on the Virginia short track. As Earnhardt was slowing to avoid an accident in Turn 4, he was shoved by another competitor into the melee causing significant damage to the front fender. Crew chief Steve Letarte called his driver to pit road to assess the damage. Letarte calmly orchestrated the pit stop as the crew went to work repairing the damage.

Quick work by the crew kept Earnhardt on the lead lap for the Lap 19 restart.

Earnhardt was running 32nd and was struggling with the handing on the damaged green-and-white NASCAR racecar. Earnhardt raced inside the top 30 for much of the race as the team kept an eye on the No. 2 car that was battling Earnhardt for the 10th spot in the Chase.

Earnhardt was running 21st when the 12th caution of the night came out on Lap 286. Letarte called for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Earnhardt went back to green-flag racing scored 19th. Earnhardt continued to run inside the top 20 for the remainder of the race and crossed the finish line 16th.

 

 

Related Articles
Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, joins Maj. Gen. Calisto dos Santos Coliati, Timor-Leste’s vice chief of defense and Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hannon, assistant adjutant general, Rhode Island Air National Guard, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the handover of a humanitarian aid and disaster relief warehouse, and an aircraft hangar, Baucau, Timor-Leste, April 4, 2025. Timor-Leste, the Rhode Island Guard, the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, collaborated on the projects which will help Timor-Leste’s response and security activities.
National Guard Bureau Chief Sees Promising Partnership in Timor-Leste
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, | April 6, 2025
DILI, Timor Leste — The chief of the National Guard Bureau visited Timor-Leste last week to underscore the Rhode Island National Guard’s budding security cooperation ties with the island nation through the Department of...

Lt. Col John Hutka in cycling practice at the Fort Cavazos SRU.
Texas National Guard Soldier is Ready for Army Trials
By MaryTherese Griffin, | April 4, 2025
FORT BLISS, Texas- Dozens of competitive Soldier athletes are ready for the 2025 Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas and will continue through April 9.  Sixty-seven wounded and injured Soldier athletes will compete in...

Col. Matthew Komatsu, director of Plans and Strategy for the Joint Staff, Alaska National Guard, discusses the role of Women, Peace, and Security during mission planning with Maj. Chelsea Aspelund, State Partnership Program director, Alaska National Guard, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 6, 2025. Exercise Vigilant Guard is a Full-Scale Exercise designed to ensure effective coordination between local, state, private sector, non-governmental organizations, and federal partners.
Alaska National Guard Exercises Disaster Response During Vigilant Guard
By Maj. David Bedard, | April 4, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska– Alaska National Guard, state defense forces, and Coast Guard District 17, in partnership with Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management officials, tested their...