FOURTEENTH SEASON: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS, will kick off his 14th fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup season when he takes the green flag in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24. Earnhardt made his Cup debut on May 30, 1999, when he started eighth and finished 16th at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. In 469 career starts, the Kannapolis, N.C., native, has earned 19 wins, 11 pole positions, 105 top-five finishes and 182 top-10s. Only five active, full-time drivers, including Earnhardt’s teammate Jeff Gordon (689), have more career Cup starts.
AT DAYTONA: In 26 Sprint Cup starts at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Earnhardt has recorded two wins, nine top-five finishes, 14 top-10s and has led 396 laps. Earnhardt notched his first pole position at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 2011, when Hendrick Motorsports won the front row for the Great American Race. Earnhardt averages a starting position of 10.8 and an average finish of 14.5. In 13 Cup seasons, he ...
Original Story:
|
February 21, 2013
3
1
13
1
5
10
486
12
