Fil: Earnhardt Jr diu ell mateix-sort, preparat per als reptes de 2013

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Creu que el seu Hendrick Motorsports l'equip constantment ha millorat i pot ser en el verge de curses guanyadores i potser un títol.

DAYTONA PLATJA, FLA. \u2013 És l'inici d'un altre NASCAR estació de Copa de l'Esprint i, inevitablement, una qüestió familiar és preguntada tot i així un altre cop:
És això l'any Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finalment guanya el primer campionat de la seva carrera?
Et Bé pot ser cansat d'aquesta classe de cosa, però el fet queda que la legió de Earnhardt Jr. Aficionats \u2013 és estat votat el conductor més popular 10 temps en una fila \u2013 han esperat coses grans d'ell mai de llavors ençà primer va unir Hendrick Motorsports dins 2008.
Earnhardt Jr. Acabat el seu sovint-acrimonious relació amb Dale Earnhardt Inc. al final de 2007. Els informes eren ell va voler exercitar més control sobre l'equip, va dirigir per la seva madrastra Teresa.
En un molt bally-hooed roda de premsa, Earnhardt Jr. Declarat que Hendrick era un equip amb quin \u201cpuc guanyar curses i campionats.\u201d
Quant a victòries, Earnhardt Jr. Ha guanyat només dos dins cinc estacions. Ell finalment fet la Persecució dins 2011 i ferida amunt setè en punts \u2013 el seu millor mostrant amb Hendrick.
Les esperances van augmentar durar any quan Earnhardt Jr. Plantat ell fermament entre la part superior 10 en el punt standings i va aguantar el seu terra.
Tanmateix, va perdre les curses de Persecució a Charlotte i Kansas a causa dels efectes de dos concussions, un d'un xoc dur durant un Ag. de sessió de la prova 29 a Kansas Speedway, l'altre durant un multicar xoc damunt Oct. 7 a Talladega Superspeedway.
Earnhardt Jr. Va fer la cosa correcta. Per seure fora dues curses no va agafar cap possibilitat amb la seva salut. Va retornar a córrer només després dels doctors li van netejar.
Però la pèrdua de dues curses va obliterar les seves possibilitats de guanyar un campionat i ell van acabar 12^th en els punts.
És únic natural que molts dels seus aficionats s'han preguntat què podria haver-hi estat dins 2012
Earnhardt Jr. Podria haver-hi estat un factor en la batalla de campionat dins 2012 té ell no estat forçat per perdre dos Chase curses a causa d'un concussion.

I ara pregunten: Pot Earnhardt Jr. Manté, o millorar, la seva actuació dins 2013?
\u201cPenso que érem en la conversa dura any,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. Dit. \u201cÉrem realment entusiasmats aproximadament que compatible érem durar any.
\u201cHem estat capaços de millorar mentre hem treballat junts. M'I Steve (Letarte, cap de tripulació) ha estat capaç de millorar fermament sobre el durar anys de parell. Espero que allò és capaç de continuar.
\u201cEspero no ens hem adonat del nostre potencial cert. Potser enguany, si el podem fer un pas amunt un altre entalla, seríem allà mateix on hem estat striving per ser el durar anys de parell.
\u201cNo agafarà molt per millorar per damunt durar any i ser un dels equips superiors. Érem bastant propers dura any i sentir bastant bo sobre aquell.\u201d
Earnhardt Jr. Pot saltar-començar la seva 2013 estació amb una cursa bona en el Daytona 500 \u2013 i hagi de ser anotat que, històricament, ha estat fort en el restrictor-pistes de plat.
Va patir alguna cosa d'un setback damunt Feb. 20 quan el motor en el seu Chevrolet va fallar durant pràctica pel Budweiser Duels.
El powerplant va ser reemplaçat i Earnhardt va retornar a la pista per dues pràctiques addicionals.
Tanmateix, el canvi va significar va haver de començar el seu 150-lapidar cursa des de darrere del camp. Hi hagi començat sisè.
\u201cSerem bé,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. Dit. \u201cNo tinc cap preocupació sobre els nostres motors i nosaltres només vingut des del darrere al davant tan de pressa mentre podem.\u201d
Mentre és tots altres competidors, Earnhardt Jr. Competirà en la Generació \u201cnova 6\u201d cotxe per primer cop. Mentre és tingut una poca experiència amb el cotxe, admet hi ha qüestions quietes.
\u201cRealment no sé com el cotxe correrà i esborrany, quina classe d'estratègia necessitarem ser utilitzant o pensar aproximadament utilitzant,\u201d va dir. \u201cAquella classe de canvis i voltes, material diferent per tot la setmana. Canvia com la setmana va.
\u201cVeurem. Haurem d'aconseguir unes curses de parell sota el nostre cinturó. Tothom és aconseguit per aprendre el cotxe, figura fora de quines marques vagi ràpid. Amb esperança, podem fer que abans que qualsevol més.\u201d
En realitat, el slate ha estat eixugat net per Earnhardt Jr. Ha vençut les seves lesions \u2013 i declara que plenament dóna suport mandatory concussion testatge en NASCAR (planejat per 2014) \u2013 i ha alt espera pugui aconseguir els objectius que haver-hi eluded li.
\u201cÉs dur de posar el vostre dit damunt el que unes necessitats d'equip,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. Dit. \u201cCap assumpte com proper és o lluny fora és, és dur a realment posat el vostre dit damunt exactament què faltes, especialment quan treballes amb a una empresa li agrada jo allò és aconseguit totes les parts, peces, tot el personal, una feina tan bona que reparteix el cotxe de cursa físic a tu.
\u201cEl Realment ve avall a les ments que són dins control de tot, m'i Steve que fa les trucades correctes i decisions en la pista de cursa.\u201d
De fet, Earnhardt Jr. Era bastant proper dura any i terra perdut només a causa d'incidents imprevists.
Que, tanmateix, era llavors. Això és ara.
\u201cLa realitat de la situació, no hi ha molt puc fer sobre quin passat dura any,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. Dit. \u201cSóc just feliç, realment, que aconseguia una oportunitat de tornar, que era capaç de vèncer el setback físicament i allà ha una mica d'alleujament i emoció que sento bo i a punt per córrer i sóc capaç de triar enrere amunt, endevino, on vam deixar fora.
\u201cEt Només mai saber quan ets en aquella situació que seu a la casa que es pregunta si tot aconseguirà correcte un altre cop.
\u201cAixí que sento afortunat. Com realment ve avall a les ments que són dins control de tot \u2013 Steve i em.
\u201cYup, sóc a punt.\u201d

BUDWEISER DUEL: Earnhardt Jr. Va fer de fet moviment des de darrere al davant en el primer duel de 150 milles, però ell no bastant aconseguir completament allà.
Tanmateix, va acabar novè, còmodament dins de la \u201cgamma\u201d de transferència \u201315^th O millor \u2013 de fer el Daytona 500.
Kevin Harvick, qui també guanyat l'Esprint Unlimited damunt Feb. 16, va guanyar el rousing cursa, el qual va presentar abundància de redactar que hi havia estat absent d'esdeveniments anteriors. Sigui Harvick primera victòria en un esdeveniment de duel.
Un multicar el xoc va ser provocat amb just vuit lapida per anar quan Denny Hamlin Toyota va trencar solt en la segona volta i reunit cap amunt dels cotxes de Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne i Regan Smith.
Greg Biffle Va acabar segon seguit per un Juan de cobrar Pablo Montoya. Jimmie Johnson era quart i Kurt Busch cinquè.
Daytona 500 guanyador de pol Danica Patrick va trobar manejar problemes i va acabar 17^th \u2013 undamaged, per cert, el qual significa mantingui el seu front-rema començar posició.
Jeff Gordon va dominar el segon Duel fins que, amb 20 lapida quedar, sigui nabbed per NASCAR per entrar a carretera de fossa a ràpid en una aturada de bandera verda.
Gordon, qui és en el Daytona 500 per virtut de qualificar segon, va retornar a la cursa dins 16^th Lloc i ferida amunt 12^th.
Mentrestant, Kyle Busch va heretar l'avantatge i va guanyar la victòria dins per una navalla-marge prim per damunt Kasey Kahne. El guanyar era Busch segon en un 150-miler.
Austin Dillon era tercer, Clint Bowyer quart i Mat Kenseth cinquè.
A diferència de la primera cursa, una bandera d'amonestació no va ser tirada. L'incident únic passat amb 20 lapida per anar quan, mentre diversos cotxes pitted, Ryan Newman giravoltat en el frontstretch.
La cursa quedada sota la bandera verda i per això va tenir una velocitat mitjana de 193.95 mph, el segon Duel més ràpid mai.
Mike Bliss i Brian Keselowski fallat per fer el Daytona 500.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that his Hendrick Motorsports team has constantly improved and may be on the verge of winning races and maybe a title.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – It is the start of another NASCAR Sprint Cup season and, inevitably, a familiar question is asked yet again:
Is this the year Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally wins the first championship of his career?
You may well be tired of this sort of thing, but the fact remains that the legion of Earnhardt Jr. fans – he’s been voted the most popular driver 10 times in a row – have expected great things from him ever since he first joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
Earnhardt Jr. ended his often-acrimonious relationship with Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of 2007. The reports were he wanted to exercise more control over the team, led by his stepmother Teresa.
In a much bally-hooed press conference, Earnhardt Jr. declared that Hendrick was a team with which “I can win races and championships.”
As for victories, Earnhardt Jr. has earned only two in five seasons. He finally made the Chase in 2011 and wound up seventh in points – his best showing with Hendrick.
Hopes rose last year when Earnhardt Jr. planted himself firmly among the top 10 in the point standings and held his ground.
However, he missed the Chase races at Charlotte and Kansas because of the effects of two concussions, one from a hard crash during a test session Aug. 29 at Kansas Speedway, the other during a multicar crash on Oct. 7 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Earnhardt Jr. did the right thing. By sitting out two races he took no chances with his health. He returned to racing only after doctors cleared him.
But the loss of two races obliterated his chances to win a championship and he finished 12^th in points.
It’s only natural that many of his fans have wondered what could have been in 2012
Earnhardt Jr. might have been a factor in the championship battle in 2012 has he not been forced to miss two Chase races because of a concussion.
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And they now ask: Can Earnhardt Jr. maintain, or improve, his performance in 2013?
“I think we were in the conversation last year,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We were really excited about how consistent we were last year.
“We’ve been able to improve as we’ve worked together. Me and Steve (Letarte, crew chief) have been able to improve steadily over the last couple years. I hope that’s able to continue.
“I hope we haven’t realized our true potential. Maybe this year, if we can step it up another notch, we’d be right there where we’ve been striving to be the last couple years.
“It isn’t going to take much to improve over last year and be one of the top teams. We were pretty close last year and feel pretty good about that.”
Earnhardt Jr. can jump-start his 2013 season with a good run in the Daytona 500 – and it must be noted that, historically, he has been strong on the restrictor-plate tracks.
He suffered something of a setback on Feb. 20 when the engine in his Chevrolet failed during practice for the Budweiser Duels.
The powerplant was replaced and Earnhardt returned to the track for two additional practices.
However, the change meant he had to start his 150-lap race from the rear of the field. He would have started sixth.
“We’ll be fine,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’ve got no worries about our engines and we’ll just come from the back to the front as quickly as we can.”
As are all other competitors, Earnhardt Jr. will compete in the new “Generation 6” car for the first time. While he’s had a little experience with the car, he admits there are still questions.
“I really don’t know how the car is going to race and draft, what kind of strategy we’ll need to be using or think about using,” he said. “That sort of changes and turns, does different stuff throughout the week. It changes as the week goes.
“We’ll see. We’ll have to get a couple races under our belt. Everybody’s got to learn the car, figure out what makes it go fast. Hopefully, we can do that before anybody else.”
In reality, the slate has been wiped clean for Earnhardt Jr. He has overcome his injuries – and declares that he fully supports mandatory concussion testing in NASCAR (planned for 2014) – and has high hopes he can achieve the goals that have eluded him.
“It’s hard to put your finger on what a team needs,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “No matter how close it is or far off it is, it’s hard to really put your finger on exactly what you’re missing, especially when you work with a company like I do that’s got all the parts, pieces, all the personnel, does such a good job delivering the physical race car to you.
“It really comes down to the minds that are in control of everything, me and Steve making the right calls and decisions on the race track.”
Indeed, Earnhardt Jr. was pretty close last year and lost ground only because of unforeseen incidents.
That, however, was then. This is now.
“The reality of the situation, there ain’t much I can do about what happened last year,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’m just glad, really, that I got an opportunity to come back, that I was able to overcome the setback physically and there’s a bit of relief and excitement that I feel good and ready to race and I’m able to pick back up, I guess, where we left off.
“You just never know when you’re in that situation sitting at home wondering if everything is going to get right again.
“So I feel lucky. How we do really comes down to the minds that are in control of everything – Steve and me.
“Yup, I’m ready.”

BUDWEISER DUEL: Earnhardt Jr. did indeed move from the rear to the front in the first 150-mile duel, but he didn’t quite get all the way there.
However, he did finish ninth, comfortably within the “transfer” range –15^th or better – to make the Daytona 500.
Kevin Harvick, who also won the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 16, won the rousing race, which featured plenty of drafting that had been absent from previous events. It was Harvick’s first victory in a duel event.
A multicar crash was triggered with just eight laps to go when Denny Hamlin’s Toyota broke loose in the second turn and gathered up the cars of Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith.
Greg Biffle finished second followed by a charging Juan Pablo Montoya. Jimmie Johnson was fourth and Kurt Busch fifth.
Daytona 500 pole winner Danica Patrick encountered handling problems and finished 17^th – undamaged, by the way, which means she will keep her front-row starting position.
Jeff Gordon dominated the second Duel until, with 20 laps remaining, he was nabbed by NASCAR for entering pit road to fast in a green-flag stop.
Gordon, who is in the Daytona 500 by virtue of qualifying second, returned to the race in 16^th place and wound up 12^th.
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch inherited the lead and earned the victory in by a razor-thin margin over Kasey Kahne. The win was Busch’s second in a 150-miler.
Austin Dillon was third, Clint Bowyer fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth.
Unlike the first race, a caution flag was not thrown. The only incident happened with 20 laps to go when, as several cars pitted, Ryan Newman spun on the frontstretch.
The race remained under the green flag and thus had an average speed of 193.95 mph, the second fastest Duel ever.
Mike Bliss and Brian Keselowski failed to make the Daytona 500.