Summary:
Dale Earnhardt continued his spell of top-15 finishes with a
passable run in the final road course race of 1998, the Bud at the Glen. Earnhardt's
car was not very strong, but the No. 3 team put Earnhardt in position for a good finish
with a wise fuel strategy call during Dale's final pit stop.
"The guys did a great job in the pits with that fuel mileage call," said
Earnhardt. "That was the only way we were going to stay up close to the
front."
"Congratulations to Larry McReynolds and Mike Skinner and that RCR team,
Earnhardt followed. "They were on the same strategy we did, and they pulled it
off."
Skinner looked almost set to notch his first Winston Cup victory. The driver
of the No. 31 Lowe's Chevrolet was leading the race up until three laps to go when he was
passed by Jeff Gordon.
"I let off," said Skinner, who finished third. "I was trying
to give him a second a lap. Larry said we couldn't make it on fuel if I didn't buy
them some fuel mileage, so I really just took it easy. A top-five is better than
running out over there on the backstretch and finishing 25th."
Earnhardt has now finished in the top-15 in six of his seven races with crew chief
Kevin Hamlin. The pair (Hamlin and Earnhardt) has not reached victory lane yet, but
they're moving in the right direction.
"The gear and the transmission, we just need to work on it a little bit
more," voiced Earnhardt. "We're moving the right way. We were just out of
the top-10, but we'll get 'em next week." |
