Summary:

Earnhardt ends up 6th in rain-shortened Loudon race_7/9
Dale Earnhardt started 24th and had trouble moving forward early on in the race. He was racing around 17th position when on lap 99 Jimmy Spencer wrecked. Dale made his second pit stop of the day and gained about 10 positions in the process, putting him in 6th spot.

On Lap 123 the fourth caution of the day came out for rain. Dale was running fourth at the time. The race was red flagged.

The race later resumed but on lap 266 the rain began again while Dale was in sixth. The race was called at lap 273 as the rain continued.

"I had just about as soon they stop it, said Earnhardt. "I'm a pretty good racer, but we're going to have to stop and get some gas probably. Maybe we could stop and get four tires and gas and come back up to these guys, but we're ahead of the 88 and 18 right now, so... The track had been slick. I was hoping they were going to stop it sooner. I was raising hell about it. They were just trying to get it in. We should be up there about third or fourth. The car was that good, but we lost a lugnut on that pit stop and it threw us way behind."

Today's sixth-place finish was Earnhardt's 15th top-10 in 18 races this season and his 11th in the last 12 races. He gained a few points on Bobby Labonte and now trails him by 45 for the points lead.


Earnhardt also focused on the balance of his career even as he zoomed even closer to potentially winning his eighth NWC title:

"I've got four years of racing left, at least," he said. "Who knows, I might even drive another car with my own team. I'm not ruling anything out. I've got a job and an opportunity to win that eighth championship. That's what we're focusing on. That's what we're driving for. That's what we're working for."

"We're doing it with a more solid team than I've had in past years. I may have been hurt for the last two years and working with pain and stuff and didn't realize it until it got worse and worse. I had to have something to do about it. That's all in the past. It's over. We're healthy. The team is healthy. Everything is there."

"Now it's ours to capitalize on it and move forward and get those top-5s. If we can keep doing what we're doing and get a little closer to Bobby and put some pressure on them guys -- it puts pressure on them guys leading and pressure on them guys trying to catch 'em."

"I think I've been a good driver the whole time. I enjoy the pressure. I thrive on it. I'm not one to go out and overdrive the corner because someone is pressuring me into the corner. I try not to do that. His (Labonte's) team, (crew chief Jimmy) Makar and Bobby, they're putting pressure on themselves, but I don't think the racing pressure gets to 'em."


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Earnhardt will start 24th in New Hampshire_7/7
Earnhardt qualified 24th in New Hampshire on Friday, a day that was marred by the tragic death of 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin. Irwin, 30, died of multiple injuries suffered in a one-car accident shortly after practice began in mid-morning.

"You don't understand why stuff like that happened, said Earnhardt of Irwin's death. "It's a tough deal. I can't explain it. You just hate to see stuff like that happen."

Dale Earnhardt reflects on first half of season_7/4
Earnhardt talks about Sunday’s race at New Hampshire, NASCAR’s proposed common templates, running for a record eighth title, his team and why he has seven straight top-10 finishes and leads the circuit with 14 top 10s in 17 starts this season. Full Story.