10:44 PM
JD
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his crew chief Steve Letarte begain their first season last February with a pole award for the Daytona 500 and if their primary car had not been wrecked would have had a good 500 finish to go along with it. They did not start the next several races as well, however. Over the next 9 races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would start in the top 20 only once. In fact, over those 9 races, team 88 would average a starting spot of 26th.
During that time span, Earnhardt and Letarte would hone their communication skills. Letarte would better learn how Earnhardt wanted his cars to handle, and Earnhardt would learn what information Letarte would need to make the cars better. The two would continuously better the car throughout the races and made some good finishes. However, they were constantly begining well behind the leaders and having to work hard to get those finishes.
By late season, the 88 team had made good progress on starting positions, averaging a 14th place start over the final 10 races of the season. Although they did not get the finishes they hoped for during the Chase, the 88 team was definitely unloading better cars that were better prepared for the race weakend.
The question the 88 fans must be asking themselves heading into this Phoenix weekend is will team "Earntarte" pick up where they left off or will they have to rebuild their foundation. If Junior and Letarte can come out this weekend and next with cars that are fast from the hauler and comfortable for the driver, team 88 could get a great start on the 2012 season.
Yes Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a great Daytona 500, and although many Junior fans can't wait for the next plate track for the 88 to flex its muscle, the meat of the season lies in the 1 mile and the 1.5 mile tracks and there is where the path to competing for a championship lies. We watched the 88 driver make soem good moves in the final laps of Daytona, but lets see what he has up his sleeves for the rest of the season.
A couple weeks ago during media days Dale Jr. said he was eager to get to the non-restrictor plate tracks to see where they are as a team. Well, here we are. Bring it.
Posted in: Dale Earnhardt Jr,Dale Jr Crew Chief,Daytona,Hendrick,Nascar,Nascar Blog,nascar news,NASCAR Race Results,Sprint Cup,steve letarte
1 comments:
I've followed Dale Jr since he was a little boy. I have learned to read his body language and mental state over the years. I'm here to say that 2012 will look more like 2004 than 2008. His laughter and good humor has returned, he is surrounded by a good CC and pit crew which are necessary for any Nascar driver. I firmly believe Dale Jr will have a good year. He will also have some "not so good" races as all drivers do. but they will be the exception...not the rule. I tip my hat to Rick for finally putting in place the necessities needed for any driver to succeed.
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