JR JUMPS BACK
Hampton, GA: After his woes of a week ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr drives hard and takes the victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Golden Corral 500.
Jr didn't take the lead until lap 267, but the timing was right. As other leaders fell back, Jr's crew was able to make the right adjustments to get the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet to the front. On his way to the top spot, Jr rubbed fenders with Tony Stewart, but there was no damage done to his car. A very tired and happy Jr celebrated not only his win, but his rise in Championship points from 7th to 3rd. This was the first March win for Jr.
Coming in 2nd was Jeremy Mayfield in the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. His confidence was boosted by his teammate's great runs in the prior two races. Jeremy was able to lead for 14 laps before he was passed by Jr. An exemplary pit stop put Jeremy back in the lead, however, Jr got by him again for the win.
Kasey Kahne moved quickly from his 12th starting position to 2nd. He may have been on his way to win the race if it had not been for a slight error in the pits. During the pit stop on lap 150 when there was a caution for debris, Kasey's crew had gotten him out 2nd behind current leader, Tony Stewart. Unfortunately, all of the lug nuts on his left rear tire had not been tightened. Kasey was forced to pit again, coming out as the last car on the lead lap. It took a while for the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge to make its way forward. Kasey began passing cars again, but could only reach 3rd by the end of the race.
Keeping his car in the top 10 for most of the day, Jimmie Johnson was very happy with his 4th place finish. Ryan Newman started on the pole for the 20th time of his Cup career. He led the race on two occasions, but his car was very tight all day. He fought his way up to come in 5th.
Starting in 30th position was not a detriment to Matt Kenseth. Neither was the spin he took as he headed to pit road on lap 57. After serving his penalty, Matt was a lap down. He began working his way past other cars and finally received the "Lucky Dog" pass back onto the lead lap. Once there, the #17 DeWalt Ford showed just how good it was. Matt came in 6th and retained his lead in the Championship Chase.
Although Tony Stewart led most of the laps in today's race, his tangle with Jr on lap 178 caused enough damage to the left front fender to knock away the handling on the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet. His crew was able to keep Tony in the top 10 with some great pit stops. Unfortunately, the car did not drive the same. Tony finished 7th.
Greg Biffle took the lead from Tony on lap 145. However, the #16 Army National Guard Ford didn't have enough strength to stay there. Tony retook the lead 2 laps later. Greg brushed the wall twice receiving only slight damage. He had some good pit stops and he came in 8th.
Dale Jarrett made all the right moves and brought the UPS Ford in 9th.
On lap 10, Jeff Gordon was able to take the lead from pole sitter, Ryan Newman. After Tony Stewart took that position away from him 37 laps later, Jeff began having problems. The #24 DuPont Chevrolet underwent several adjustments throughout the day. Unfortunately, nothing helped. Jeff struggled with the car yet still finished 10th.
Two drivers that had been doing well staying in the top 10 all day were Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray. Casey actually led the race before losing his engine on lap 304. He was extremely disappointed that the #41 Target Dodge could not finish the race. Jamie McMurray had moved up to 5th position before the engine on his #42 Texaco Dodge blew on lap 246.
We found the TV coverage to be inadequate to say the least. Unless your driver was in the top 10,
you never saw him throughout the day. Even some of the top 10 drivers were barely mentioned, such as
Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray before he dropped out. How can the other drivers
maintain their sponsorship if the TV coverage fails to show them. It will be difficult enough for the
drivers that don't finish the year at the top, much less getting scant recognition now. It was quite
a disappointment as FOX had always provided the best coverage in the past. They will not be able to
maintain their fan base if this lack of coverage continues.
Article by S. Kipple
03/14/04
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