http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/10/22/dearnhardtjr.martinsville.post/index.html
just wanted to post for this comment
just wanted to post for this comment
"The motor's gotten way, way worse," Earnhardt told his crew. "That's why we're losing spots! I wish it would just blow up. I'm sick of being out here losing power like this ... I'm tellin' ya, man, I'm sick of this engine [stuff]. Have ya got something real old back at the shop that we can run the rest of the year? Something that will at least run?"
Updated: October 11, 2007, 2:38 PM ET
CONCORD, N.C. -- Richie Gilmore, who heads the engine program for Dale Earnhardt Inc., is expected to be out at least a month after suffering a brain aneurysm last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
"This is something that could take some time," said Steve Hmiel, DEI's technical director. "He actually was lucky because about [one-third] of the people that have an aneurysm don't make it.
Hmiel said Robbie Benson has taken over Gilmore's duties heading up DEI's side of the engine program with Richard Childress Racing.
Hmiel said the problem in the new R07 engines that led to blown engines in four of the seven entered at Talladega shouldn't be a problem this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"The plate engines are a completely different thing," he said. "Whatever happened last week won't affect this week. Richard has run his R07 since Atlanta in the spring and we have run ours since June. Our R07s are OK."
Hmiel said all four engines had a hole in the oil pan that appeared to come from a blown piston.
"They still weren't saying we know what it is, that'll never happen again," he added. "They're making steps to fix it, but I'm not sure they know how just yet."
Yeah I still call
It's just Jr's engines, not DEI's
Unless Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies solves its engine problems, what’s left of the season isn’t going to be very pleasant.
At Talladega, things were a disaster. One by one, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing teams began to drop out of the race. Three suffered engine failure and one managed to limp to the finish with a dropped cylinder.
Jeff Burton’s No. 31 RCR Chevy blew up less than 100 laps into the race and he finished 43rd. As a result, he fell from 10th to 12th in points and admits his championship hopes are dashed.
DEI’s Martin Truex Jr., using the same engine, dropped out on lap 113 and wound up 42nd. He dropped from eighth to 10th in the standings. He, too, has almost no chance to win the title.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final race at DEI with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. ended in abject disappointment with an engine failure, his sixth of the season.
RCR’s Kevin Harvick dropped a cylinder with 50 laps to go and managed to stay on the track. He finished 20th and stands fifth in points. The lights aren’t out on his championship hopes, but things are getting dim.
RCR’s Clint Bowyer was the last man left. You can bet he knew what was going on. But his team had gone conservative, trying to run the engine as cool as possible.
The motor wasn’t as strong as Bowyer would have liked, but he finished 11th at Talladega and stands third in points, the only RCR or DEI driver with a realistic shot at the championship.
Engine calamities are nothing new. Virtually every team has experienced them. The good ones overcome.
I have to think that by now, DEI-RCR has a pretty good idea of what the problem was at Talladega, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it doesn’t occur again for the remainder of the season.
However, for DEI and RCR, engine woes at Talladega were more than just a downer. When it comes to the Chase, they left just one man standing.
I'm guessing tomustang missed 'Dega
You can only get it on the radio when you're making a left turn...
We both did.We were driving through 4 Eastern states towards Arkansas and I am disgusted that there are NO NASCAR channels to listen to through West VA, VA, TN or AK.
~J~
satellite radio
too bad NASCAR jumped the the good (XM) to go to the bad (Sirius)satellite radio
too bad NASCAR jumped the the good (XM) to go to the bad (Sirius)
too bad NASCAR jumped the the good (XM) to go to the bad (Sirius)
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