Race: Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
Track Specs: 1-mile tri-oval
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 74 degrees
Race Winner: Kevin Harvick
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 5th
Dale Earnhardt Jr. notched his third consecutive top-10 finish, and second top-five effort of the season, with a scintillating drive in Sunday’s Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. As a result, Earnhardt and his No. 88 team jumped to 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings through four races.
From the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt maneuvered his new-look Axalta Chevrolet through the pack, working his way from 26th to fifth before the race’s first caution at lap 51. After the ensuing restart, Earnhardt vaulted from fourth to the lead at lap 75 after bypassing pole sitter Kyle Busch. The No. 88 extended its lead to more than two seconds over the next 34 laps.
Earnhardt and company spent the remainder of the afternoon fluctuating between second and seventh while trying to make minor adjustments to keep up with the competition.
With 78 laps to go, Earnhardt lined his sleek red and yellow Axalta Chevrolet up sixth for the penultimate restart. He made quick work of fifth and moved to fourth several laps later. As the laps clicked away, Earnhardt passed Busch for third at lap 261 and Carl Edwards for second at lap 276. The No. 88 matched lap times with eventual race winner Kevin Harvick, but could not close the gap within two seconds.
Misfortune for Kasey Kahne caused the final caution at lap 307 and forced crew chief Greg Ives to make a pivotal pit call. Ives elected to keep the No. 88 on track along with Harvick and Austin Dillon’s No. 3 car. Everyone else on the lead lap, including Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Edwards, Busch, and Denny Hamlin came to pit road for fresh right-side tires.
On the restart, Earnhardt lined up to the inside of Harvick. The No. 4 jumped out to the lead and allowed Edwards to follow around Earnhardt’s outside. Earnhardt was forced to battle Hamlin and Busch in the final lap as Harvick narrowly beat Edwards by 0.01 seconds. Hamlin finished third with Busch fourth and Earnhardt fifth.