Race: Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile tri-oval / 267 laps
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 79 degrees
Race Winner: Brad Keselowski
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 13th
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Nationwide Children’s Hospital team recorded a 13th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway Saturday night. The finish keeps Earnhardt 13th in the series standings through 18 races.
Racing for the first time on the newly-repaved 1.5-mile tri-oval, Earnhardt started 13th and raced inside the top 15 throughout the 267-lap race. Early on, he and crew chief Greg Ives worked to improve his Chevrolet’s handling as Earnhardt reported that his car was too loose on entry, but did not turn well in the center of the corners.
The adjustments seemed to help Earnhardt’s No. 88 car as he was able to climb inside the top 10. As was the case with much of the field, the combination of a new surface and a tricky Goodyear tire made passing very difficult. Earnhardt was unable to climb higher than eighth, but never dropped lower than 16th.
Leading up to the race’s final pit stop at lap 196, Earnhardt told Ives that he like the way his car was handling and that he wanted no changes. He took the night’s last restart 10th with 68 laps to go. Unfortunately for Earnhardt, the final set of tires did not suit his car well and altered the car’s handling down the stretch.
After fading to 16th, Earnhardt began saving fuel in hopes of lasting to the finish without hitting pit road. In the end, his Chevrolet ran out of gas with one lap remaining, but he was able to coast to the checkered flag for a 13th-place finish.
Brad Keselowski won for the second consecutive week, and fourth overall this season, with Carl Edwards second, Ryan Newman third, Kurt Busch fourth and Tony Stewart rounding out the top five.