Engine change sends Dale Earnhardt Jr. to rear for first Chase race
Sept. 15, 2012
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
JOLIET,
Ill. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from the rear in Sunday's GEICO
400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the Chase
for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, after his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team
opted to change engines after Saturday's qualifying session.
Issues
the team found within the engine will force Earnhardt to give up the
fourth starting spot, but crew chief Steve Letarte believes
Earnhardt, one of 12 drivers eligible for the Cup championship, can use
pit strategy to move to the front.
"I
don’t think we are super concerned," Letarte said. "We had a great car
in practice and qualified really well, so we showed we have
good speed. Fortunately, this is a race track that there are multiple
pit strategies, and it’s not a really simple, straightforward pit
strategy to call.
"I think there will be a lot of opportunities to use our good pit stops and place on pit road to get back towards the front.”
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