Controversy outweighed victory for DEI in '02

CONCORD, N.C. -- The 2002 season for Dale Earnhardt Inc. was marked by some victories, but tempered by off-track news that seemed to grab more attention.

The team won three of the four restrictor-plate races. While Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet team led the way in wins with two, it finished down three spots from 2001, in 11th.

Earnhardt Jr. showed brilliance on the superspeedways that rivaled his late father by sweeping both Talladega races this year.

Coming back from as far down as 31st in points after the second race of the year, the No. 8 team was up to fifth just seven races later after the spring Talladega victory.

However, Junior had three top-10 finishes in the next 13 races, falling to 17th in points. He later claimed that a concussion at California Speedway in April had affected his performance.

Earnhardt Jr.'s decision to delay reporting the concussion sparked a debate. In the end, NASCAR announced that doctors at infield care centers can require a driver to undergo a CT scan if they think the driver has a concussion. If it's found that the driver does have a concussion, he must now get a medical release before returning.

	Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the way for DEI in victories in 2002. Credit: Autostock

The end of the season was smoother sailing for Earnhardt Jr. He picked up a win, six top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in the last 13 races. Carrying that momentum into next year could put the team back to the top of the points chart.

For his DEI teammates Steve Park and Michael Waltrip, contracts and instability seemed to dog them for much of the season.

Waltrip got his second win in two years at Daytona when he won the Pepsi 400 in July. However, contract negotiations seemed to be bogging down in the early part of the year when Waltrip and the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet team were erratic. They went from fifth to 27th in six races, then up to 14th six races later.

Amidst swirling rumors that Waltrip would be ousted from the ride, DEI signed him to a two-year extension. That, and the chemistry that Waltrip and his crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe were garnering, worked well in the latter part of the year.

Year in Review  •  Joe Gibbs Racing  •  Chip Ganassi Racing  •  Jasper Motorsports  •  Petty Enterprises  •  The Wood Brothers  •  Hendrick Motorsports  •  Bill Davis Racing  •  PPI Motorsports

In all, Waltrip garnered four top-fives and 10 top-10s in 2002. Through the last 10 races, Waltrip notched eight top-20s leaving him 14th in points -- his best finish since 1996.

Park will have an asterisk next to his 2002 season much like he did in 2001.

He sat out the last 12 races of 2001 and the first four races of 2002 with a head injury after a Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway. Once he returned in March -- at Darlington no less, his finishes weren't up to par and rumors started that he would be replaced by May.

However, those rumors also proved to be wrong and Park was signed by DEI to stay on board. However, crew chief Paul Andrews left the team in early September to work with Jeff Burton and Roush Racing.

Dave Charpentier, engineer, and Steve Hmiel, director of motorsports at DEI, led the race-day efforts for Park until Tony Gibson was hired from Rick Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 Chevrolet team in late September.

Park put together impressive runs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega for his two top-10 finishes of the year. Through the last seven races, Park also finished in the top 20 five times and completed 91.7 percent of his laps in the 32 races he ran to finish 33rd in points. He started 47th in points when he returned in April.