By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
July 5, 2005
12:39 PM EDT (16:39 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- With nine races to go before the Chase for the Nextel Cup and more than 100 points to make up, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has acknowledged his tomorrows were two days ago. It's time for the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet to get it done, and that means running well at Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Junior knows the third place he scored at Daytona last weekend isn't cause for great celebration, but it's a lot better than he's done lately -- and it's a start. "It's hard to get excited about third place, but it was nice to get a podium finish," Earnhardt said. "I was real happy with the car my guys gave me, and just as much credit goes to the 15 team (DEI teammate Michael Waltrip) and Tony (Eury) Jr. "They helped us a lot on the set-up. Michael would've been right up there with us without the cut tire. That was unfortunate for him, but we'll all keep digging. It's the way it ought to be." Earnhardt qualified only 22nd at Chicagoland last year and finished 27th. He knows they need to do better. "The biggest challenge at Chicago is getting good track position, because it's really hard to pass there -- the further back you are, the more aero push becomes a factor," Earnhardt said. "We could do ourselves a favor by qualifying well." With the cutoff for the Chase field determined after September's race at Richmond, Earnhardt knows the drill. "We have to dig pretty deep here to see if we can't make some gains in the next couple of races," Earnhardt said. "You never know. Before the Chase was around, there were a couple years I was racing in the Cup Series where you didn't think that anybody wanted to win the thing, because it seemed that whoever got the lead would have a couple of weeks of trouble. It kept racing pretty tight." Johnson happy to regain lead Jimmie Johnson's one-week absence from the lead in the Nextel Cup standings, which he had held since the third week of the season until Greg Biffle took it away at Infineon Raceway, was over after Daytona.  |  | | Jimmie Johnson |
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After Biffle was involved in the accident that began when Michael Waltrip cut a tire and Johnson finished sixth, Johnson is back in front of Biffle by 73 points going to Chicagoland. Johnson remains philosophical about the point situation, at least at this point. "It doesn't change too much -- we still need to go out and collect points," Johnson said of his thoughts on being in first or second. "I would rather be leading the points than being in second (but) there's still a lot of racing left between the Chase start and now. "Then, once the Chase starts it's a whole different game. I think that leading the points gives the team experience with the pressure." Battle for lock-in continues Mike Wallace and the No. 4 Chevrolet finished eighth at Daytona, which was the team's best finish this season. But more important than that, it put Morgan-McClure Motorsports back into the 35th position in Nextel Cup owners' points, which is the last spot locked into the field for Chicagoland. Wallace needed the run, only team's second top-20 finish this season, since Jason Leffler's No. 11 Chevrolet, the car his team has been battling recently for the spot, finished 18th. "We had some luck on our side (when) we missed a wreck on the front straightaway (but) it all went pretty simple really," Wallace said. "I was just really happy. We were outside the top 35 (and) our main goal was to get back in there. "We stayed out and led a lap to get even with Leffler. He stayed out and got five ahead of us (but) at the end he was not too far behind us. It was a great run for our team -- the best finish for us in a few years, I believe. "I'm looking for more of them to come." Wallace's Daytona swan song Rusty Wallace was smiling after he finished fourth and moved into fifth in the standings following his final Daytona start. Wallace plans to retire from the Nextel Cup Series at the end of this season. |  | | Rusty Wallace |
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"I'm happy with that (because) I had a loose racecar all day long, and my team worked hard to get it tightened up," Wallace said. "We've been strong, and I'm real proud of everybody on the team. We're real focused. "We gained a lot of points again today, and I was real happy for my very last Daytona Cup run. I'll be back for the 24 Hours of Daytona, but that's not the big track. "I'm proud of my last run at Daytona and I'd like to thank the fans for pulling for me. It was a sweet night." After being out of the top-10 in points the last two years and missing the inaugural Chase for the Cup last season, Wallace was overlooking the lack of a Daytona win in favor of Chase momentum. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be tonight, but I think more this year will come, I really do," Wallace said. "I sure like the looks of those point standings right now. "We're going to make that Chase and then we're going to give it everything we've got those last 10 races and see where we stack up after Homestead." McMurray hosts "Night in Nashville" |  | | Jamie McMurray |
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Jamie McMurray will continue his ongoing relationship with the Autism Society of America (ASA) when he hosts "Driving Autism Awareness: A Night in Nashville" on Wednesday, July 13 from 7 - 9 p.m. CT at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. The event is part of ASA's 36th Annual National Conference and Exposition, and McMurray will host a Q&A session and photo and autograph sessions during this event. Special guest entertainment will be on hand, as well as light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $40 per person, $5 per child age 6-12; under age 5, free and are on sale now by visiting www.autism-society.org. Following Wednesday night's festivities, McMurray will host an exclusive special breakfast for ASA conference attendees and members on Thursday morning at the Renaissance Hotel. Tickets to the breakfast are $10 per adult and $5 per child under age 12 and can be purchased at the same online site. "I'm really honored that the Autism Society of America asked me to be a part of their annual convention," McMurray said. "The entire NASCAR community has really supported the 'Driving Autism Awareness' campaign that we started last year. The NASCAR fans continue to prove why they are the best in sports. "Obviously being a part of this has a personal connection for me since my niece is autistic. I've seen first-hand how autism effects an entire family. Hopefully we'll be able to raise some awareness and money with this event." | 
