New RCR-DEI engines up in smoke in 'Dega debut (cont'd)

"The engine on the 15 is not all blown to pieces, it was still running when [Menard] wrecked, so we can take it apart and look at it," he said. "It's kind of a blessing in disguise. If you can take anything away from this day ... that will be it."

The RCR and DEI cars will all have the same engine package again next week for the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"For the last couple weeks, we've been running a lot of RCR components in our open engines and been successful, so we will try to do that more for the next five races and just look forward to next year and create a better package," Gray said.

In light of Chevy's engine change to the R07 and the partnership between DEI and RCR, Earnhardt Jr. said he isn't surprised his team has succumbed to engine failure on multiple occasions.

"We've fought a lot of different curve balls with the fuel change and everything else," he said. "Changing our engine package with our new Chevy motor and just a lot of curve balls this year..."

In February, NASCAR switched from leaded racing fuel to unleaded racing fuel in an attempt to become more environmentally sound.

Richard Childress Racing teammates and Chase contenders Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, also running the new engine package, were everything but sound after news of blown engines hit their radios.

"We were just conservative on everything," said Bowyer, who started 23rd and finished 11th. "It wasn't as strong as it needed to be but hey, it did its job and got me to the end and that's what I needed to do here."

As for Harvick, the No. 29 was running one cylinder down and crew chief Todd Berrier was happy with that.

"You don't like to run 20th-place but at the end of the day, it could have been a lot worse," he said. "So we finished, not blown up and home in the garage, it's good."

On the bright side, Hmiel said the equipment is consistent even though Sunday it was consistently bad.

"You're not happy about it but it shows everybody is getting the same stuff."