Junior: ‘We’re gonna win this race’
RELATED: 40 pictures of Dale Jr. on his 40th birthday
CONCORD, N.C. — Feeling good on his 40th birthday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. called his shot in a televised interview after Friday’s first practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“We’re gonna win this race. I’ve got a really good feeling about it,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Earnhardt Jr. was 11th in the practice session at 188.633 mph and will line up ninth in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Despite being winless at Charlotte in 29 points starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Earnhardt Jr. has been optimistic about his chances to win the race throughout the week.
“I’m really excited, actually,” Earnhardt Jr. told the media on Thursday. “I was thrilled with how we ran last weekend. Super-fast car, this place is a bit similar.
“We obviously know what the situation is with the points and how important it is for us to come in here and win the race. I have been winless at Charlotte in a points-paying race since I started my career, so it’s bound to happen sooner or later. I always win at the weirdest times, in the oddest circumstances. So I feel like everything is lining up and feel real good about this weekend.”
On the season, Earnhardt Jr. has three wins, 11 top-fives and 17 top-10s. He finished 19th here in the spring in the Coca-Cola 600 and has not recorded a top-five finish at the track since 2008.
Earnhardt Jr. led 45 laps at Kansas and was running the best he had in the Chase before a cut tire derailed his day and led to a 39th-place finish.
With two races remaining in the Contender Round, Earnhardt Jr. is 11th in the standings and 25 points back of the final transfer spot to the Eliminator Round. A Chase driver must be in the top eight in points or have a win to advance to that round.
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