RELATED: Full schedule for Kentucky | Standings entering Kentucky
For his final full-time season as a driver, NASCAR.com will offer an analytical preview on Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of every remaining Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
Race: Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway
Date: Saturday, July 8, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Previous five results at Kentucky: 13th, 21st, 5th, 12th, 4th
RELATED: Junior’s complete Kentucky history | Every Dale Jr. victory
Notable: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not yet won at Kentucky Speedway, which has only seen six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. Of his six starts there, Earnhardt has two top fives and a pole that came in 2013. He’s led a total of 10 laps in Kentucky and has an average finish of 14.2.
Memorable moment: Last season during the Quaker State 400, Earnhardt expressed frustrations behind-the-wheel from a combination of conservative tires, a lower downforce package, and the track repave. On top of that, he ran out of gas on the final lap. Still, Earnhardt managed to snag a top-15 finish (13th), a placing not even he thought was feasible.
Quotable: “The bumps were extremely bad at Kentucky – it was rough. The corners were great, and I think a lot of drivers would have liked to keep the corners ‘as is,’ just because they were aged and slick, and provided a lot of opportunity and different lines to run,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “But as the track ages, it should be incredible.”