Home | Search | FAQ
Displaying 1-3 of 3 messages in this thread. |
| Posted By | Discussion Topic: earnhardt jr. runs away with mbna.com 400 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
...And now the battle between us and them has begun. JYD-4-LIFE. | posted on 09-23-2001 @ 6:50 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: May. 00  |  a very dominating race by jr. today. his car just seemed so much more powerful than eveyrone elses. he is doing a great job in his car since the pepsi 400. hopefully he can keep it up the rest of the year. here's the story for the first time since the terrorist attacks. And America's favorite driver -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- won the Cal Ripken Jr. 400. Adding another special touch to the dramatic day, Earnhardt's car is No. 8, the same number Ripken has worn throughout his record-setting career with the Baltimore Orioles. The $3.3 million race was renamed in honor of Ripken, who waved the green flag to start the event. A crowd of 140,000, the largest in the nation Sunday, cheered ecstatically as Earnhardt, the son of NASCAR's greatest driver, won for the second time this season. He has become an icon in the sport since the death of his father in the season-opening Daytona 500. His victory was saluted by yet another waving of American flags by a crowd fired-up just before the race by Lee Greenwood's stirring rendition of "God Bless the USA." Tanya Tucker followed with a patriotic medley as the crowd continued chanting "USA! ... USA! ... USA!" before standing silently as she sang the national anthem. "It was so exciting to see the emotion of the fans," Earnhardt said. "It's amazing how everybody has come together after what has happened the last two weeks. "I'm just proud to be an American." Earnhardt's car, carrying a large flag deal on its rear decklid, dominated much of the race usually known as the MBNA 400. He led 193 of 400 laps, and by donating $100 per lap gave $40,000 to aid a relief fund for victims of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. It was the second emotional victory this season for Earnhardt. He also won the Pepsi 400 in July on the return of the Winston Cup cars to the track where his father, a seven-time series champion, died Feb. 18. The 26-year-old Earnhardt dominated the first half of the race, but lost seven positions with a very slow pit stop on lap 269. But he got a break when leader Ricky Rudd was hit by Rusty Wallace and spun on lap 345. Earnhardt came out of the pits third on lap 347, passed Jerry Nadeau and took the lead when he blew by Dale Jarrett on the high-banked third turn on lap 362. The crowd rose to its feet screaming with delight, and Earnhardt didn't disappoint them, withstanding a final caution that bunched the field when Jarrett spun on lap 388. Earnhardt pulled away and won for the fourth time in his career when his Chevrolet beat that of Nadeau by 1.576 seconds. Earnhardt was given a huge flag and drove around the track as the crowd roared. The winner averaged 101.559 mph in a race slowed 11 times by 71 laps of caution. There were 13 lead changes among seven drivers. Rudd was third in a Ford, followed by the Chevy of points leader and June Dover winner Jeff Gordon. Defending race champion Tony Stewart was fifth in a Pontiac. The track continued its policy of tight security, which included a ban on coolers. No incidents were reported. Jeremy Mayfield crashed hard into the first-turn wall early in the race, was examined at Bay Hill Hospital and released.  "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country. but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman-Thomas Paine" Now with a new and improved AIM name. IM Faceman713 for all your oa.com needs:) This message was edited by Faceman on 9-24-01 @ 12:47 PM | ||||
| ThreeFan | posted on 09-24-2001 @ 12:02 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Nov. 00 |  great race....'nuff said!! | ||||
| Tequila Fez claims this land in the name of Portugal! Why worry about the train if it never makes it around the tracks?? IrishAlkey wuz here!!! | posted on 09-24-2001 @ 2:24 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Jan. 01 | Yes it was great race. I was there Saturday for the BGN race & Sunday for the Winston race. Jr.s car was very fast & I think he was uncatchable on long runs but I also thought that Nadeu had a chance to catch him in the last 7 lap shoot-out. quote: Says who I cant stand him quote: Thats the only reason people even root for him. If his father wasnt dead people would not even recogize him on the track  A NEW DAY OF INFAMY MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILY & FRIENDS OF LOST ONES | ||||
Displaying 1-3 of 3 messages in this thread. |