Fontana: Dale Earnhardt Jr preview

Dale Jr. Quotes for the NAPA 500

"I'm ready for another good run. The race is the day before my dad's birthday, so it has some special meaning to me. I'm not that great with dates, but I will always remember April 29. It means so much to me - and I hope we can win one in his honor."

"I like Fontana, and it's a track where we've always been fast. These guys (the DEI Budweiser team) have been giving me some great cars to drive this year. The win Sunday (at Talladega) was awesome - every win is - but it had a different feel than our other victories. Everybody on the team seemed more calm and confident than ever before. It's like the football coach that tells his players to act like they've been in the end zone before, ya know. This team is gaining confidence every week and we felt like we deserved to be in that Victory Lane. We're getting to the point where we have that kind of confidence and expectations every week.

"Look at where we're at in the points. We're happy to be fifth, but if we wouldn't have run over debris at Daytona or crashed with a really fast car at Texas, I think we'd be right there with Sterling (Marlin, point leader). We're going to just keep doing what we're doing, and we're going to do well the rest of the season. The fact that we have the most bonus points (for leading races) of any team this year and more top-five finishes than anyone (tied with Tony Stewart with five top-five finishes) is a sign of being up front every week. That's what you have to do to even be close to a championship."

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at California Speedway
Winston Cup Starts: 2
Best Start: 20th (2000)
Best Finish: 3rd (2001)
This Race, Last Year: St: 38th -- Fin: 3rd

Pure perseverance was the theme for the Bud team last year at Fontana. After a hard, grinding crash in practice on Friday afternoon (due to a cut tire), the team was forced to a back-up car. They blew an engine during the final practice session on Saturday and took the green flag Sunday from the 38th starting spot. After running out of fuel and losing a lap just before the halfway point of the race, the team put on a wicked charge to the front, un-lapping themselves with 104 laps to go and then slicing through the field to finish third.

I Can Lead for Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles. (oh yeah...)

Dale Jr. has led 405 laps so far in 9 races for a total of more than 542 miles. He leads the series in total miles led, and has led in six of the last seven races. He trails only Tony Stewart in laps led this season.

What:
NAPA Auto Parts 500
250 laps, 500 miles / 2-mile oval / Race #10 of 36

Where:
California Speedway / Fontana, CA

When:
Sunday, April 28th / 3:00 pm

Watch:
Fox / Pre-race: 2:30 pm (All Times: Eastern)

You can also listen to the race live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) on a radio station near you.

Bud Pole Qualifying:
Live coverage of Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session can be seen on FX on a tape-delayed basis at 8:00 pm Friday evening.

Big E's Birthday Celebration
Dale Earnhardt Inc. will celebrate the life of its founder, Dale Earnhardt, on Monday, April 29, at its Mooresville, North Carolina facility.

The event is slated to become an annual tradition on April 29, Dale Earnhardt's birthday. For the first time, fans will be allowed to enter the show room of the complex to get a look at several historic No. 3 Chevrolets driven by the seven-time Winston Cup Champion. A special exhibit of Dale Earnhardt's personal collection will be displayed, highlighting never-before-seen memorabilia that he and his wife Teresa acquired over the years.

Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street will make an appearance. The Olympic skier followed Earnhardt's racing career for years, and just last year, named her downhill ski's "Intimidators" in honor of the legendary driver.

DEI will open its doors to fans from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. For more information call 1-877-DEI-ZONE.

-dei/budweiser-