Chicago Cup

Earnhardt Jr changes engines; will start from back: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from the rear in Sunday's GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, after his #88 Hendrick Motorsports team opted to change engines after Saturday's qualifying session. Issues the team found within the engine will force Earnhardt to give up the fourth starting spot, but crew chief Steve Letarte believes Earnhardt, one of 12 drivers eligible for the Cup championship, can use pit strategy to move to the front. "I don't think we are super concerned," Letarte said. "We had a great car in practice and qualified really well, so we showed we have good speed. Fortunately, this is a race track that there are multiple pit strategies, and it's not a really simple, straightforward pit strategy to call.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Earnhardt Jr changes engines; will start from back: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from the rear in Sunday's GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, after his #88 Hendrick Motorsports team opted to change engines after Saturday's qualifying session. Issues the team found within the engine will force Earnhardt to give up the fourth starting spot, but crew chief Steve Letarte believes Earnhardt, one of 12 drivers eligible for the Cup championship, can use pit strategy to move to the front. "I don't think we are super concerned," Letarte said. "We had a great car in practice and qualified really well, so we showed we have good speed. Fortunately, this is a race track that there are multiple pit strategies, and it's not a really simple, straightforward pit strategy to call.
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Cue the strange music as the 48 5 and 24 get the news.
 
I'm not sure what the crowd will look like today but no matter what it could be worse....

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All the Engine changing has me worried. Are we going to see Fords and Chevys blow up whilst Toyota has some good luck for the first time this year.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
So, every Chase race will start at 2pm and 3pm?

Good luck getting me to turn off football for that. :sarcasm:
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Remember when NASCAR went to standard start times? I know as important as you are, you think they should start the race around your schedule but they did it to accommodate the fans. It was 1:15 at MIS which is eastern time and it will be about 1:15 in Joliet which is central time.
 
Crap, I don't think I'm going to wait until everyone else make their picks in Spike's thread anymore (since I joined late, I let everyone who can compete for the championship go first as a courtesy). I meant to make my pick this morning before the race, but I slept in, and didn't get online until just before the race started.
 
racer8 said:
I wonder what was wrong with the 88 engine and will the other HMS engines have problems?
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By Bob PockrassSporting News

JOLIET, Ill.—Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have to start at the rear of the field Sunday for the opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup because his team decided to change the engine in his car Saturday afternoon.

Earnhardt had the fourth-quickest speed in qualifying Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, but then a freak occurrence forced the team to change the engine.

"Knocking it out of gear … it slipped into third gear (and I) over-revved it just for a split-second and a valve hit a piston in the third cylinder and we can't take any chances," Earnhardt said.

"It's never good to hit the valve. It didn't destroy anything, but we can't run (it)."
 
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