Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some unfinished business at Talladega Superspeedway. That says a lot for a guy who has won at the 2.66-mile track five times in 14 Cup starts.
Last October, though, Earnhardt Jr. was in the lead as the lead draft headed down the long backstretch on the final lap. Earnhardt Jr. was trying to block Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers, but Johnson got a nose inside Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet.
Vickers tried to follow Johnson but bumped into the right rear of Johnson's car, which turned Johnson into Earnhardt Jr. and sent the top two spinning.
Vickers, meanwhile, was declared the winner as the caution came out.
"I believe we have about half a lap of unfinished business there," Earnhardt Jr. said as the Nextel Cup Series gets ready to head back to the Alabama track for Sunday's Aaron's 499. "It fires me up - it fires my team up - and we want to go out there and not give anyone a chance to take us out this time.
"The Nextel Cup Series is so tough now, when you get that close to a win and don't close the deal, it makes a fire burn in your gut when you think about it."
Earnhardt Jr. last won at Talladega in 2004 after a streak of five victories and two runnerup finishes in seven races. Since then, however, he hasn't finished better than 15th and has failed to finish two races. Last October's melee resulted in a 23rd-place finish, and Earnhardt Jr. is clearly looking for better results this time.
But he knows it won't be easy.
"With the new pavement at Talladega, combined with the restrictor plates, anyone could drive a lap at full-speed in these cars, but that only makes it more of a mental challenge during the race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "The whole pack can run three-wide and wide-open, so it makes every move you make more critical. You have to have all of your senses working full time to get to the front and then try to stay there.
"When you finish a race at Talladega, you're almost never physically tired like if you had just raced at Bristol or Martinsville, but the mental strain and the concentration needed will wear you out mentally and emotionally. It's fun, but it's tough."
Last October, though, Earnhardt Jr. was in the lead as the lead draft headed down the long backstretch on the final lap. Earnhardt Jr. was trying to block Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers, but Johnson got a nose inside Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet.
Vickers tried to follow Johnson but bumped into the right rear of Johnson's car, which turned Johnson into Earnhardt Jr. and sent the top two spinning.
Vickers, meanwhile, was declared the winner as the caution came out.
"I believe we have about half a lap of unfinished business there," Earnhardt Jr. said as the Nextel Cup Series gets ready to head back to the Alabama track for Sunday's Aaron's 499. "It fires me up - it fires my team up - and we want to go out there and not give anyone a chance to take us out this time.
"The Nextel Cup Series is so tough now, when you get that close to a win and don't close the deal, it makes a fire burn in your gut when you think about it."
Earnhardt Jr. last won at Talladega in 2004 after a streak of five victories and two runnerup finishes in seven races. Since then, however, he hasn't finished better than 15th and has failed to finish two races. Last October's melee resulted in a 23rd-place finish, and Earnhardt Jr. is clearly looking for better results this time.
But he knows it won't be easy.
"With the new pavement at Talladega, combined with the restrictor plates, anyone could drive a lap at full-speed in these cars, but that only makes it more of a mental challenge during the race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "The whole pack can run three-wide and wide-open, so it makes every move you make more critical. You have to have all of your senses working full time to get to the front and then try to stay there.
"When you finish a race at Talladega, you're almost never physically tired like if you had just raced at Bristol or Martinsville, but the mental strain and the concentration needed will wear you out mentally and emotionally. It's fun, but it's tough."