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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The "Big One," a 13-car accident at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night took out fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. before NASCAR's Coke Zero 400 was even halfway complete.
The accident on the backstretch was triggered when Kasey Kahne's Dodge tapped David Stremme's Dodge from behind. Eleven more cars were collected, including Earnhardt and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon -- both truly innocent victims of the smoky melee.
Earnhardt, the 2001 winner of this race, entered the weekend needing a good run, acknowledging Friday that his championship chances are dwindling. He was 285 points behind 12th place Juan Pablo Montoya entering the night. Only the top 12 drivers qualify for NASCAR's version of playoffs and there are only eight more races before the championship field is set.
"I guess there were a couple of guys going for the same piece of real estate and I tried to stay high, '' an obviously disappointed Earnhardt said. "The National Guard Chevrolet was just getting going. I thought we had a shot of getting up there and mixing it up with the leaders. ''
Gordon's Chevrolet was able to continue, although badly damaged. Their teammate Mark Martin was involved in an accident on lap 14 and the fourth member of the Hendrick stable, Jimmie Johnson, was a top-five car all evening, ultimately finishing second.
Earnhardt ended up being credited with 39th place and dropped two positions in the standings to 21st - 356 points behind new 12th place driver Kasey Kahne.
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