Late Wreck Stops Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Storybook Daytona 500 Ending

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s shoulders may well have borne 500 miles worth of expectations this week at Daytona.

Marking 10 years since the death of his legendary father in NASCAR's most important race, Earnhardt Jr. served as the central beacon of a sport remembering the passing of one of its most legendary drivers.

The sport's most popular driver also has been the most talked about non-factor for most of the last three seasons and has seen his share of changes in the Hendrick Motorsports program around him. A new crew chief -- Steve Letarte -- was in his ear.

Sunday, none of it seemed to be a distraction as Earnhardt sliced his way through the field time and again to find the front -- and occasionally lead -- one of the most unusual Daytona 500s in recent memory.

However, the chaotic nature of NASCAR's season-opening beast, a race marked by the most cautions and lead changes in the event's 53-year history, finally caught up with Earnhardt moments from the end.

During a late crash between five front runners on lap 197, another car clipped the rear of Earnhardt's green-and-white Chevrolet, sending him into the outside wall on the backstretch. He would go no further and finished 24th.
"Had as much fun as we could under the circumstances; it just got crazy at the end."
-- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
"Had as much fun as we could under the circumstances; it just got crazy at the end," Earnhardt said. "That restart where I wrecked ... that was some funny stuff on the bottom down there. We just got hit in the quarter panel trying to get by a wreck."

The race's polesitter, Earnhardt Jr. didn't actually get the chance to start on Daytona's front row after a crash during practice earlier in the week forced him to start Sunday's race at the back of the field.

The No. 88 found the front on lap 78 for the 28th lead change (of 74) of the 500-mile event. The move to the head of the field gave him reason to celebrate over the radio.

"There's one (expletive) point, come on!" Earnhardt Jr. said emphatically over the radio.

Earnhardt found a partner in Tony Stewart at several points during Sunday's race and utilized the No. 14 either as a pusher or pushee to navigate through the tandem drafting prevalent Sunday. The drivers even had a mutual in-car radio channel and communicated directly during green flag conditions.

However, they got separated towards the finish just before Earnhardt's wreck when the No. 88 suffered a flat tire under caution. Earnhardt dropped from among the front runners to 18th on the restart before his final crash.

"I just got hooked in the right rear," Earnhardt said. "We have had some pretty tough luck down here and didn't get the finish we wanted."