On eve of Daytona 500

Elwood · February 16, 2003

On eve of Daytona 500, Earnhardt jabs Childress stable

By Bruce Martin

SportsTicker Contributing Editor

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) If the battle on the track in Sunday's Daytona 500 is as good as the verbal battle between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the trio of drivers at Richard Childress Racing, then sparks may fly.

It began after RCR drivers Robby Gordon and Daytona 500 pole-winner Jeff Green swept the top two positions in Thursday's first Gatorade Twin 125. Earnhardt followed with an easy win the second qualifier.

Earnhardt, whose legendary father won six of his seven Winston Cup championships and his only Daytona 500 victory with team owner Richard Childress, offered some comments about Gordon, Green and RCR's other driver, Kevin Harvick.

"I don't have a problem with any of them guys, but they've just got a volatile little situation over there," Earnhardt said. "It's tough having a teammate. Teammates can be good, teammates can be bad, teammates can be worse to you or for you than just a regular other competitor. You've got to know how to complement each other. You've got to know how to work with each other.

"What I was upset with last year was how they worked against each other and didn't complement each other. Jeff and Harvick were too competitive with each other at times. You've got Richard Childress over there, busting his (butt) for all these years to get what he's got, and I don't think those guys appreciate what the man is in this sport and the opportunity to they have in his race cars."

Earnhardt had more volleys to lob at RCR, including a suggestion that bad boy Harvick one day could be listed as a former driver for the team.

"I always will wish Richard well," Earnhardt said. "I don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with every one of his drivers, but they ain't been there that long and they might not be there for much longer."

In a sport that often has been referred to as "pro wrestling on wheels," talk like that not only fires up the other drivers but gives the legion of obsessed fans something to rally around.

While Earnhardt is the fan favorite a chip off the old block of NASCAR's greatest hero there are those in the garage area who look quizzically at wins that seem to follow a scripted storyline.

Green rallied around his teammates and lobbed a few verbal grenades of his own at Earnhardt.

"I heard what he said," Green told The Daytona Beach News Journal. "I think it's pretty (crappy) to tell you the truth. If it wasn't for his dad, he wouldn't be here, either. He's got a fast race car. But if it wasn't for Michael Waltrip helping him out every race, he probably wouldn't have won the races he won. He better count his blessings."

Green once drove in the Busch series in a car owned by Earnhardt's father. It's the same car young Earnhardt drove to two Busch series championships.

Harvick, who took over the Winston Cup Chevrolet after Earnhardt was killed at the 2001 Daytona 500, has earned a reputation of being difficult to deal with. He was suspended for last spring's race at Martinsville, Virginia for dangerous driving in two Craftsman Truck series races.

Gordon, the former CART driver whose NASCAR stock suddenly is climbing, has tried to stay out of the fray. But he couldn't help firing a retort at Earnhardt.

"I was a little frustrated to see what he said, but hey, at least my name wasn't mentioned," Gordon said. "Maybe he's coming out of his cage a little bit. He's just trying to wind it up a little. It's all good.

"I could be mean and say what races beside restrictor-plate races has he won? Can you tell me one? He's won one that wasn't a restrictor-plate race."

Actually, Earnhardt has won three non-restrictor-plate events.

"I heard Junior say that he hopes he can sweep this deal," Gordon continued. "My goal is that he doesn't sweep the deal. He and Michael Waltrip have been real strong in restrictor-plate races. RCR has a great history at restrictor-plate races as well, and I'm going to do everything I can to give Richard his second Daytona 500 victory."

One thing is obvious. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to win this race as badly as his father did. It took his father 20 attempts to win the Daytona 500. Sunday will be his son's fourth try.

"It means as much to me," Earnhardt said. "The strange thing about it for me, though, is that I have a chance to win it so early and my dad came in for years and years. He would come down here and run great in Speedweeks but just couldn't wrap up the 500.

"I remember how hard it was when I was a kid and a teenager. I mean, it hurt. When he cut the tire in front of Derrike Cope (in 1990), those were tough, tough times. It was awful."

Earnhardt does not want to endure the same experience. That is why his unexpected comments about RCR could be a form of psychological gamesmanship, something for which his father was famous.

"It's weird for me because I've got a chance to win it so early and don't know what to think about it," Earnhardt said. "I don't know whether to appreciate it.

"I'm probably going to look back 10 years or 15 years from now and wish I had a chance to do it all over again if I don't win this race because I'm going to have all this experience and go, `Man, what the heck? If I wouldn't have done that ... I had the chance to win the Daytona 500 only in my fourth year in the sport.' Hopefully, I'll win it and I won't have to worry about that."

February 17, 2003

RCR's problems were evident on the track.

There doesn't seem to be much of a "team" attitude.

antig24 · February 17, 2003

During the first 125 green and gordon ran nose to tail almost the whole race. They ran together good. During the 500 Harvick and Gordon worked together pretty good if you ask me, they almost got the lead using the high lane. I know the 29 and 31 didn't run together to good at the beginning of the race but after the first rain delay they did.

Elwood · February 17, 2003

I know the 29 and 31 didn't run together to good at the beginning of the race but after the first rain delay they did.

It was reported that Childress called them in during that delay and told them to work together. It just seems to me that he shouldn't have to tell them to, they should know already. It's not like either one of them are Dale Earnhardt. He didn't work with Skinner very often, but he was good enough not to and had established himself before Skinner came around. These guys could do much better if they worked together, they shouldn't have to be told to act like they're on a team.