Earnhardt backs wife, blames himself for ‘Clash’ debate
INDIANAPOLIS » Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his own statement Saturday.
He defended his wife’s Twitter post — and blamed himself for putting her in a position where she felt she had to speak out.
Five days after Amy Earnhardt wrote it wouldn’t be “worth the risk” to see her husband compete in next year’s Clash at Daytona, the 42-year-old driver explained outsiders don’t understand what the family endured as he recovered from concussionrelated symptoms last year.
“She’s been there for everything,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “A lot of folks that may have a different opinion about it weren’t there through the whole process. If anyone knows how difficult it was beside me, it would be her. It wasn’t a lot of fun for her.”
The series’ most popular driver announced in April he would retire after this season, in part because of his injury history. Two big crashes last summer forced him out of the final 18 races, and he missed two races during the 2012 playoffs also because of concussionrelated symptoms.
But Earnhardt appeared to reopen the possibility of returning to Daytona after winning the pole there three weeks ago, his first since September 2013. To be eligible, drivers must win at least one pole during the previous season, be a previous Clash winner or be a former Daytona 500 polewinner who still competes full-time on the Cup series.
On a recent podcast, Earnhardt said he told team owner Rick Hendrick that competing in the Clash would be something his wife “needed to warm up to.”
She hasn’t so far.
Kyle Busch lands Indy pole
INDIANAPOLIS » Kyle Busch won the pole position as he chases an unprecedented third consecutive Brickyard 400 victory Sunday.
Busch earned the top qualifying spot on his final lap with a speed of 187.301 mph on the 2.5-mile oval. Kevin Harvick was second at 186.332, and Jamie McMurray qualified third. It’s the second consecutive year Busch has claimed the Indianapolis pole.
Byron holds off Menard to win Xfinity race
INDIANAPOLIS » William Byron’s first trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended with an unforgettable finish.
After taking the lead with 15 laps left, the teenage rookie used some savvy moves and a little luck to hold off the hard-charging Paul Menard for his third NASCAR Xfinity Series win in less than a month. The margin of 0.108 seconds was the narrowest in race history.