Earnhardt seeks Coca-Cola 600 win

CONCORD, N.C. » Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first childhood memories of Cup Series racing come from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

He remembers watching his famous father Dale Sr. tear up the track. He ran plastic Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough cars down a nearby dusty hill. He recalls his days as a teenager, breaking into the track with buddies and hotwiring golf carts until they were chased off by approaching headlights.

It’s the place where he’d finish running an Xfinity race and return to the Campus Connection apartment complex across the street and drink beer with his buddies until late into the night.

It’s also the track where he ran his first NASCAR Cup Series race — and won the 2000 All-Star race as a rookie.

But of all of the memories at Charlotte, one is strangely absent — a Cup Series points race victory.

The 42-year-old Earnhardt would like to change that in his final season as a NASCAR driver before stepping away for retirement. In fact, he wants to win the Coca-Cola 600 more than any other race remaining on the docket.

“I would love that, to win the 600,” Earnhardt said. “It’s an iconic event.”

There are others who’d like to see the sentimental favorite win this one. Seventime Cup Series champion and teammate Jimmie Johnson has been doing everything he can this week to help Earnhardt reach victory lane.

Earnhardt was a nonfactor at the All-Star race at CMS last weekend, but brought a different setup this week after consulting with teammate Johnson and No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus. That’s not a bad idea since Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion, has won more Cup Series races at CMS than any driver.

“We totally eighty-sixed all that stuff we ran last week and we put in Jimmie’s setup just like him,” Earnhardt said. “We are leaning on (the No. 48 team) pretty hard this weekend.”

Earnhardt ran a little better in practice on May 27 after qualifying 19th.