Dale Earnhardt set the record straight
at Talladega: His fans are going to have to wait for his retirement
tour. And the wait could be lengthy one.The seven-time Winston Cup champion
is close to finalizing a new contract with car owner Richard
Childress, and of course is actively involved with son Dale
Jr's upcoming Winston Cup rookie season in 2000. More significantly,
perhaps, Earnhardt is seriously stoked about his prospects
for the future, despite being 48 years old and being written
off after winning just one Winston Cup race between March 1996 and
the end of last season.
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After qualifying 9th and running in the top five for
much of the race, Mark finished 15th in the Winston 500 at
Talladega Superspeedway. Mark was shuffled back to 18th place during the
three- and four-wide racing that took place in the closing laps. The
driver of the Roush Racing Ford picked up a few spots before the checkered
flag flew for race winner Dale Earnhardt and the pack of cars that were
hot on his heels. "I'm really glad that it is over and that nobody got
hurt," Mark said. "That is just not real racing. I'm ready to go to
Rockingham where the driver is involved in how well you do on the track.
You can't just run wide open there and hope for the best."
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After a weekend of restrictor plate racing at Talladega,
Mark is ready for what he calls "real racing" at Rockingham. "Running at
Talldega and Daytona is not real racing," he said. "I'm so glad that is
over for the year and we don't have to race like that again until
February. Rockingham is a place where you have to lift in the corners.
Everyone can run wide open at Talladega and there is no real skill to
that. I like to race at a place where you have to be brave enough to see
who can get back in the gas first. If your car is good enough, you can
drive a little deeper into the corner than the other guys. Real racing is
about the driver and the car, not about staying in line."
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After winning at Rockingham in
February, Mark is ready to return to North Carolina Speedway. A
15.31-second final pit stop by the Valvoline/Cummins team put Mark in
the lead for good at Rockingham. "That was a great win," Mark said. "It
had been 10 years since Jack Roush and I won a Winston Cup race at
Rockingham together. The pit stop made all the difference. Hopefully we
can prove what a great team we are on Saturday during the pit stop
competition too. These guys worked hard all season, but the pit stops get
tougher every week. There is so much competition, but I couldn't ask for a
better group of guys." Mark has two wins and four poles in 26 career starts
at the 1.017-mile track. He is the current track record holder for
qualifying: 157.885 mph, set in February, 1997. In addition to his two
wins, Martin also has 10 top-five finishes and 15 top 10s at the track.
His career Winston Cup earnings at Rockingham are $718,814.
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