Earnhardt Gambles and Wins in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Sin city tests the pack and Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerges victorious at the Kobalt 400 this Easter Sunday. 

Lady luck smiled upon Dale Earnhardt Jr. this weekend. While her methods seemed a bit unconventional at times, she was able to give Earnhardt an edge over the pack leading him to a victory and securing himself a spot in the Race for the Chase.

Brian Vickers pit crew tries to repair the damage from being rear ended.

The day started off rough as Carl Edwards spun uncontrollably in lap 5, causing the first of many cautions for the day. While Earnhardt was able to narrowly avoid disaster, he would not be so fortunate in pit row following the accident. Upon entering his stall, Earnhardt rear ended Brian Vickers causing damage to both parties. “I saw him coming in fast from my mirror, but I never thought he’d make impact. I was pretty livid, but the damage was mainly superficial and my team was able to get me back out there pretty quickly.” stated Vickers. In a post-race conference, when asked about the incident, Earnhardt responded “I felt my brakes lock up when while trying to avoid Edwards in turn one. Right before I entered the pit, they were just completely unresponsive.” In one of his many gambles of the day, Earnhardt decided to roll the dice and instructed his crew to only replace two tires following the collision, shaving valuable seconds off and only dropping him back 5 positions.

As the race continued on, Earnhardt began to find his groove and initiated his fight for a top twenty position. Unfortunately, Jimmy Johnson exercised poor judgment when entering the pits in lap fifteen, causing a five-car wreck involving Harvick, Keselowski, Wise, Biffle, and Earnhardt. This crash would effectively end Earnhardt’s run to the front of the pack and throw him back in to 30th.

Jimmy Johnson causes five car wreck on lap fifteen.

As the field began to pit on lap 27, Earnhardt decided to bet against the house and stay on the track. “I felt confident with my car at that point and really didn’t want to continue avoiding wrecks for the rest of the day. I wanted to get in front and take control of the race. It’s one of those moments you really test yourself as a driver, if you make the wrong call you regret it forever.” Earnhardt said about his risky strategy. His bet would pay off handsomely as David Ragan would spin out 3 laps later, throwing a caution that would give Earnhardt the chance to pit at a pivotal moment.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Kobalt 400.

But in what may have been one of the boldest moves of the day, with only few laps left to go, Earnhardt refused his final pit for fuel, leaving everything in the hands of lady luck. “He was running on fumes!” Crew chief Steve Letarte said “We really weren’t sure if he was going to make it”. In one of the most suspenseful 35 seconds of the entire race, spectators held their collective breaths as they watched Earnhardt’s Chevy sputter around the lap one final time, bringing him to victory. When asked why he chose to risk placing first at the price of possibly not finishing the race at all, Earnhardt responded “Because winning is the most fun.”