Notes from June Pocono run could spell successful weekend for Earnhardt

LONG PONG, Pa. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet team are using information from their strong run in June at Pocono Raceway to prepare for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at the 2.5-mile speedway.

“You always learn things as the season goes on,” crew chief Steve Letarte said. “The last race there was the first time in a few years that everyone was able to shift again. That is definitely going to affect it. Now that we have a race there under our belts we’ll be going back with things that we have changed. The No. 24 team won, and (Jeff Gordon) was fast and we were pretty fast. We have high expectations going back.”

During the June event at Pocono, Earnhardt worked his way from his 21st starting position to finish sixth and earn his second top-10 finish at the Pennsylvania track behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.  More than 90 percent of the race was held under green-flag conditions, and Earnhardt used that time to post the eighth-fastest green-flag speed, an average of 159.955 mph. He also recorded 108 green-flag passes, 57 of which were quality passes where he slipped past a competitor running inside the top 15.
 
In 23 Cup starts at the triangular track, Earnhardt has recorded one pole position, five top-five finishes and seven top-10s. The 36-year-old driver earned the pole position at Pocono in August 2007. During that race, he led eight laps and finished second in that race matching his best performance at the 500-mile event. Earnhardt also finished second there on July 29, 2001, after leading 31 laps.

“Pocono is real tough to get around, but I like it,” Earnhardt said. “It’s a pretty tough racetrack with all three corners being really different. The car wants to drive different through all three corners. Hopefully you have a good balance across the board.”

On Sunday, watch the No. 88 team tackle the Trick Triangle at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.