Race: Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile tri-oval / 113 laps
Weather: Cloudy, 64 degrees
Race Winner: Joey Logano
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 3rd
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 Mountain Dew entered Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race looking to learn as much as they could for next weekend’s points event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. What they ended up with were a few lessons learned and a solid third-place finish on a wacky night where many were left confused by a newly-instituted format for the sport’s annual exhibition race.
After a rain shower cancelled qualifying, Earnhardt lined up 10th for the first 50-lap segment. Throughout the first 50 laps, Earnhardt reported his car’s ride quality was very rough on the right side as he ended up 11th out of 20 cars.
Following some major adjustments by crew chief Greg Ives, Earnhardt took the green flag 11th in the second 50-lap stint, but did not make much progress in the early laps. Reporting that the adjustments actually enhanced the ride-quality issues he was facing, Earnhardt came back to pit road under caution at lap 65 for four tires and additional chassis adjustments. The combination of fresh tires and positive changes from Ives allowed Earnhardt to jump into the top 10 and climb his way to third by the end of the segment.
In the new All-Star Race format, there was a random draw to determine whether or not the first nine, 10, or 11 cars would be forced to pit prior to the final 13-lap dash. Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen selected the number 11, which meant Earnhardt would have to come down pit road and have to pass several cars if he hoped to earn his second career All-Star Race victory.
Earnhardt entered pit road third and left second after a blazing-fast pit stop by the Mountain Dew crew. The No. 88 lined up fourth for the final 13-lap segment and immediately shot to the outside in turn one. Unfortunately for Earnhardt, he was on the outside of four wide, which allowed Kyle Larson and Joey Logano to slide by on the inside lane with equal tires to Earnhardt’s.
Logano eventually tracked down Larson and the pair waged a spirited battle for the win with Logano claiming his first All-Star Race victory as Larson eventually made contact with the outside retaining wall. Brad Keselowski took second with Earnhardt third, Carl Edwards fourth and Kurt Busch fifth.