Race: NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile quad-oval / 70 laps
Weather: Clear, 82 degrees
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 18th

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 18th in Saturday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race marked Earnhardt’s 18th and final edition of the annual exhibition race.

A stellar qualifying run Friday afternoon allowed the 2000 All-Star Race winner to start sixth. At the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt found the handling tricky on his No. 88 Axalta/Maaco Chevrolet. He reported his car was very loose on corner entry, but also extremely tight in the center of the turns at the 1.5-mile track. By the end of the opening 20-lap stage, the No. 88 was scored 16th.

A myriad of adjustments by crew chief Greg Ives and the Axalta crew couldn’t help Earnhardt during the short 70-lap event as he ultimately finished 19th in the second stage and 18th in the third stage. Earnhardt’s average finish in the first three stages did not qualify him to advance to the final 10-lap stage to determine the race winner.

Kyle Busch captured his first career NASCAR All-Star Race victory over Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray.