Apologetic Dale Earnhardt Jr. Feels He Disrespected Jeff Burton In Wreck

Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a dash for the infield care center after causing a crash at Sunday’s Talladega race, jogging inside the medical building to apologize to veteran Jeff Burton for his role in the wreck.

Earnhardt Jr. was trying to bump-draft with Burton on lap 134 when his move failed. The mistake ended Burton’s race and damaged Earnhardt Jr.‘s car, along with the one driven by Jamie McMurray.

“We just didn’t hit him square, misjudged the push I was going to give him and did it incorrectly,” Earnhardt Jr. said, apologizing to both Richard Childress Racing and his own team for causing the accident.

The sport’s most popular driver went to the care center, he said, because “I just wanted to apologize to (Burton).”

“Man, he’s one of the ambassadors for our sport and I have so much respect for him,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “When you are out there racing, you aren’t considering all those things.

“As soon as I turned him, I felt terrible about it. I just respect him so much – he’s taught me a lot in my career. I didn’t show him as much respect as I should have, but I didn’t have any intentions of spinning him out.”

Though Burton angrily kicked his No. 31 car after the wreck, he said he had no ill feelings toward Earnhardt Jr.

“It’s just the nature of the beast,” Burton said. “He did not do anything wrong. I’m not mad about it. That’s kind of like how our year has gone – fast race cars, put ourselves in position to win races and then stuff seems to happen.”

Said Earnhardt Jr., who led a race-high 24 laps: “(The racing) is fun and pretty exciting. (There are) just times as you’ve seen with my accident...sometimes you make mistakes, and I made one today.”