NASCAR At Darlington: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Says Talladega Still Isn’t The Same

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t go as far to agree with everything Tony Stewart said in his post-Talladega interview, the driver did acknowledge the racing at Talladega wasn’t what it could have been.

But as he stated, that was in part because his car wasn’t to his liking, which prevented him from racing the way he would have preferred.

“I was disappointed in how the racing went myself as far as how difficult it was to get the outside lane to move,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “There was just not as much passing as I anticipated. The cars didn’t – I like the pack racing, but we weren’t really able to challenge and make moves on each other like I anticipated happening.

“... (But) I also didn’t have that great of a race car, so I was holding back a little of my judgment due to the fact that my car just wasn’t competitive enough to do the things I wanted it to do. Had it been more competitive, maybe I would have enjoyed the racing better.”

As for Stewart’s comments, Earnhardt Jr. said he was amused at the “parody” interview.

“I know it was just kind of his sense of humor and a way for him to vent his frustration with the style of racing that he had and he saw that day without doing it in a derogatory way or some way that might come back on him,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

“What he said isn’t really how he feels; it was kind of a parody on the day. He feels strongly that it’s not good and he thinks it should be better and could be better and thinks things should be changed and we should do the things differently as far as the plate package is concerned and the style of racing that we have there.”

Unlike Talladega, this week presents a different challenge to Earnhardt Jr. in his quest to snap his nearly four-year winless streak, as Darlington is less about pure speed and horsepower and more about getting your car to handle correctly.

It’s also a place Earnhardt Jr. has had limited success on, having never won here before and posting just three top-five finishes in 17 career starts. Regardless, it’s a track Earnhardt Jr. has much respect for.

“It’s a tough track,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s got a lot of history and a well-deserved reputation for being difficult, challenging.”