Campingworld.com 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. blows tire, crashes hard

Any chance Dale Earnhardt Jr. had of finishing fourth or better in every race this season ended in a hard crash Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Earnhardt was exiting Turn 2 when the right-rear tire suddenly let go with no warning, sending the No. 88 car slamming into the outside backstretch wall. The damage was significant and Earnhardt, who was uninjured, finished 43rd and last in the CampingWorld.com 500.

While it was a tire failure that sidelined him, Earnhardt didn’t fault Goodyear but instead his own team. Because he had been dealing with a loose condition throughout the afternoon, Earnhardt burned up his tires fighting the ill-handling car.

“You can’t wear the tire out,” Earnhardt said. “You have to get your car handling better.”

Temperatures in the 80s and a slick track contributed to the looseness Earnhardt felt. Nonetheless, he refused to blame anyone but himself and his team for what unfolded because they couldn’t get the 88 car to handle better.

Next week the Sprint Cup Series visits Auto Club Speedway in Southern California, where the forecast is expected to be similar to Sunday at Phoenix.

“Well it’s going to be hot a lot of races,” Earnhardt said. “We just have to get the balance better where we don’t burn the tire off of it.”

Goodyear cited a melted bead and excessive brake heat as the culprit for Earnhardt’s tire problem. Sam Hornish Jr. had experienced a similar issue earlier.

Earnhardt began the season with a pair of third-place finishes and a fourth. By finishing 43rd Sunday, he dropped from second in points to sixth.

“It’s our first bit of adversity this year,” Earnhardt wrote on Twitter. “Nothing we can’t respond to. Haven’t won @ACSupdates yet. Next week [is] as good as any.”