When you’re in Las Vegas, it’s almost a prerequisite you gamble and that’s exactly what Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Greg Ives did during Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Las Vegas 2015: Dale Earnhardt Jr. supports crew chief’s late gamble, wants wins
A gamble on pit strategy didn’t pan out, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t second-guessing his crew chief.
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With 35 laps remaining, Earnhardt was second to Kevin Harvick, who dominated much of the Kobalt 400. Seeing little chance to pass Harvick outright, Ives elected to take just right-side tires on Earnhardt’s final pit stop.
The move temporarily jumped Earnhardt ahead of Harvick, but it was short-lived. In little time Harvick re-passed Earnhardt en route to handily scoring the win. On older tires, Earnhardt faded to finish fourth behind Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman.
Despite the risk not paying dividends, Earnhardt supported Ives’ bold call. He likes the idea of pursuing wins rather than points racing, a strategy Earnhardt’s previous crew chief Steve Letarte executed rather successfully last season. Letarte guided Earnhardt to four wins in 2014, but resigned to become an analyst for NBC Sports this year.
“I like to gamble. I liked the call. I love being aggressive,” Earnhardt said. “We weren’t going to drive up there and pass (Harvick). So, we had to take a chance. Second, fifth, fourth, whatever; it really don’t matter if you don’t win.”
By finishing fourth Earnhardt continues a strong start to 2015. He placed third in the season-opening Daytona and followed with a third last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Sunday marked the second year in a row Earnhardt nearly won at Las Vegas. Last season he was leading on the final lap when the No. 88 car ran out of fuel into Turn 3.
“We think we’ve got cars better than we had last year,” Earnhardt said. “The engine department is doing awesome and we’re going to get one. I want to win! We’re going to get there.”
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