Alabama restrictor-plate racing isn’t what it used to be. Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t winning all the time.
The popular driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet won four consecutive Nextel races at Talladega Superspeedway from 2001 to 2003, and also won the first of two events at the 2.66-mile oval in 2004.
Overall, he has captured five of the past nine at Talladega, but neither of the past two.
“It’s really anybody’s race now, I guess, when you go to plate tracks,” Earnhardt told reporters in Richmond, Va., about Talladega and Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the tracks that warrant horsepower-snuffing plates that limit speeds. “Nobody’s really sort of shown they have the upper hand anymore. It sort of goes in cycles.”
Junior’s salute to Big E
Earnhardt Jr.’s typically red Budweiser car will be predominantly black this weekend, similar to the old No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet driven by his father, the late Dale Earnhardt.
The paint scheme is a Dale Earnhardt Inc. tribute to Earnhardt’s posthumous induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame on Thursday, his success at Talladega, and what would have been his 55th birthday on Saturday.
Earnhardt, who drove for Richard Childress Racing while his son broke into the series with Dale Earnhardt Inc., won a record 10 of his 76 career races at Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. is the track’s second-winningest Cup driver with five.
“I think the car looks good and I think it’s a cool way to honor my dad,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a national teleconference. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to be behind the wheel of that car and sort of see the reaction it gets from the other drivers on the racetrack.”
Kenseth hopeful
Matt Kenseth took over the points lead last weekend, but his second stint atop the 2006 standings could be short-lived if history is any indication.
Kenseth’s average starting position at Talladega is 26.9, his worst among all Cup tracks. And his average finish at restrictor-plate tracks is 19.0; his overall average is 15.6.
“Talladega is all about staying out of trouble, getting to the end and picking the right lane at the right time,” Kenseth said. “Anytime we go to Talladega I know it’s going to be a wild race. There are some things that are out of my control, but I have to make sure that I take care of what I can and get our car to the finish, hopefully with a chance to win.”
Good listener
Kasey Kahne, who is third in the standings and just 51 points behind Kenseth, used to be U.S. Auto Club teammates with defending Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart when the two competed in sprints, midgets and the Silver Crown circuits in the 1990s.
Stewart, who will be 35 next month, is nine years older than Kahne, and treats Kahne like a protégé.
“He’s a talented kid, and he’s one of those guys that when you explain something to him he does a lot more listening than he does talking,” Stewart said. “That’s something that’s hard to find with guys that are really competitive.”
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
