Earnhardt Takes Frustration Out on 10+ Racers

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended the dreams of 10+ cars Sunday at the Daytona 500 as he selfishly hooked Brian Vickers on Lap 125. Both Earnhardt and Vickers were a lap down battling for the lucky dog (free pass) position to, in the event of a caution, earn their lap back.

The caution was caused as Earnhardt clearly went below the yellow line to attempt a pass on Vickers. Vickers aggressively slammed the door on his pass attempt. Earnhardt was clearly frustrated with the block and retaliated by turning right back into the left rear fender of Vickers. “Vickers could have just held his ground, we had a run on him,” Earnhardt said during a red flag rain stoppage.

His frustration came from two mistakes that he cannot blame anyone for, except himself. On a pit stop Earnhardt missed his pit box. He was forced to go around the track and try again. On another pit stop Earnhardt failed to properly stop in his pit box. Nascar’s rule is that all four tires must be inside the pit box, with the exception of the right rear tire. Earnhardt came to a stop with his right front on the pit box line, which by rule, if work is done on the car, is out of bounds. The penalty? One lap.

Earnhardt took the frustration he had built up from his horrendous day, directly, on Vickers and indirectly on the most dominant driver of the day, Kyle Busch, along with others. Busch has led the majority of the race, as well as leading the pack on the 100^th lap.

The most annoying thing about this entire ordeal is that Earnhardt’s battle had nothing to do with the leaders. He was not going to get to the front of the pack. I’m sorry Earnhardt fans (if he has any) he just wasn’t going to do it. He wasn’t good enough all day to make a run at the leaders, especially if Busch would have stayed in the race. On top of this he turned Vickers not only head first into the concrete barrier, but also broadside to the 40+ cars raging behind him. It was an extremely dangerous maneuver, which could have left many racers with serious injuries to themselves. Thankfully, however, all drivers remained safe.

The race was called after a strong rain came down on the track. Matt Kenseth finished in the top spot, leading just one lap. This is his first Daytona 500 victory.

This 500 proved to be another great one, as it also capped off a fantastic race weekend.

-Kyle Bennett

Kyle Bennett can be reached at minaret.overtime@gmail.com