zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Dale Jr.'s Hopes Of Winning His Last Race At Daytona Just Hit A Wall Right Before The Big One
Dale Jr.'s Hopes Of Winning His Last Race At Daytona Just Hit A Wall Right Before The Big One-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:21

Dale Earnhardt Jr. came into today’s Coke Zero 400—his final race at Daytona International Speedway—as a favorite to win, from pole position. Then he hit the wall at Turn 1, damaging the right side of his car extensively. Now he’s got to fight his way back up from two laps down.

It’s unclear why Earnhardt hit the wall, but he said that he felt like he had a right-rear tire going down before doing so. Weirdly, his right-rear tire was fine when he came into the pits, although his right-front tire had gone flat in the crash.

Commentators speculated that Paul Menard might have made contact with Earnhardt before Earnhardt’s car hit the wall, but it’s hard to tell from the television footage.

Earnhardt then had to drag his damaged car all around the track until he could get to the pits, further damaging his car. His crew was able to repair it, but Earnhardt lost quite a lot of time and rejoined the race a couple of laps down.

Winning at Daytona obviously means a lot to Dale Jr., as it’s the place that took Dale Sr.’s life, and the summer Daytona race in particular is where Dale Jr. won the very first race immediately following his father’s last crash in 2001.

Of course, because Daytona is going to be crash-heavy Daytona, the next major incident was a “big one,” starting off with Kyle Busch losing it in the mid pack of the field:

The crash took Joey Logano and Austin Dillon out of the race.

Kyle Larson got the free pass after the crash, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only car that sits only one lap down now—meaning that he’s still got a chance.

: Dale’s already back on the lead lap after yet another caution here at Daytona. Brendan Gaughan made contact with Kurt Busch, pushing Gaughan back up into the wall. Dale Jr. received the free pass back onto the lead lap following the incident, so it’s not over yet.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Scott McLaughlin's Expectations For His IndyCar Debut
Scott McLaughlin's Expectations For His IndyCar Debut
Three-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will finally have his shot at an IndyCar Series debut. Originally scheduled to compete in the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the New Zealander to put his open-wheel plans on hold. But today at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg,...
Feb 12, 2026
Will Power Takes IndyCar St. Pete Pole, Championship Contenders To Start Farther Back
Will Power Takes IndyCar St. Pete Pole, Championship Contenders To Start Farther Back
Tomorrow’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg marks the IndyCar Series’ final event and the one that will decide the championship contender. But at the end of a messy qualifying session came a little bit of the familiar: Will Power took pole position for the last race of the year....
Feb 12, 2026
Lewis Hamilton Scores The Most Wins In Formula One History At 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton Scores The Most Wins In Formula One History At 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix
To flesh out the 2020 Formula One season, The Powers That Be fleshed out empty weekends with tracks that have either never appeared in F1 before or haven’t been part of the calendar for years. Some have been fun, some have been boring—but whatever else happens, we need to...
Feb 12, 2026
How This Sustainable Alternative to Carbon Fiber Holds Up In A Crash Test
How This Sustainable Alternative to Carbon Fiber Holds Up In A Crash Test
Carbon fiber changed the motorsport game when Formula One teams started using it to fabricate cars in the 1970s. A bunch of carbon atoms weaved together, carbon fiber is stiff, strong, and light—the perfect material from which to build competitive, aerodynamically-sensitive machines. But in an ecologically-conscious world, there might...
Feb 12, 2026
Franco Morbidelli Takes Second MotoGP Victory At Tereul Grand Prix, Tightens Championship Fight
Franco Morbidelli Takes Second MotoGP Victory At Tereul Grand Prix, Tightens Championship Fight
Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli had just about everything go his way at Sunday morning’s Tereul Grand Prix in Aragon, finishing two seconds ahead of his closest competition. It’s his second win of the 2020 season and a provides a s=olid improvement for his championship hopes. “ It really was...
Feb 12, 2026
Indy Lights Removes Freedom 100, Its Crown Jewel Event, For 2021
Indy Lights Removes Freedom 100, Its Crown Jewel Event, For 2021
The Indy Lights series is the top run of the Road to Indy feeder series ladder that brings talent into the IndyCar series. And while the series took a in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 and economic uncertainties, its return in 2021 will be marred by one big...
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved