The optimism Dale Earnhardt Jr. generated with his aggressive run in the May 19 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race took a hit Saturday afternoon as Earnhardt struggled with the handling of his No. 88 Chevrolet during final practice for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The bottom line was that Earnhardt simply couldn’t find the speed he had enjoyed in the All-Star event, where he finished fourth overall after winning the preliminary Sprint Showdown and the fourth of five segments in the main event.
In Happy Hour, on the other hand, Earnhardt was 22nd fastest, with his best lap .356 seconds slower than that of practice leader Brad Keselowski.
Earnhardt and his crew worked on the car throughout the session, but at the end of Happy Hour, they still had issues.
“It drives like (expletive),” Earnhardt said after a final shock change. “It was really, really tight into (Turn) 3. It’d come off the corner and just snap.
There was no reason for Earnhardt Nation to abandon all hope, however. Most of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is run at night —- like the All-Star Race and unlike practice.
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