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DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD IMPALA SS – Rain delay comment, when race was called, Finished 27th:

ON THE INCIDENT WITH BRIAN VICKERS AND DRIVING PAST THE PIT BOX, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH THESE THINGS? “My car is really, really good. The AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet has been good all day and into the night here. We worked real hard to get our lap back. That was my mistake coming on to pit road and missing my box. On the back straightaway, I was a lap down trying to get my lap back and I had a really, really good run and Brian (Vickers), he was side-by-side with somebody for the lead and I went on the inside and he drove me down, down almost into the grass below the line and I didn’t have much control over the car at that point. I was just trying to get back on the race track and I hit him in the quarter panel and spun him out.

“If he’d have just held his ground, I was the lapped car. I wasn’t even racing for position. That was unfortunate.”

NOW THAT YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR LAP BACK AND THE CREW HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT THE RIGHT FRONT FENDER, HOW IS IT NOW THAT WE’VE MADE IT TO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS? “I’m in good shape, man. If we can just get this thing going, we’ll drive her to the front.”

HOW WAS TIRE WEAR FOR YOU? “Well, it was bad at the start of the race but it got better, the longer we ran as the cooler temperatures came. It just got better and better as we went.”

PEOPLE THOUGHT HENDRICK WOULD DOMINATE HERE, YOUR THOUGHTS? “I was up front, the No. 24 was up front, and the No. 5 was up front. I don't know what race you was watching. Who has been dominate?”

I THINK OUR EXPECTATIONS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT UNREALISTIC, GUESS WE JUST EXPECTED YOU TO DOMINATE THE RACE: “Really? Why did you expect. Last year we didn't do that. I mean we were good all week, but not that good. You need to drop it a gear or two on your expectations. I think we were good, I just had some bad luck. Every time I would get in the front, some bad luck would take me to the back. Something I would do or something else. But I had a great car; I could run up in the top-five all night, all night, whatever. I think Jeff's (Gordon) car was good too. I don't know, he had some tire issues or something and had to pit early one time. I don't know why the No. 48 was struggling there. He seemed fast but he just, I don't know. I had a great car. My car was ready to go, just had some circumstances kept moving me to the back.”

WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE WITH THE BIG WRECK? “I got a run on Vickers and the guy he was beside. I went to the bottom of ‘em. Vickers drove me below the line. He ran in to me and sent me below the line. I was just trying not to run into, drive in to the grass and get my car under control and try and get above the line so I get penalized for being down there, I ran in to his quarter panel and spun him out.”

DOES IT MATTER THAT BLOCKING WAS GOING ON? “He shouldn't have started that, it would have never happened. If he had held his ground, who knows? He would have probably got the back or got the position back eventually, but at that point in the race, that was pretty reckless.”

WERE YOU CONCERNED THAT NASCAR WAS GOING TO PENALIZE YOU? “Penalize me? For what? I got ran in to and sent below the line. What the hell? I don't want to go down there, I didn't aim to go down there, and I got sent down there. What the hell am I supposed to do? Then what am I supposed to do? Stay down there? No. I got to get back up on the race track.

“It was unfortunate man. If he wasn't so damn reckless, we would have never had that problem, that would never happen. As far as I am concerned, it is all his responsibility.

“Matt (Kenseth) won. Good deal. Congratulations. He always says that he wants me to tutor him on these plate tracks. He finally got his damn trophy and can give me some damn pointers.”

WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE WITH YOU AND (BRIAN) VICKERS? “I got a run on him and he saw me coming. I had a big ole’ run on him and I went to the inside. I didn't try to make no late move and try to make it some surprise or anything, I just kind of eased on over there and he went to block me and hit me in the fender and sent us both off. Sent me down toward the grass and trying to recover my car I got back into him coming back up the race track. I don't hate it for him but for everybody else that got wrecked.”

WAS IT ACCIDENTAL? “Yeah it was accidental. I didn't want to wreck the field. I mean he drove me down almost into the grass. I was trying to get back up on the race track.”

JEFF BURTON AND YOU HAD CONVERSATION, WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? “I was trying to get my lap back and I think it was three-wide and put him in the middle sometime or another on the restart and he got shuffled back to the back and wrecked and he was upset with me for making it three-wide and I should have worked with him and all that. But rains coming time to try to win the race you know what I mean. Time to try to get back on the lead lap. We had a pit stop where our right-front tire I was told was only an inch on the line and I got penalized a lap for that. I don't feel like that's a fair trade but maybe its time we re-evaluate that rule. So I had to run hard and Vickers could have just held his ground. I had a great run. I was a lapped car anyways, I wasn't battling for the lead but he drove us down in the grass almost and I didn't have much control over my car after that.”

EARLY IN THE RACE YOU MISSED YOUR PIT ENTIRELY, WHAT HAPPENED THERE? “If you look down this pit road, my sign is pink and every other sign is pink so it’s hard to see. They're all about the same color. Everybody says all right I'm going to make mine yellow this week then two weeks later everybody’s is yellow. I was under a lot of pressure too. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get up in there and try to lead a lap and all that and I just wasn't thinking good. I mean I can't really blame it on anybody but myself.”