Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers

Dale Jr had a strong run at Richmond and was in contention for the win. He started 10th and did well during the entire race. Due to penalties to Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, Dale was able to make his way to 3rd place and finished 2nd. This good finish has moved Dale back into the 2nd place in points. :)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes keen interest in White House while tracing his family tree

Bob Pockrass
Sporting News


KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been to The White House before, but his visit Tuesday allowed him to view the inside of the historic building with a different perspective.

Earnhardt Jr. revealed Friday that he has spent significant time the last six months researching his family heritage beyond his well-known father, the seven-time Cup champion, and his grandfather, short-track legend Ralph Earnhardt.

So when Earnhardt Jr. visited The White House along with the other 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers, Earnhardt Jr. paid more attention to some of the older pieces of art than he had in the past.

“Ralph’s father, I didn’t know who he was, never really cared who he was, never thought about who he was or what his family would be like,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Kansas Speedway. “I never thought past Ralph all these years.”

With the help of a genealogy expert, Earnhardt Jr. found the burial plots for his great-grandfather and his great-great-grandfather on Ralph’s side of the family in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. To him, it was neat to find the plots of relatives, including some born as far back as 1809.

“It’s really cool to stand there over somebody that is responsible for you being there,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “That was pretty neat. I had people tell me to work on my family tree before, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“Once I got into it, I started to realize the importance of it. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Earnhardt Jr. hopes to create a document with his family tree so other family members can learn about their heritage.

That experience translated into him taking keen interest in things at The White House, such as a portrait of George Washington.

“There was a picture of George Washington that they carried out of the place when they set it on fire (in the War of 1812),” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’ve known that and they told us about that before, but I didn’t really grasp what that meant, how old that piece truly is.

“He is standing out in front of it. Being (able) to literally reach out and touch it is a pretty amazing thing.”


Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2012-04-20/dale-earnhardt-jr-family-tree-family-history-white-house-visit#ixzz1ss0VPN3U

STP 400

Dale Jr had a good day, running as high as third and didn't fall out of the top 20 all day. Even after missing the entrance to pit road and having to come back around for his pit stop, he and the 88 team didn't miss a beat all day. Junior started and finished in 7th position and he's slipped one more position to 4th in the standings.

Samsung Mobile 500

Dale Jr started the day in 16th and quickly made his way into the top 10. After the first pit stop, Dale's car got pretty loose and he fell back to where he started. After another pit stop his car went back to good and he moved to the top 10 and stayed there, finishing 10th and moving down one spot to 3rd in points.

Next week the guys head to Kansas.

Auto Club 400 and Goody's Fast Relief 500

Dale Jr had a decent day both last week and this week, running in the top 10 almost all day starting 14th and finishing 3rd. Last week Dale Jr moved to 3rd in points and this week he's moved up again into 2nd place in points. NASCAR is off next week for Easter, and will head to Texas for the Saturday night race. See you then!