Frustrated Earnhardt won't blame Kyle Busch

May 6, 2008

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. was frustrated as he climbed out of his car after a testing session yesterday in Concord, N.C.

But Earnhardt's angst wasn't directed at his fans' newest villain.

His throng of supporters loudly blamed Kyle Busch for the wreck Saturday night that ended Earnhardt's best chance to end his winless drought. But Earnhardt was more concerned with the hit he took in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after a possible win in the Dan Lowry 400 turned into a 15th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

"The only thing I'm upset with is not being able to get the points out of it I should have been able to get," Earnhardt said after the morning test at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

While Earnhardt hasn't won since 2006, he has been consistently good in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. He had seven top-10 finishes in the first nine races, and when Denny Hamlin's dominance in the first 381 laps of Saturday's short-track race ended with a flat tire, Earnhardt moved to the front.

But after Hamlin stopped on the track instead of limping to pit road, the caution allowed Busch - whom Earnhardt replaced at Hendrick - to get on Earnhardt's bumper for the restart.

They raced side-by-side until Busch's car appeared to get loose and they made contact in Turn 3. Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet spun and hit the wall.

The winless streak would hit 72 races.

Earnhardt said Saturday night that he needed to watch replays before commenting on the wreck. Outside his hauler yesterday, Earnhardt was careful not to take a shot at Busch.

"It was just hard racing," Earnhardt said. "Kyle has his style of driving. I would have been a little more ... I don't know. Maybe I would have ran as hard at it as he did. I don't know what I would have done."

After finishing second to Clint Bowyer, Busch moved into the points lead ahead of Jeff Burton.

• IndyCar // X-rays were negative on rookie driver Jaime Camara's injured back. The Brazilian, 27, was hospitalized after a crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500 on May 25. He will be examined again this morning.

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Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

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