Junior not happy with DEI's move
LAS VEGAS – When he first got word that all references to him had been removed from the headquarters of Dale Earnhardt Inc., Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fine with it. But after stewing over it for a bit, he's not.
"I got to thinking about it, and it sort of hurt my feelings," Earnhardt Jr. said at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where preseason testing resumed Monday. "It's sort of a – even the guys that are still there that worked on that car, to not see the accolades, any sort of appreciation for the work they did, that they're still there. And the Tony Jr.'s, the guys that aren't there anymore that had something to do with the Daytona 500 win; that had something to do with the Busch Series championships and stuff.
"But I ain't going to spend any more time on it, because there's just better things to worry about and occupy your time with."
Hard day's work: Wind was the story of Day 1 of testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gusts blew at 20 mph, which not only made things difficult for driving, but in getting useful information to take out of the test.
"It makes things kind of cloudy," Carl Edwards explained. "Some of the things you feel might be because of the wind."
After Denny Hamlin posted the fastest lap in the morning session, teammate Kyle Busch went fastest in the afternoon, making it a clean sweep for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.
Monday's test session was hardly without incident. Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Regan Smith and David Ragan all either slammed the wall or spun.
Conditions are expected to be more favorable for Day 2 on Tuesday.
No double duty?: Hornish Jr. said Monday it's doubtful he'll be able to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca Cola 600 on May 25. In making the switch from open-wheel to stock car racing, his focus, he said, must remain on NASCAR and the Coca Cola 600.
"If it was up to me, I would," said Hornish, the 2006 Indy 500 champion. "It really depends how things are going over here. I think Roger (Penske) and I have talked about it a couple of times. There's obviously nothing set.
"I think if we're to a point where we feel confident with how we're doing over here, (if) it's not going to hurt us, that we would try it," he continued. "But I would say it's still way more not going to happen than could happen. So we'll just see how the first couple months of this season play out. Hopefully, if I don't get to race there this year, maybe next year."
