Dale Jr. using backup car after crash

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from the rear of the field for the Daytona 500 after getting caught up in a crash in practice Wednesday.

The driver had been off to a strong start to the season, winning the pole position for Sunday’s race earlier this week and then posting the top speed in Wednesday’s rain-delayed practice session.

Although he will still technically be in the pole position when the cars pull off pit road, Earnhardt Jr. will then drop to the rear of the field before the green flag waves.

He will also drop to the rear of the field for Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying race.

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Early in Wednesday's practice, he was caught up in a crash with Martin Truex Jr. and slammed into the inside retaining wall. Earnhardt Jr.’s car was significantly damaged, and his team pulled out the backup car. The team is bringing the car that Earnhardt Jr. raced in the Shootout on Saturday back to the track Wednesday night to have as a new backup.

"We were coming around the corner and there were three guys on the inside and they moved up off the bottom, and me and Jimmie (Johnson) had to check up, and I got hit from behind there," Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt Jr. admitted that the accident left him with a bit of a familiar feeling.

"Just getting caught up in wrecks," he said, adding that he feels some frustration. "Just feeling a little snakebit right now, because, I don't feel like I was really at fault in any of them but we just keep getting in them."

He added that he didn't really feel like his team should have been practicing at all Wednesday.

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"Well, we have the pole-sitting race car, don't need to practice," he said. ". . . I hadn't been out there. We hadn't practiced together, so no. I don't know who is paying attention and who ain't. I had a fast car and didn't want to practice it."

Truex said that the accident was caused by a series of events, including the fact the drivers behind him couldn't really see what was happening.

“It was just an unfortunate situation for all of us," he said. "We’ve got a good car,, but it is what it is. I was working with Brian Vickers there — another Toyota. We were just getting the switch down and seeing how our cooling system was and how long we could push for. We were just kind of going back and forth there with the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and us two.

"We came up on some slower cars, and it looked like they just came up in front of the 48 and the 88. When they checked up, I checked up and I was being pushed.

"The guy behind you can’t see what’s going on. When I talked to Brian, he had no idea that they were even checking up. I saw them kind of wiggling around and getting out of shape and I tried to save it, but the guy pushing is pushing fast and the next thing you know, we’re spinning. It’s unfortunate, but I would rather get it out of the way now and, hopefully, not wreck in the 500.”

From his point of view, there was just a mistake made by a group of cars led by Robby Gordon getting caught quickly on the track. The closing rate of the cars coming up on them caused the melee.

“Just somebody made a bad decision up ahead. Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and Jimmie (Johnson) and me and (Brian) Vickers kind of had our own two-car deals going there," Truex said. "We were kind of swapping back and forth. We just had caught some guys that were a lot slower than we were. For some reason they decided to pull up in front of our little pack coming at them about 20 mph faster than they were going.

"It’s just a shame to tear up race cars in practice. We had a great NAPA Toyota, and I’m sure our backup will be just as good. It’s not really a big hit to our week or anything. It’s just a lot of extra work that these guys don’t need. It was easily avoidable by some of the guys out there.”

Truex will also drop to the rear of the Duel because he is going to a backup car. He has not yet earned his starting position for the Daytona 500, so that will be determined by his finish in the Duel. Only the front row positions were determined in Sunday's qualifying.

As to Earnhardt Jr., he was already working to put the incident behind him and said that he has faith that his backup car will also be strong.

His emotions?

"Get the next one ready," he said.