At Kentucky, Earnhardt claimed the newest rod and set another type of song being qualified rate number which have lap time of seconds and an increase away from kilometers hourly ( km/h)
Next times from the Race All of the-Superstar Battle, Earnhardt struggled a rigid dealing with vehicles a lot of one evening in advance of doing 7th. Another few days towards Coca-Soda 600, Earnhardt forgotten a motor and you may completed 39th, providing your 1st DNF because 2011. In the Quicken Financing eight hundred, Earnhardt led 23 laps but sustained a motor inability, and you may completed 37th as to what try the lowest part of your own seasons on Hendrick Motorsports communities as a whole (Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon each other got DNFs due to accidents, and you will Jimmie Johnson clipped an excellent tire which have 5 laps commit).[35] Pursuing the reduced regarding Michigan, Earnhardt had a 12th-put end at Sonoma.
From inside the battle, Earnhardt create head 80 laps, but create end up 2nd so you’re able to Jimmie Johnson
[36] Even if the guy come into rod, the guy shed top honors so you can Carl Edwards early. not, when you are Earnhardt is leading adopting the restart from an opponent caution (because of a rain impede), Denny Hamlin slashed an effective tire plus the carcass came up brand new tune and you may try strike because of the Earnhardt’s splitter by Jimmie Johnson’s auto, ultimately causing tall damage. Earnhardt had to make multiple charge through the industry so you can rescue a 12th-place wind up. Then got an enthusiastic 8th-put finish at Coke No eight hundred. He, Johnson, and you will Ryan Newman was really the only around three drivers in order to brush this new Top ten in Daytona racing.
Earnhardt following battled a troubled automobile during the Brand new Hampshire, in which he done 14th. Pursuing the finally away from day, the guy found some texture having stops off sixth at the Indianapolis and you will fifth on Pocono, while battling shed rims and you can vibrations when you look at the a course of a few months.
The No. 88 class next got a couple crappy weeks, which have a 30th-set end at Watkins Glen because of a later part of the battle freeze having Kasey Kahne. The following few days, Earnhardt blew a right front tire while you are running about Finest ten. The damage is adequate which he accomplished twenty six laps down, inside 36th put. It evaporated their Chase pillow, but with stops out of 10th on Bristol and you may eighth at Atlanta, he had been able to https://sugardaddydates.org/sugar-daddies-usa/il/rockford/ rebuild that it pillow. At the Richmond, the past competition of your normal year, Earnhardt merely had a need to finish 32nd or far better make Chase. Good 13th-lay find yourself did which, and he inserted this new Pursue seeded inside the ninth lay. This was the 1st time during the Earnhardt’s industry he had generated about three straight Pursue looks. In the first Pursue race in the Chicagoland Speedway, Earnhardt suffered a system incapacity, establishing your last in Pursue competition. The guy bounced back at the The latest Hampshire Motor Speedway, top 17 laps and you will doing 6th. The result try good enough to move Earnhardt to 11th in Chase towards Sprint Mug standings having 7 events kept throughout the year.
During the Dover, Earnhardt acquired their next rod of the season, means another type of qualifying price checklist of miles per hour. It was the first occasion while the 2002 which he got filed more than one rod during a season. The next month at the Ohio, the guy finished 8th. To make his 500th Cup start on Charlotte, Earnhardt provided 19 laps very early, however, done 15th if you find yourself having difficulties a strict race vehicles. Next day at Talladega, Earnhardt provided 38 laps and you may was about for a hit of Austin Dillon so you’re able to overtake Jamie McMurray with the past lap whenever Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tapped Dillon, leading to you to definitely rider in order to spin away immediately after which score strike by Casey Mears, making Earnhardt with a second-place end. Another day within Martinville, Earnhardt earned a keen eighth-put finish. Next week at Tx, he’d a stronger evening, completing next so you can Johnson with the 3rd time in the entire year (immediately following Daytona and you can Dover). Next week during the Phoenix, Earnhardt already been by being forced to pit with a loose controls early, putting your a good lap off. not, an alert allowed him to utilize the fresh new 100 % free solution to obtain back to your lead lap and you may salvage a fourth-set end.