KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for the Protection One 400 on Friday and was bombarded afterward with questions about a concussion that he blamed his subpar season on.
Earnhardt, who won his second pole of the season, turned a fast lap of 177.924 mph on the 1.5-mile tri-oval in his Chevrolet. He watched as that speed, a Winston Cup record at the 2-year-old track, withstood challenges from rookies Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman.
Then he faced a flood of questions about an interview with The Associated Press and USA Today earlier this week. Earnhardt said the lingering effects of a concussion suffered April 28 in a crash at California Speedway was a major cause of his struggles this season.
It was an injury Earnhardt said he didn't even bring up at the time, although he said he consulted later with his own doctors. Now, he wishes he'd never mentioned it at all.
``I didn't expect it to be such a deal,'' he said.
Earnhardt, who won the Pepsi 400 on Aug. 18 at the Michigan International Speedway, said he didn't mention the concussion when it happened because he was more worried about another injury.
``That particular day, I thought I'd broken my ankle in the crash,'' he said. ``''
Besides, Earnhardt said, ``I didn't need a doctor to tell me. I knew right away. It was the hardest hit I ever took.''
Earnhardt said he still hasn't spoken to NASCAR officials about the issue.
``I did not do NASCAR any justice by keeping this a secret from them,'' he said. ``I feel really bad. I kept it a secret because I was thinking of myself.''
Johnson, who tied a Winston Cup rookie record with his third win last week at Dover, Del., will start on the outside front on Sunday after turning in a quick lap of 177.854 mph in his Chevrolet.
``I'm not disappointed,'' Johnson said. ``When you can give 100 percent and you get beat, not that you're happy about that, but you're OK with it then.''
Newman, whose best speed in his Ford was 176.898 mph, will start third.
``Qualifying as fast as they are every week, it's a tough competition trying to get a pole,'' Earnhardt said. ``I'm proud of being able to beat those guys.''
Michael Waltrip, who earlier Friday won the Busch Series pole for Saturday's Mr. Goodcents 300, will start on the outside of the second row as Chevrolets took three of the top four spots.
``It's a good day to be me,'' Waltrip said. ``We thought we might get a couple of poles today, but this is still great position for us.''
Waltrip is followed in the top 10 by Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon, who won Kansas Speedway's first Winston Cup event a year ago.
``I thought we'd run a lot better than that,'' Gordon said. ``The car was pretty well balanced. I just couldn't get back on the gas as hard as I wanted to, up off the corner.''
Martin, who leads Johnson by just 30 points in the standings, was more pleased with his fifth-row start - especially after struggling in practice Friday morning.
``We just got a lap. That's why I'm so happy,'' he said. ``The car was not good, but I feel like once we get a chance to get it out and run some laps in race trim, we'll figure out what it is that it really needs.''
Marlin, who is 81 points behind Martin in fourth place, admitted that his own title hopes hinge on Martin having a run of bad luck - but added that part of him is pulling for the veteran who has never won a Winston Cup.
``I'd like to see Mark Martin win it if we can't,'' Marlin said. ``He's been in the sport a lot of years. He's a class guy and hasn't got a lot of years left driving.''
Saturday
March 22nd, 2025
11:33AM
