Rain delay ruins Dale Jr.’s back-up Indy plan
Ill Earnhardt had hoped to have replacement driver lined up for Sunday
 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. places his helmet on his car after qualifying for Sunday's Allstate 400. |
Tom Strattman / AP |
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INDIANAPOLIS - Dale Earnhardt Jr. had no trouble qualifying Saturday at Indianapolis.
Finishing 400 miles in Sunday’s race may be a different matter.
Earnhardt fought off a stomach virus that sapped his energy and forced him to take intravenous fluids this weekend to qualify third at 180.567 mph.
But a carefully scripted backup plan fell apart because of a rain delay that lasted about four hours.
Junior’s team wanted Hendrick Motorsports developmental driver Brad Keselowski to run laps in the No. 88 car later Saturday, just in case Earnhardt needed a relief driver Sunday. Instead, the 25-year-old Nationwide Series regular had to get to O’Reilly Raceway Park for the start of his own race, leaving Earnhardt likely on his own.
“I don’t think Brad is going to be able to come out and run it today. So we’re not going to have a backup plan, but that’s all right. We’ll see how it goes,” Earnhardt said. “It was a 24-hour stomach bug and I guess I lost a bunch of fluids during that whole deal. I feel real good right now, I’ve just got to get a lot more fluids back in me.”
Earnhardt’s biggest concern: Dehydration.
He had a fever Thursday night and was vomiting Friday morning. The illness limited Junior to only 19 laps in practice Friday, and the fever returned Friday night.
By Saturday afternoon, Earnhardt was feeling better.
“I feel about 90 percent today,” he said. “It was real frustrating yesterday because we didn’t come in till Friday morning and I felt so terrible before we flew out.”
The illness didn’t hurt Earnhardt’s performance.
If Junior can build on his qualifying performance Sunday, he could end his 40-race winless drought, which dates to June 2006 at Michigan.
“I feel tons better,” he said Saturday. “I used to think a sore throat was the worst thing, but I’m not a very big fan of stomach viruses now.”
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