Junior could get head start from bad finish

Wednesday, March 9, 2005 | 8:18 a.m.

Maybe his 32nd-place finish two weeks ago at California Speedway wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt suffered a series of blown tires during the Auto Club 500 and eventually fell 13 laps off the pace after making repeated pit stops to change tires and fix the ensuing sheet-metal damage. As a result, Earnhardt and his team used the remainder of that race as a mini-test session for this weekend's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"It wasn't much fun driving around with tires blowing out all day, but that's what happened and it's behind us," Earnhardt said. "Nobody said it was going to be a cakewalk. We're going to get better because of what happened.

"I was real happy the way (crew chief Pete Rondeau) and all the guys handled the situation. Pete had me calm and chilled-out at a time when I probably would've lost focus and been all over the place. I like that about him."

And -- believe it or not -- Earnhardt said the most recent race gave him a shot of confidence as the team heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Earnhardt had his worst race of the 2004 season.

"I'm actually looking forward to it," Earnhardt said of Sunday's race. "We tested at Las Vegas (last month) and we learned a lot of stuff in the last half of the California race that should help us there.

"Once we blew those tires, we turned the rest of the race into a test session. We're taking the same car (to Las Vegas) that we used at California."

In last year's race at LVMS, Earnhardt struggled with the handling in his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet and repeatedly was forced to the garage to make adjustments. He eventually retired from the race after running 196 of 267 laps and finished 35th.

BUSCH ON TV: Las Vegas native Kurt Busch will be one of the drivers featured during the second season of the FX Channel's popular reality-based show, "NASCAR Drivers: 360."

The weekly series follows eight Nextel Cup and Busch Series drivers and focuses on their lives away from the track as well as their success and failures on it. Joining Busch in the spotlight this season will be Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Kenny Wallace, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace.

The series will begin its seven-episode run at 7:30 p.m. PST May 13.

ON THE MEND: Busch Series driver David Stremme is hopeful he will be well enough to race in Saturday's Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last weekend in Mexico City, Stremme was suffering from the flu and had to get out of the No. 14 U.S. Navy Dodge 39 laps into the race.

J.J. Yeley, who had exited the race after 20 laps with engine problems, took over for Stremme and drove the car to a 22nd-place finish.

"The flu has been going around our shop and I guess it was my turn to get it," Stremme said. "I'm feeling better, but I'm still a little weak, so we will see what the rest of the week brings.

"Our teammate, Tim Fedewa, tested at Las Vegas (last month) and turned some good laps during practice. I ran well there last year and I'm looking forward to getting back to the track."

Stremme finished third in last year's Sam's Town 300 in his first start at LVMS.