CONCORD, N.C. _ Dale Earnhardt Jr. practiced his burnout Thursday afternoon in a parking lot at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and it was quite a sensory overload from 20 yards away: Rubber burning, tires squealing, smoke rising in a white cloud.
Earnhardt would like to use that technique for real sometime in the two weekends, celebrating what would be the first win of his final season as a racer.
Earnhardt has had a disappointing season so far, with only one top-10 finish in 11 races. His most notable moment came when he announced his impending retirement in April. He sits 25th in the Monster Energy standings and may well need to win a points race to make the playoffs.
Earnhardt was in that CMS parking lot Thursday to unveil the No. 88 Axalta/Maaco Chevrolet he will drive Saturday night in NASCAR's annual All-Star race. Earnhardt answered a number of questions from the media while making that appearance. Some excerpts:
