Loser: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
These was no doubt that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a popular pick heading into the weekend. He had won the last spring race at Talladega and nearly pulled off the season sweep in the Chase. He was bringing back his beloved car nicknamed “Amelia,” which helped him wins races at Talladega and Daytona last season.
It was set up to be a great weekend for NASCAR’s most popular driver, however, the past luck with Amelia did not translate into success this weekend. His first wreck was similar to his crash in the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. simply lost control of his car, turning in front of his teammate, Kasey Kahne.
The No. 88 eventually made it back out on the track when something interesting happened: Jr.’s steering wheel came off mid-race, causing him to have to turn the car with his hand. It was an incident similar to the one we saw with Jimmie Johnson during qualifying at Phoenix earlier this season.
Yikes! @DaleJr controls the car WITH HIS HAND after his steering wheel comes off. That was awesome. #NASCAR https://t.co/KivxuTmuvG
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 1, 2016
Shortly after that happened, Carl Edwards, who blew a right front tire, took Jr. out and ultimately ended his and Amelia’s day, leading to a finish in 4oth place.
Next: A New Storyline