DEI-RCR Engines Fail 'Dega Reliability Test

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have lost what was his best remaining chance at a Nextel Cup race victory Sunday after blowing his engine with 52 laps to go in the UAW-Ford 500.

But his teammate Martin Truex Jr. and engine program partner Jeff Burton might have lost so much more.

The Dale Earnhardt Inc.-Richard Childress Racing engine partnership had seven cars on track Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway and only two of them finished under full power. Three of them actually finished.

Burton lost his motor off of turn four on lap 92 and 21 laps later Truex blew his coming into the tri-oval.

Burton knows that he can pretty much stick a fork in his title chances.

"Obviously, this about wraps it up for us for the championship. We will keep fighting," Burton said. "We will go next week and strap our boots on and go fight and see what we can make out of it."

Truex now finds himself 300 points out of first in tenth while Burton sits further back -- in 12th with a 331 point deficit.

Kevin Harvick also started engine trouble late in the event. With 44 laps to go, Harvick was sitting on pit road with the hood up, but his crew could do nothing to fixed what ailed his Chevrolet engine. He would finish on seven cylinders in 20th place, some 202 points behind race-winner and point leader Jeff Gordon.

New DEI'er Aric Almirola also finished with a DNF because of his engine.

Only Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard would finish without a hitch in the engine.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

10-08-2007 @ 3:18AM

annaseitter said...

TO ALL JUNIOR BASHERS,
the engine problems at TEI and RCR are a constant ongoing catastrophy.I got sick and tired of reading:
JUNIOR DRIVES TOO HARD, JUNIOR DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF HIS EQUIPMENT,JUNIOR WRECKS HIS ENGINES, ETC ETC.
Like i said before;1-2-3-4=5 engines blown and according to some posters JUNIOR WAS SO NEGLIGENT AND DUMB, enough to miss the CHASE because he allegedely kept on beating up his cars and blow the engines.By now we are at what? 7engines blown. WOW, maybe he still does not take care of his equipment.
AS MATTER OF FACT JUNIOR HAS ALSO BEEN BLOWING ACOUPLE MORE TRUEX ENGINES, COUPLE BOURBON J. ENGINES
and causing problems in HARWICK and BOYER engines also. DAMN JUNIOR:YOU ARE SO IRRESPONSIBLE.

YEA,YEA, I GUESS YA ALL CAN CALL ME A SMART AXX.
Ogi tanto c'e' bisogno di un po' di umore.CIAO.

10-08-2007 @ 8:57AM

CJ said...

You hit the nail on the head, anna. I guess all those Jr haters will come up with some more crap blaming Jr. I wouldnt be suprised if they came up with a lame theory that Jr caused everyone to blow up somehow. But it makes me wonder, how many engines have to blow up before they attempt to fix the problem? Obviously they didnt give a damn when it was Jr's cars, but now that it has likely hurt Harvick, Burton and Truex's chances and could be a threat to Bowyer, will they take it serious now? I dont really care anymore, that engine program and merger is what cost Jr a shot in the Chase, NOT JR!

10-08-2007 @ 10:20AM

Maveness said...

Did we ever hear what happened with Aric Almirola's car? I know he was having some issues near the end, but I don't know if he finished (haven't checked the results yet). And we'll never know if Menard would have had trouble since he got caught up the big one.

But the worst part (besides screaming every time another engine went) was hearing that Bowyer was close to throwing up in his own car because his nerves couldn't take the fact that his engine could go too. Poor kid!

10-08-2007 @ 12:34PM

Mike said...

I actually felt sorry for Jr after this one. I have been pulling for him since he failed for the second time in three years to make the chase.
I posted it before and I will do so again here. The TV people need to have a little respect and let these guys vent a little before they stick a mic in these guys faces after a major disappointment. It was obvious that Jr did not want to do that interview and only did so for his sponsors and his fans. He should have taken that mic and beat the crap out of the person doing the interview and said "there, that is how it feels to be knocked out of a race again." There should be a cooling off area. No cameras, no reporters. Let the driver go kick something, break something, yell and scream for 10 minutes. Then they can come out and do an interview.
And come on ABC, do you not know how to reduce the interview frame and still show the race on the majority of the screen? Hello, there was still a race going on during that 30 minute mid race interview of Little E.

10-08-2007 @ 3:09PM

Ok, this is my fifth attempt to have this posted. I hope it works this time.
Since even I now am a believer that there is a serious engine issue at DEI/GINN/CHILDRESS there is only one question left to ask. Why would anyone keep buying crap from a supplier that is all to happy to keep selling you crap? 6 engines in 30 races is a 20% failure rate. As a man that once owned 5 restaurants, had my food supplier sold me food that was spoiled 20% of the time I would have fired them and found another supplier. I fail to see why the same would not apply here. We are talking about millions of dollars in lost revenues.
Don't anyone get too excited here. Yes I think Jr is a great guy, and yes I may be jumping on the bad engine bus, and yes I have actually pulled for him a few times since the chase began ( what the hell is happening to me?), I am NOT going to become a member of the Idiot Nation.
Go Jeff, Go Jimmie.

10-09-2007 @ 8:57AM

Amy said...

Gee, folks..I think some of you have missed the boat on this one. After the 2nd or 3rd Engine failure, it should have been a wake up call, and it wasn't. But, because Childress has 3 cars in the Chase, and DEI has one, its a problem now?....

*shakes head*

Crap going in, crap coming out.

10-09-2007 @ 12:03AM

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM EXACTLY IS AT RCR AND TEI with this crappy junkyard parts built engines.
ISN'T PAUL MENARD FATHER CO. wheech sells the engine parts to TEI/RCR?
All i ever known is DEJ may not be DALE SENIOR,maybe not even be JEFF GORDON,but for sure he is nevebeen a
blind negligent retarded fool to keep repeating the same mistake over and over and over again 5,6,7 times.12 engines blew this year at DEI/RCR between TRUEX,JUNIOR, MENARD ,EVEN MARK MARTIN engine blew 4 or 5 weeks ago during practice or qualifying and was replaced before the race.RICHARD CHILDRESS MUST BE GETTING OLD AND RUSTED LET ALONE TERESA E.
DUDU WILL HIT THE ROOF AS SOON AS CLINT BOYER GETS KNOCKED OUT OF THE CHASE AND THEN WILL BE TOO LATE FOR RC TO WAKE UP AND FIX THE PROBLEM.

10-10-2007 @ 10:23PM

Sandie said...

Dale SR. is gone, DEI is no longer Ernhardt, let it rest in peace. Do you think Dale Sr. would have put up with this? Good luck to Dale Jr. and rest in peace DEI. What a career finish for Mark Martin, I was hoping he would go out in style.

10-09-2007 @ 10:02AM

Non Jr. fans don't have to come up with excuses for Jr. Junebug does that for the NASCAR public. We will watch him next year and see what he complains about.

10-09-2007 @ 10:44AM

Cynthia said...

oh SHIT.....The fawking idiot is back!

Yes, that means you Sandie!

"Got IQ"?

Didn't think so RETARD!

I guess Dale Jr. is the "Fawk up everyone's engine @ RCR & DEI FAIRY". He secretly runs around the garage when noone is looking...maliciously pulling off wires and parts so THAT EVERYONE IN THE RCR/DEI STABLE engines FAIL......

ALL the while slipping through nascar security, sneaking by all the Crew Chiefs, drivers and Pit Crew...AND NEVER GETTING CAUGHT.

Your on to something Sandie....Your gifted....your a true work of puke mold!

10-09-2007 @ 12:09PM

l buckelew said...

What is wrong with you people?? DEI(Theresa) doesnt give a damn about JR, she has her fair haired boy, Truex, well dah!! his engine blew big time on sunday, so did five other cars. Get your engines at the swap meet??? Jr will win a race before the seson ends. He is determined. He is a great driver, and I am sure he has nothing to do with the blown engines on every other car. 2008 will prove to be a great year for him. Let Theresa stay in her office and look at the RED lines on her account books, as she is surely losing that batle. Great, I am so happy to see her fall on her face in a pile of (s). Evil person. GO JR. give em hell!!!

10-09-2007 @ 1:56PM

I know that is not the Cynthia I know and love. if it is sugar, you seem to have snapped. Kim and Ron, please come over here and help me with this straight jacket. She needs some quite time in the padded room.
Please get the rest and help you need Cynthia. Just because we disagree on a few things does not mean we do not like you and we do want you get better.
Maybe seeing Red get tossed out of another race pushed her over the edge. Here, since it is you, i will get over saying this. "There is always next year."
Mike LeVan

10-09-2007 @ 5:00PM

YEA CYNTHIA GO FOR, GIVE THEM HELL,
HAVE YOU NOTICED? IT'S THE SAME PEOPLE,THE SAME NAMES THAT HAVE BEEN bashing DEJR for ages and ages and they never give up.BY NOW YOU PROBABLY LEARNED THEIR NAMES as well as i did. They are the JEFF GORDON FANS, wheech translates in to 2 groups:
THE JUNIOR HATERS AND THE JUNIOR BASHERS.
And about us,junior fans,to them we are all one big
army: the JUNIOR NATION OF IDIOTS. OH, I ALMOST FORGOT THE OTHER LABEL :THE BEER CANS THROWERS.
WELL,the battle is been on; ya all keep it going so we all can enjoy the entartainement and maybe one day in the future we all can get togheter and be fans of both drivers,even if it seems an impossible
mission.

10-09-2007 @ 9:51PM

Mike,
Shut up...Me and Kim will kick your ass! : )

YOU KNOW I wasn't talking to you. Your my Bitch babe! My Point is the "conspiracy" issues pointed at Dale Jr. are getting old. For someone to come on here and say " He's the one that's responsible for all the engine failures with RCR/DEI is rediculous at best".

Sandie, is 2 chicken nuggets short of a happy meal and definately short a few french fries as well. I think others readers are sick of her shit . I just have the guts to speak up about it. Don't you notice that the blog doesn't even have to be about Jr. and she shows up and posts her dogma anyhoo?

People like Sandie are like Roaches, they don't know when to leave and everytime you try to flush them down the toilet, they just come right back up.....

That's the point I was trying to convey.....

Your still my sexy bitch right Mike ?

10-10-2007 @ 3:16AM

YE MIKE,YOU'D BE BETTER OFF SHUTTING UP.
IF you don't you might have to arm your TI89 TANK
again. Just a friendly advice.

10-10-2007 @ 9:01AM

Cynthia you are a real lady. Sure your Mother is very proud of you. You express your opinion and I read them and do not insult you. We can see by what you type what kind of person you are...one without teeth, someone who is too stupid to drink their beer before they throw a can at a winning car and driver and have to be warned before a race to act like a human or go to jail.....keep typing. Go Jeff and Jimmie. Good comment Mike.

10-10-2007 @ 11:24AM

Sandie,
You said " We can see" in your post. Are you referring to your other personalities? How many do you have? How many my space accounts do you have for each?

I don't drink Beer. And I have ALL my teeth thank you. Is that the best comeback post you could come up with? Is Beer drinking, teeth missing insults all your IQ can handle. It takes more than that for me to feel insulted.

Oh well, if all else fails, atleast people will read your post and find HUMOR at how STUPID you and your POSTS are. You didn't finish highschool did you?

10-10-2007 @ 12:26PM

Ha, maybe if I threw my calculator at her hard enough it would hurt.
Cynthia, I am glad you are feeling better. Sandie is a Gordon fan so I will go easy on her but you cannot expect all of us (Gordon Fans) to be nice. You have to admit, there are some Jr fans just as guilty of keeping the fight going.
As for me, I have seen the light about the engines. Please re-read posts #4 and #5 above.
It's ok, Ron, you can let her go now. I want to talk to her and Kim about how they are going to tag team me. Since you have the really cool chick magnet car you can go get your own sandwich.
mikey mike

damn aol and their proxy servers. i had to do this four times and then switch to IE to get it posted.

10-10-2007 @ 1:36PM

Sounds like we need to take this off the blog Mike...

Meow.......
Meow............

Here kitty...kitty...kittttttY!

10-12-2007 @ 8:53PM

Sandie,
I have NEVER went around posting with other people's names. TGOM can vouch for that. Just EMAIL her. Ask her....she'll tell you I'm one MOST likely to NOT post under any false names except for myself. secondly, she can also do a trace on that Post. To see if it matches my ISP # I use ALL the time. And if she did...she would find it's not me.

What you will find is if I have something to say...I'll post it right here, since I don't have the pleasure of debating you to your face. It's Jeff Gordon fans like you that give his fanbase a bad name. It's kind of sad actually and pathetic. You see I used to not like Jeff Gordon. But over the years I've "learned" to respect him as a driver because the man can wheel a car. That type of outlook as a race fan is what seperates me from people like you.
You must live in a sad,pathetic,fawked up life to sit around this blog with nothing better to do than post negative comments about Dale Jr. It seems like a sickness really. Because your the only one who will come on and post under a Blog talking about Denny Hamlin or other racing news that has NOTHING to do with Jr. and post negative crap about him anyway. That tells me your just one of those shit starting race fans that's so miserable in thier own life that your outlet is to diss a driver you've never met or given him the opportunity to display his true and good quality's. All you know how to do is....HATE.It makes me wonder how bad your homelife...or upbringing was...to make you such a ugly person.

What's your real reason for disliking Jr. so terribly? Other than your theory he's not a good race car driver, which his stats will prove YOU otherwize and further confirm my conclusion that you have the common sense of a shoe....

And let's be honest...IF your going to CONFIRM on your post "YOU know how to Spell Earnhardt" Please do those of us who have IQ's above 80 the HONOR of spelling it right in your post.

Your quote: "I can spell Earnhart as well.".

Can you say COO COO ? Aren't you due back at the Laboratory to get your bolts tightened?

And go ahead and think Mike is speaking up for you...I think your getting a little to far ahead of yourself. Mike is an educated person with logical thought and awesome analogy. He's a race fan that can see the BIG PICTURE. He may not like Jr. but he weighs idea's, thoughts and opinions out very carefully... Before speaking....That is what I admire about him...also Kim, Maveness and Tanner. I may not always agree with them...but I respect what they say because they speak with logic and fairness.