Junior is no fan of strategy

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it clear he’s no fan of the current style of restrictor plate racing before he even arrived at Daytona International Speedway.

But if there was any doubt, he ended it after a frustrating 19th-place finish that had his passionate army of fans accusing Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson of sabotaging Earnhardt’s chance to win.

“I am really ticked off. It was a foolish ... race. I don’t know what to tell you,” he fumed. “I don’t like this kind of racing and you know it.”

Earnhardt didn’t appear to be “ticked off” at Johnson, the teammate he partnered with for the second consecutive plate race. He had pushed Johnson to the win at Talladega in April, and Johnson said all week he was willing to return the favor at Daytona.

As winner David Ragan made his move toward the front with teammate Matt Kenseth, the Earnhardt-Johnson duo found itself mired in traffic.

Then they were separated when Johnson ducked onto pit road, but Earnhardt stayed on the track. It was obviously botched communications that sunk their chances at the win.

“I’m driving my car, do what I’m told,” Earnhardt said. “They decided to do something different. I can’t run the whole damn thing from the seat of the damn race car. I’m just doing what I’m told out there. I don’t know how that affected us, if it did at all. It probably didn’t.”

Johnson, apparently getting blasted on Twitter from angry JR Nation fans, posted on his page immediately after the race that he “didn’t leave Jr hanging” and crew chiefs Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus make the decisions.

But that wasn’t even what ruined Earnhardt’s race. It came later, on the final two-lap sprint, when he said Jamie McMurray drove into the side of his Chevrolet and turned him.

“I had it saved, and then he came on and got him another shot,” Earnhardt said. “Brought the KO punch the second time and spun us around.”