Junior hopes ‘Amelia’ will carry him to win

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.

Her name is Amelia, and boy, can she fly.

She’ll be forever treasured by Dale Earnhardt Jr., even though he wants nothing more than to give her away Sunday.

Amelia Earhart is the nickname of the sleek and superfast Chevrolet that Earnhardt drove to three wins last season. The car never finished lower than third in five races, and Earnhardt couldn’t find a reason to keep her out of the upcoming Daytona 500.

The decision was easy. Instead of building a new car specifically for the “The Great American Race” — what most teams do every offseason — Earnhardt opted to give Amelia another shot at getting to victory lane. She delivered Thursday night when Earnhardt won a 150-mile qualifying race to up her record to four wins in six starts over the last 13 months.

“The car really does everything I ask it to do,” Earnhardt said after his win. “When you have a car that you know can do the things that this car can do, you’re willing to take those gambles and risks to pull out and pass. It’s just a fun car to drive. Really special car.”

When Rick Hendrick leaned into the window after Earnhardt’s latest victory, the driver urged his team owner to keep track of Amelia and consider putting her on display in his museum.

For now, he’s just fine if he says goodbye to her Sunday. Daytona International Speedway displays the winning car for a year, and teams gladly exchange them for the trophy. Earnhardt, a two-time 500 winner, decided chassis No. 88-872 needed a name when crew chief Greg Ives declined to retire the car.

“The fact that we’re going to keep running it, I said, ‘We gotta name it,’ and we were thinking of a woman who has accomplished something that was an awesome person that was something we could be proud of,” Earnhardt said. “Amelia Earhart was the first thing that came to my mind. She must have been the most daring. She sort of fits that mold of the courage and determination that you need as a race car driver. She must have had that and more to be able to do the things she did in her lifetime.”

Sauter wins Truck Series opener

Johnny Sauter won the crash-filled Truck Series season opener Friday night, giving Chevrolet its first series victory at the famed track.

Sauter was out front on the final lap when the caution flag dropped following a harrowing wreck that sent Christopher Bell’s truck flipping through the air. Bell’s No. 4 Toyota flipped nearly 10 times before coming to a stop. Bell got out and walked to a waiting ambulance without assistance.

Ryan Truex was second, followed by Parker Kligerman, Brandon Brown and Tyler Young.