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A22 SPORTS
Thursday 23 February 2017
Earnhardt wants to win a title then ride into retirement

JENNA FRYER Danica Patrick, who raced working on it,” Johnson
AP Auto Racing Writer for years in IndyCar be- said. “We were very ag-
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) fore moving to NASCAR, gressive in the (Clash) trying
— Upon further review, estimated she’s suffered a to create speed for the car,
hoisting a championship dozen concussions in her and I’m a guy that likes a
trophy is exactly how Dale career. “Every time you loose race car so I was will-
Earnhardt Jr. wants to end crash you have a concus- ing to roll dice.”
his career. sion on a varying degree, Johnson also noted that
NASCAR’s most popular I’m sure,” she said. “It is a Alex Bowman and Kasey
driver caused a stir on “The little bit thought-provoking Kahne had no problems
Dan Patrick Show” when he ... because while we’re not with Turn 4 in Sunday’s race.
claimed he would immedi- football players, we don’t “We have great notes to
ately retire if he wins the title get the repeated hits like fall back on. We had a
this year. The statement fol- in succession over a short very good driving car in
lowed him to media day for amount of time, but it’s last year’s 500, and then
the Daytona 500, and there rough in the car and the two teammates that didn’t
was no question about it. hits are probably singularly spin out in the Clash, so we
“Hell, yeah. I would definite- bigger. have plenty of notes to go
ly not want to come back “There’s nothing better to, but we’re definitely be-
and try to race anymore if than having somebody ing aggressive.”
I won the championship. I like Dale Jr. going so far as TOYOTA TEAMWORK
would be outta here,” he to get out of the car for as A solid game plan got
said. “That’s the last box I long as he did and saying, Toyota its first Daytona 500
don’t have checked, re- ‘Hey, I have a problem,’ victory last season, and the
ally. There’s a few races I’d because it makes it more manufacturer wants to use
like to win. The champion- available for everyone else. that same teamwork this
ship would definitely be the I think we like to sweep it all year during Speedweeks.
icing on the cake for my under the rug as drivers like It was on display during the
career.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands on pit road after his qualifying run for we feel fine and nothing is Clash on Sunday when the
Earnhardt is the son of Hall the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International wrong, but it’s our life.” Toyota entries ran 1-2-3-4
of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Earn- TURN 4 TROUBLES for most of the race.
who won a record-tying hardt Jr. will start the race in the No. 2 position. Hendrick Motorsports has It remains to be seen if the
seven championships over Associated Press been admittedly aggres- same strategy will work in
his career. As Earnhardt en- worked to get healthy and ing Daytona 500 — on the sive in preparing for the the Daytona 500. The Toyo-
ters the 18th season of his back in the race car, he front row next to Hendrick Daytona 500, and it may ta fleet now includes a pair
Cup career, he’s still seek- really just wants to dictate Motorsports teammate be the cause of the prob- of rookies in Erik Jones and
ing his first title. his final racing years himself Chase Elliott — and is the lems the team has had in Daniel Suarez, and neither
He’s said repeatedly that and not have a doctor be star of Speedweeks. All the Turn 4 at Daytona Interna- has much experience in a
retirement is not on his ra- the one to end his career. drivers had a chance to tional Speedway. Cup car.
dar, and at just 42 years “To come back this year, address a variety of topics Jimmie Johnson twice spun “Game plans don’t nec-
old, he should have many win a championship, it Wednesday. The highlights: in that turn Sunday during essarily all work out,” said
years ahead in his career. would be hard not to hang CONCUSSION AWARENESS an exhibition race, and Toyota driver Matt Kenseth.
But Earnhardt has had con- it up,” he said. “This is the The absence of Dale Earn- pole-sitter Chase Elliott got “You’ve got to have strong
cussion issues and missed last year of my (contract). hardt Jr. for 18 races last loose in the same spot in cars to do it. The car has to
the second half of last sea- I would like to race more. season raised awareness practice. In last year’s Day- end up there, not be sepa-
son recovering from one. But if I win the champion- on concussions in racing, tona 500, both Elliott and rated by bad pit stops or
He is also newly married ship, I’d have to consider and NASCAR this year has Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun in strategy. I thought we had
and says he is looking at going out on top.” beefed up its concussion Turn 4. it lined up really good in the
life differently. Earnhardt qualified second policy in an effort to bet- “We can’t sit still. We need Clash. We had all four of us
Knowing how hard he for Sunday’s season-open- ter detect head injuries. faster cars. Everybody is in a row for a while.q

Dubai going to enjoy this victory our final in Rio, because it
Continued from page 17 and then get ready for to- was a completely totally
morrow.” different match than to-
“I think in the second set Earlier, Angelique Kerber day.”
she started playing a little reached the tournament’s Kerber, who started the
bit better,” Bellis said. “I quarterfinals for the first season as the No. 1-ranked
went off a little bit. I think I time by beating Olympic player before Serena Wil-
was going for a little bit too champion Monica Puig liams won the Australian
much.” 6-2, 6-3. Open to reclaim the top
Bellis plays 10th-seeded The top-seeded German spot, will return to the high-
Caroline Wozniacki of Den- is 3-1 against Puig, but the est ranking if she wins the
mark in the quarterfinals. last time they played the Dubai title this week.
Wozniacki lost the open- Puerto Rican beat Kerber Kerber saved all five break
ing set but went on to beat for the gold medal at the points she faced against
Kateryna Bondarenko of Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Puig, including in the final
Ukraine 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. “It’s always tough to play game of the first set when
“She’s a great young play- Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns the ball to Kateryna against Monica, especially she trailed 0-40. In her fi-
er and has a lot of confi- Bondarenko of Ukraine during the Dubai Tennis Championships, after our last match,” Ker- nal service game of the
dence,” Wozniacki said of in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. ber said. “I was really not second set, she recovered
Bellis. “Right now I’m just Associated Press thinking too much about from 15-40 to go ahead 5-3.