NO LUCK
He’s handsome and filthy rich but can’t catch a break.
No, I’m not talking about Kyle Busch.
It’s Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup has not been kind to either racer.
But Junior’s most recent bout of bad luck occurred Friday during practice for Sunday’s Cup race at Talladega, Ala.
Earnhardt was just getting warmed up in practice when the right-rear tire on his No. 88 Chevy exploded and took off the back of the car.
This came after he blew an engine in the first session.
Cars driven by Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann and a few others also sustained damage from the crash.
“I think the tire seemed to come apart at the tread and the side-wall,” Junior said. “We looked at the car, and really nothing has fell off of it. Normally you look at exhaust straps and stuff like that, but it just came out of nowhere. It is hard to say. Maybe we can find it on the replay, something we might have run over.”
Junior was hoping for a strong finish to move up in the Chase standings where he’s ninth and 129 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Talladega is where Junior has won five times.
"We've had troubles here and we always came back," he said. "It's a place where you can kind of rally back.”
HELIO: SAY IT’S NOT SO
Helio Castroneves felt restraints Friday that were not as comfortable as those he uses in his racecar.
The champion IndyCar driver and reigning king of “Dancing with the Stars” stood in handcuffs and shackles before a federal judge Friday in Miami where he pleaded not guilty to federal tax evasion charges and declared outside the courtroom that he would treat the case like a race against the Internal Revenue Service.
"I'm a race car driver," the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner said. "This is a very difficult situation. I'll be strong and I'll win this race."
The native of Brazil and long-time Miami resident must hope he doesn’t get locked up again and be forced to use the fence-climbing skills he developed that are part of his on-track victory celebrations.
According to The Associated Press, Castroneves, 33, spoke after his release on $10 million bail following a court appearance and was visibly weeping into a wad of white tissue.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted Castroneves on charges of conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Also facing charges are Katiucia Castroneves, the driver's sister and business manager, and attorney Alan R. Miller of Birmingham, Mich. They did not enter pleas Friday but were ordered released on bail of $2 million and $250,000, respectively.
Castroneves was permitted to fly Friday to Atlanta for this weekend’s Petit Le Mans sports car race but will not be permitted to travel abroad, which means he’ll miss a non-points IndyCar race later this month in Australia.
The news was the talk of the day at Talladega, and not just because of Castroneves’ popularity.
Miller is the long-time attorney for Cup racer Jimmie Johnson.
"I'm shocked and I know he's shocked," Johnson said of Miller, who represents several NASCAR drivers.
Johnson was a teenager when he first hired Miller as his attorney and called him a "great friend." Johnson said he will still use Miller, but will keep a close eye on the situation.
