Earnhardt says he called Vickers
Earnhardt And Vickers Blame Each Other
FONTANA, Calif.-- Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his version of a mea culpa Friday, accepting blame for the big wreck with Brian Vickers last weekend in the Daytona 500.
"I got ripped really bad in the press, and maybe I deserved part of it," Earnhardt said after practice at Auto Club Speedway. "It's different being on that side of the fence."
Vickers was the star of the day at ACS, winning the pole for Sunday's Auto Club 500.
"The best way move on is give them something else to talk about," Vickers said. "Obviously, we did that in a positive way."
Vickers was coming off a big negative at Daytona. He finished 39th after being involved in the accident with Earnhardt, who called Vickers earlier this week.
"It was much appreciated," Vickers said of the call. "He apologized and said he did not mean to do it. I didn't know what to say. We finished almost last because of what happened. Of course I was upset about it, but the call means a lot."
Vickers and Earnhardt were a lap down on the inside line when the accident happened. Earnhardt made a move to pass Vickers, who blocked Earnhardt and forced him below the yellow line.
Knowing the rules don't allow drivers pass anyone below the line, Earnhardt wanted to get back above the line as fast as possible. He moved back up the track too quickly, clipping Vickers' car and starting a wreck involving 10 cars on lap 124, 28 laps before rain ended the event.
"I definitely could have used better judgment coming back up on the race track," Earnhardt said. "But rain was coming and I had to get my lap back to have a shot at winning.
"I hate that it wrecked all them cars and I hate that me and Brian got on bad terms with each other. Those things I regret."
Vickers was furious afterward, but Earnhardt said he called Vickers earlier this week so they could talk it out.
"The hardest thing to do is the right thing to do, and that's call the guy up and talk about it," Earnhardt said. "He [Vickers] had said on TV that it was intentional. I wanted to make sure he knew it wasn't intentional. I wouldn't wreck him intentionally. I think we got that cleared up.
"He's a pretty tough dude. We've known each other a long time and we've been friends a while. We've been down this road before of wrecking each other."
Vickers caused Earnhardt to crash at the end of a Talladega race in 2006 when Vickers earned his only Cup victory. Some fans thought Earnhardt's move was a payback for the Talladega incident.
"That's not the case," Earnhardt said. "You don't forget things like that, but after a couple weeks you get over it. You're better off in the long run to concentrate on racing your race car. And you're worse off if you concentrate on the grudges you keep.
"The Talladega thing was a hard deal, but he was trying to win his first race. It wasn't intentional, either."
Said Vickers: "I didn't wreck Junior [at Talladega]. I wrecked Jimmie [Johnson] and he wrecked Junior."
Vickers said he called Earnhardt and Johnson after the Talladega incident. Earnhardt was asked if he called any of the other drivers involved in the Daytona wreck.
"I wasn't going to call 'em all up," he said.
Jeff Burton was one of the drivers upset with Earnhardt after the race, but he came to Earnhardt's defense Friday.
"We knew it was about to rain so we were all fighting to get the best position we could," Burton said. "You could say Vickers shouldn't have blocked or Junior shouldn't have hit him, but neither one of them meant to cause a wreck.
"I thought it was a typical Daytona/Talladega wreck where one guy tries to protect his spot and the other guy needs that spot. You misjudge by six inches and there's a wreck."
Earnhardt wanted to clarify one thing about the Daytona situation that most people missed. He couldn't get the lucky dog (free pass back on the lead lap) when that caution came out.
"I knew before that caution that I wasn't going to get the lucky dog," Earnhardt said. "You can't get it [on the next caution] after serving a penalty. I had to race in front of the leaders and try to get my lap back that way."
Earnhardt was a lap down because of a one-lap penalty for pitting out of his box. Earlier in the race he drove past his pit stall and had to come back around to pit.
"I take full responsibility for what happened on pit road," he said. "It's unfortunate how everything happened. I feel bad for everybody that was swept up in that wreck. But at the same time, it's the Daytona 500. The rain was coming and you have to take risks."
Earnhardt was apologetic, but he also got a little angry at one point during the questions at his hauler.
"My statistics at the [restrictor] plate tracks speak for themselves," Earnhardt said. "I don't have to defend myself about how good a plate racer I am and what moves I make on the track.
"I have just as much right to be on the race track and do whatever the hell I want to do as anybody. I'll race hard, but I'll race how I want to be raced. I've always raced with a lot of respect."
Burton agreed: "Junior is one of the most respectful drivers out there. He doesn't cause a lot of wrecks."
Earnhardt said at times he's shown too much respect.
"I've always been too nice," Earnhardt said. "I'm still a good guy. But that was the Daytona 500 and I felt I had the car to win. I felt if I could get my lap back I could get it done. That was the best car I've had at Daytona in a couple of years. I was racing as hard as I could."
Earnhardt said team owner Rick Hendrick called him before he left for California.
"Rick just wanted to make sure I had my head on straight this weekend and all that stuff didn't get to me," Earnhardt said. "I'm fine. I've made mistakes before and it probably won't be the last one I make."
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com.
