Dale Earnhardt Jr. PDF
Preview Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Revised Edition Jeff Savage THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK by Jeff savage Lerner Publications • Minneapolis Copyright © 2015 by Jeff Savage All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Lerner Publications Company A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Savage, Jeff, 1961– Dale Earnhardt Jr. / by Jeff Savage. — 2nd Revised Edition. pages cm. — (Amazing Athletes) Includes index. Audience: Age: 7–11. ISBN 978-1-4677-7583-0 (pbk : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4677-7585-4 (EB pdf) 1. Earnhardt, Dale, Jr.—Juvenile literature. 2. Automobile racing drivers—United States— Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. Automobile racing drivers—Biography. I. Title. II. Title: Dale Earnhardt Junior. GV1032.E19S28 2015 796.72092—dc23 [B] 2014032125 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 – BP – 12/31/14 Table of ConTenTs Daytona Double 4 learning to Race 11 a Roaring start 15 Moving on 20 Racing star 25 selected Career Highlights 29 Glossary 30 further Reading & Websites 31 Index 32 Fans watch the cars round a bend during the 2014 Daytona 500. DayTona Double The green flag snapped in the wind. Dale Earnhardt Jr. roared down the track in his race car. He was surrounded on all sides by other cars. Cameras flashed and rain clouds rolled overhead. The 2014 Daytona 500 was under way! 4 The Daytona 500 is the most important race of the NASCAR season. Fans call it the Great American Race. It is held each year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona 500 is one of the most watched car races of the year. It also has the largest purse of the NASCAR season. In 2014, the purse was more than $19 million! Dale’s car ( bottom) races down the track. 55 Dale’s car ( bottom center) is caught in a pack. Dale was stuck in the middle of a pack of cars early in the race. But he didn’t panic. Dale had won the Daytona 500 in 2004. He knew that a lot could change during the 200-l ap race. There was plenty of time to break free. He kept steady hands on the steering wheel and looked for open space. 6 As the racers sped through The first their 38th lap, rain poured from Daytona 500 took place in the sky. Fans in the grandstand 1959. Lee Petty ran for shelter. Out came the won the race red flag. The race was stopped by two feet. until the rain passed. Workers pump water off the track during the rain delay. 7 The delay lasted more than six hours. Finally, a race official waved the green flag again. The Daytona 500 was back on! Dale cruised to the front of the pack. He took the lead for the first time on lap 131. But he couldn’t stay in front. The lead changed dozens of times as the cars sped toward the 200th lap. Drivers began to take more risks as they neared the finish line. They couldn’t wait any longer to try to take the lead. The risky driving led to a crash with multiple cars. Dale escaped the pileup. He was in first place after the crashed cars were cleared from the track. He held the lead for two more laps, avoided another crash, and crossed the finish line. A race official waved the checkered flag. Dale had his second Daytona 500 victory. It was time to celebrate! 8
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