Dale's night at Richmond.

By Andrew Charman

Dale Earnhardt Jnr proved the class of the field and a master tactician at the Richmond short track, when a decision not to pit on the final caution and run 100 laps on his last set of tyres brought him victory in the Chevy American Revolution 400. Jimmy Johnson starred to take second, Bobby Labonte third, but the night was about Earnhardt.

Tempers were expected to flare in the season's first points-scoring night race around the three-quarter mile Richmond oval. Rookie Brian Vickers in his #25 GMAC Chevrolet led the field to the green as the sun set and the action started early, sixth place Robby Gordon, who had spent the day qualifying for the Indy 500, losing a tyre on the first lap. It took him four laps to get his #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet to the pits by which time the caution was out for his tyre debris.

At the green on lap 13 Vickers led while Jeff Green's initially second-placed #43 Cheerios Dodge plummeted down the field, quickly falling behind Ryan Newman's #12 ALLTEL Dodge and points leader Dale Earnhardt Jnr in the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet. Newman and Earnhardt quickly ganged up on Vickers as with just 30 laps gone he started lapping tail-enders. This gave Earnhardt his chance and on lap 32 the Budweiser Chevrolet led.

As Earnhardt built his lead Newman pressured Vickers for second, but none of them could deal with the rapidly closing #48 Lowe's Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson, who took his rookie team-mate, Newman and Earnhardt in one lap. Meanwhile Hendricks team-leader Jeff Gordon was mired in seventh, the #24 Dupont Chevrolet battling Joe Nemechek who had won the race last year in a Hendricks car.

Unusually for Richmond a long green flag run then ensued until lap 100, by which time Johnson was fighting off a new challenger, Kurt Busch in the #97 Irwin Ford. But the battle was cut short by Jeff Green bouncing off the wall after coming off worse in a banging match with Kasey Kahne's #9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge. The caution brought pitstops, and Busch won the race off pitroad from Johnson, while a loose tyre in pitlane earned pole-sitter Vickers a penalty, ruining his evening.

Busch led the restart on lap 109 but not for long, a thrown water pump belt sending a shower of steam above the car as it drove behind the wall for attention, losing over 10 laps. Johnson resumed the lead, Earnhardt and Newman leading the chase until lap 122 when Jimmy Spencer brought out the caution with a bounce off the wall.

At the green on lap 130 Dale Jnr seized his chance, and he and Johnson enjoyed four laps of side-by-side action before the Budweiser Chevrolet regained the lead, with Newman in the scrap too. Behind these three Jeff Gordon now sat in fourth, he searching for a hat-trick of race wins, but on lap 136 his namesake brought out caution number four, Robby Gordon cutting another tyre and smacking the wall.

Racing resumed on lap 144 and this time it was Earnhardt and Newman running side-by-side, Dale Jnr holding on to top spot. Six laps on, yellow again, this time Brendan Gaughan's #77 Kodak/Jasper Dodge finding the wall after help from the Kelloggs car of Terry Labonte. Most of the field pitted, but not the top 11 cars.

At the green Newman waited a lap before trying his move on the lower groove but though he got alongside Earnhardt still he couldn't make it stick. But then the Budweiser Chevrolet briefly hit the high line and instantly lost out to Newman, Johnson and Tony Stewart, the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet having carved its way through the field after starting 28th. But again the caution flew, this time on lap 169 at Harvick became the latest tyre victim.

The lead cars now pitted and dropped down the field, so when they went back to green on lap 176 it was a very different picture; Jeremy Mayfield's #19 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge led Jamie McMurray in the #42 Havoline version while Jeff Burton's #99 Roundup FastAct Ford battled Mike Waltrip in the #15 NAPA Chevrolet, Nemechek and the #6 Viagra Ford of Mark Martin. Burton tried for the lead on lap 193, but instead spun, bringing out yet another caution.

Mayfield lost out big time in the pits, a penalty dropping him to the tail of the lead lap cars, but hardly had the green flew at half distance than McMurray and Nemechek put each other into the wall. At the restart Waltrip enjoyed a rare spell in the lead, under pressure from Bobby Labonte's #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, Stewart and the recovered pole-sitter Vickers, as finally we got a long spell of green flag action. Most of it saw Stewart under the rear bumper of Waltrip's car, finally getting past on lap 255 as Waltrip dropped back behind Vickers and Dale Jnr before becoming the first of the leaders to pit for fuel and tyres under green on lap 285. Leader Stewart followed soon after as stops began in earnest, and when they had cycled through Stewart enjoyed a four second gap to Earnhardt Jnr.

With 58 laps left caution number nine flew as the engine in Scott Riggs' #10 Valvoline Chevrolet blew. Leader Stewart pitted but Earnhardt decided to stay out and assume the lead, while Hendricks runners Johnson and Gordon also stayed out. The green flew with 45 laps left and Stewart immediately set about Gordon in third, forcing the Dupont Chevy up the track where it lost two places, but Stewart also lost out to his team-mate Bobby Labonte.

Meanwhile Earnhardt was proving just how important track position can be, reeling off the laps, able to keep Johnson a safe distance behind. Soon the Lowes driver had other concerns, fighting off Bobby Labonte. But it was too late for Labonte, as it was for anyone who had pitted, Dale Jnr celebrating his third win of the year and an extension to his points lead, having kept his last set of tyres together for more than 100 laps.

"Good car, good race track, we ran at the top, it was great," was how Dale Jnr eloquently summed up his night's work. Having stopped Jeff Gordon's form run, Earnhardt Jnr is looking more like championship material every week. Next stop, Charlotte...

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
2. Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
3. Bobby Labonte #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
4. Tony Stewart #20 Home Depot Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing
5. Matt Kenseth #17 DeWalt Ford Roush Racing
6. Jeff Gordon #24 Dupont Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
7. Mark Martin # 6 Viagra Ford Rousch Racing
8. Brian Vickers * #25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
9. Ryan Newman #12 Mobil 1/ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing
10. Michael Waltrip #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated