(The Spread) – As it turns out, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be starting in the pole position at the Daytona 500 after all.
Earnhardt will have to part with the pole position for the Daytona 500 after wrecking his car in practice on Wednesday. He was driving behind teammate Jimmie Johnson when he bumped him.
The bump forced Earnhardt to slow down and when that happened, the cars behind him began to gain. Earnhardt spun into the inside wall at Daytona International Speedway and wrecked his ride.
After Hendrick Motorsports gave him a backup car, Earnhardt had to forfeit the pole under NASCAR rules. He won the pole position in qualifying on Sunday, but now must start at the rear of the 43-card field for this weekend’s race.
This is now the third car he’s used since arriving in Daytona. He also wrecked his ride in last weekend’s Budweiser Shootout. Fortunately for Johnson, his car was untouched in the accident on Wednesday and he’ll be fine. Earnhardt also escaped uninjured.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, Earnhardt was +600 to win the Daytona 500 but his odds have now reached as high as +1500 at some books.
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