Face time for #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been scarce today at Iowa Speedway. So, unfortunately for his team, has been track time. Earnhardt Jr., one of four drivers testing at Iowa Speedway, blew an engine late in the morning and didn’t take another spin on the 7/8-mile oval until about 2:30pm. A throng of several hundred fans lined a fenced area near the infield hoping to catch a glimpse of Earnhardt and perhaps snag an autograph or two. That, as of 3:30 p.m., had not happened. Earnhardt Jr. did not address fans or the media before that time. An estimated 4,000 tickets were sold for the two-day “Test Fest,” which also included Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard among others.(Des Moines Register) AND: According to estimates, there were about 3,000 fans at the speedway during business hours – 600 of whom crammed into a nook by the garage area, hoping for an autograph. Some wanted to hand over merchandise. Others just wanted a feel. To his credit, Junior stayed out for almost 15 minutes. It was 15 minutes more than many expected – there were no promises for autographs, speedway officials said, and Earnhardt declined to speak to reporters – but only half the fans were close enough to reach him in time.(Des Moines Register) AND II: Edwards addressed reporters during the test session, which ended for his team early in the afternoon. Earnhardt signed autographs for many, but not all, fans assembled along the fan walk at about 4:45pm, but he did not speak to reporters. Neither did Truex and Menard.(Des Moines Register)(8-30-2007)
