Daytona 500 winner #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a different spotter this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Earnhardt tweeted that spotter T.J. Majors will miss this weekend because of ‘personal reasons’ and that Majors ‘Will be back ASAP. Will miss ya buddy. #getwell.’ Bill Elliott will spot for Earnhardt in today’s practice session, crew chief Steve Letarte said. Letarte said he might spot for Earnhardt during Friday’s qualifying session. If so, Letarte would have to be in the spotter’s stand instead of on pit road. Letarte said he might spot qualifying to have a better perspective and understanding of the new qualifying format. Elliott likely will spot for Earnhardt for Saturday’s practice sessions although rain is scheduled most of Saturday. For the race, Jeff Dickerson will spot for Earnhardt. Dickerson, who formerly spotted for Jeff Gordon, filled in last year for Majors when he was out because of sickness.(Motor Racing Network)(2-28-2013)
UPDATE: ‘TJ is good,’ Earnhardt replied when asked about his spotter’s health. ‘He had some issues with his intestines last year that caused him to miss the Atlanta race. Some of those issues cropped back up – just a small infection. He’s back home now. He’s out of the hospital, so he’s fine. He just hates having to miss it. He’s a huge part of our team. We have such great chemistry. It’s going to be a difficult situation not having him, but we’ve got Bill Elliott, of all people, (who) is going to fill in during practice. That’s going to be pretty awesome.’(NASCAR Wire Service)(3-1-2014)
