Dale Earnhardt Jr. car destroyed after blowing a tire at PIR
The fifth caution of Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway came on Lap 181 of 312 and collected fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Struggling with the handling of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Earnhardt Jr. had a right rear tire failure, sending his car into the outside wall in Turn 2.
Running 21st at the time, Earnhardt Jr. was initially able to drive the car from the incident, but a fire in the right rear wheel assembly forced him to climb from the car at the entrance to pit road.
"We had been really, really loose today and just wore the right rear tire out and blew the right rear tire out," said Earnhardt Jr. "We'll try to get it fixed up and get back out there."
The team was unable to make further repairs and Earnhardt Jr. was officially listed as being out of the race, ending a string of three-straight top-five finishes to start the 2015 season.
A Goodyear spokesman said that a melted bead on the tire, likely caused by excessive brake heat, led to the tire failure.
It's our first bit of adversity this year. Nothing we can't respond to. Haven't won @ACSupdates yet. Next weeks as good as any.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 15, 2015
This is not a @GoodyearRacing tire issue. We will address it and put into place improvements to correct it.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 15, 2015