TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR made the right decision in penalizing him and Casey Mears for intentionally bumping cars after the race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Earnhardt and Mears were both put on probation this week for the next six races, but neither was fined or lost any points. Earnhardt says he's friends with his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate and the incident will blow over.
Contact between the two caused Earnhardt to crash with 11 laps to go at Phoenix. Earnhardt says the only reason he intentionally spun Mears on the cool-down lap was because his car was already wrecked anyway. He says he would not have done it if the No. 88 Chevrolet was still intact.
