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Dale Earnhardt Jr. on loose wheel at Talladega: ‘I had to bail out’

TALLADEGA, Ala. – A loose left-rear wheel ultimately separated Dale Earnhardt Jr. from a potential seventh victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

With 14 laps remaining, Earnhardt radioed to the crew that he felt like he had a wheel coming off, relinquishing the third-place spot after electing to nurse his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet back to pit road.

Crew chief Greg Ives confirmed the left-rear wheel was loose and only one lug nut was tight.

“I thought I had a wheel come off,” Earnhardt said. “The guys said it was similar to the issue we had in Atlanta.