NASCAR Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr. accepts blame for costly penalty: 'I screwed up'

Published Jun. 3, 2015 6:11 p.m. ET

Jared Turner

Two days after finishing a disappointing 14th in Sunday's FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the blame for not getting the result he felt his team deserved.

Speaking during Tuesday's edition of the "Dale Jr. Download" on Dirty Mo Radio, NASCAR's most popular driver expressed his regret for a pit-road speeding penalty that cost him 20 positions and two laps.

After starting in the back because of a rear-gear change, and falling a lap down early, the driver of the No. 88 Chevy had rallied all the way to sixth when he headed to pit road for a Lap 247 green-flag pit stop that ultimately proved costly.

When Earnhardt returned to the track after a pass-through penalty three laps later, he was in 26th and two laps down. Although he managed to move up a dozen spots to finish 14th, it wasn't the outcome he wanted.

"I hate I fouled up there and screwed up coming onto pit road and disappointed the guys," Earnhardt said on the Download. "We just worked so hard to get all that ground back, and get back on the lead lap, and I sort of screwed it all up. So that's difficult to deal with, but you've got to put it behind you to be able to move on to the next event."

The next event is Sunday's Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono Raceway, where Earnhardt swept last year's two Sprint Cup races.

From there, it's on to Michigan International Speedway where he's also a two-time winner.

"We're going to some tracks where I think we can do really well, so I'm looking forward to it," Earnhardt said. "Every week I'm really excited about what we've got going on ... and all the guys are really fired up."

VIDEO: A look back at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s history with crew chiefs