NASCAR notebook

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. just got bored.

• Photos

That's how the three-time defending Hershey's Take 5 300 champion explained an incident with teammate Martin Truex Jr. midway through Saturday's Busch Series race.

Earnhardt spun out Truex - who was driving a car Earnhardt owns - 48 laps into the 120-lap race.

The accident happened as the pair moved up through the field, along with their Nextel Cup teammate Michael Waltrip, after laying back early on to stay out of trouble.

"We was getting a little bored," Earnhardt said. "Somebody knocked Martin, sent him up sideways in front of me. He was wrecking anyways, I just helped him on out."

The crash was almost inevitable. Several other drivers followed Earnhardt, Truex and Waltrip as they fell back in the field early in the race, a testament to how dominant they've been at Daytona the past few years.

NEW TRUCK FEUD? Jimmy Spencer needed one race to find an adversary in his first season in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Spencer finished second to defending series champion Bobby Hamilton in Friday's Florida Dodge Dealers 250. The race finished under caution, and Spencer and Hamilton were side by side when the caution light came on.

Spencer was ruled the unofficial winner, and during a television interview in Victory Lane, he said he didn't appreciate what he deemed as an attempt by Hamilton to spin him out on the final lap.

NASCAR officials reviewed the videotape in the meantime and declared Hamilton the winner. A peeved Spencer left the track without talking to the media.

Hamilton defended his actions in the post-race press conference.

"I had a clean run on him ...I don't know what the problem is," Hamilton said. "But I've seen Jimmy Spencer drive for years, and that was mild."

PIT STOPS: Race fans held a candlelight vigil in honor of Dale Earnhardt late Friday night, marking the fourth anniversary of his death.

Earnhardt died in a single-car crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, attended the vigil and thanked the fans. ... Earnhardt Jr. posted the fastest practice lap for the second straight day Saturday, further lending to rival Jeff Gordon's theory that Earnhardt and Waltrip "sandbagged" in testing, practice and qualifying prior to Thursday's qualifying races.

"The cars are running well," Waltrip said. "And that's a great feeling after we got off to a slow start in Speedweeks."

Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.