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CUP: Chase Notebook, Week No. 3
Written by: Tom Jensen   
09/24/2008
Charlotte, NC
 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is happy to be back in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, as are all of his fans. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) ยป More Photos

JUNIOR’S ACHIEVEMENT After failing to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in two of the previous three seasons, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is glad to be in it again in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt, currently ninth in points, said he isn’t surprised to be back in the title hunt this season.

“I think a lot of people were arguing the fact whether we would make the Chase this year,” said Earnhardt, who is 129 points behind leader Carl Edwards. “And we felt like we would make the Chase all along. We made the Chase easier than I anticipated. It was a relief, but you can also take that as a confidence builder. We have an everything-to-gain-and-nothing-to-lose mentality. It gives you a lot of confidence.”

And Earnhardt said there is no question that the Chase divides the haves and have-nots in the Sprint Cup garage. “The Chase sort of splits the series up between drivers with a shot to win the title and drivers without a shot to win the title,” he said. “And there is a lot of pride and a lot of cockiness in a way to being in that (Chase) group. You try not to be a jerk or be cocky to a fault, but you
want to use that to hold your confidence to a certain level.”

TRIPLE THREAT “Front-Row” Joe Nemechek hasn’t had the year he’d hoped for with Front Row Racing this season, but he’s certainly looking forward to this Sunday’s Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway. The reason is simple: Nemechek had what probably was his best weekend of NASCAR racing at the 1.5-mile track back in 2004, when he won the Sprint Cup pole on Friday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday and the Cup race on Sunday.

“When I enter Kansas Speedway it's hard not to think about the past,” said Nemechek, “As you can imagine I have a comfort zone for the track. I feel this team is ready to have a break out race and Kansas would be an ideal place for that to happen.”

Nemechek is hoping for better luck this weekend than he’s had lately. “I keep on saying we need a clean race to get an honest assessment of where we're at,” he said. “I feel we are improving, but it's hard to gauge your progress when you have accidents and flat tires. We just need some of my old Kansas magic.”

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