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Sprint Cup
CUP: Junior - Making Chase ‘Not Impossible’
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 16th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in over two years. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
After four straight finishes of 23rd or worse, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of making NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup are fading fast.
But with Earnhardt Jr. having performed well at the next four tracks on the circuit, he believes his Hendrick Motorsports team can mount a comeback.
“I feel like it’s not impossible,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. “I remember, it seems like it was just six races ago that we had just passed Carl [Edwards] for 12th and now he’s 300 points ahead of us.
“The points are there if you can get the car going and get it done. The problem is, if we just keep running like we’re running, it ain’t going to get it done.”
Earnhardt Jr. is 16th in points, 27 behind 15th-place Jamie McMurray and 121 behind 12th-place Mark Martin. Martin, Earnhardt Jr.’s Hendrick teammate, leads 13th-place Clint Bowyer by 10 points. Ryan Newman is 14th.
Earnhardt Jr. was in the top 12 in points after 11 races, but fell as far back as 17th in the following weeks. He climbed back to 11th after a fourth-place finish at Daytona.
He has finished 23rd, 27th, 27th and 26th in his last four races, however, plummeting to 16th. He lost two points positions last week at Watkins Glen.
Earnhardt Jr. has won races at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond, the next four tracks on the schedule, while Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond are his three best tracks in terms of average finish.
“We do have some good tracks coming up and if we can capitalize, we can go into Richmond with a real legitimate opportunity to come out of there in 12th place,” he said.
Earnhardt Jr. missed the Chase last year after making it in 2008. Missing it again would mark another disappointment in his three-year tenure with Hendrick.
“Only 12 get to make it, but the guys who are consistently making it, that is a feather in their cap every year,” he said. “When you’re not one of those guys, it’s pretty frustrating to not be consistently in there.”
SceneDaily.com • Nationwide drivers obtain sponsors for Michigan race
But with Earnhardt Jr. having performed well at the next four tracks on the circuit, he believes his Hendrick Motorsports team can mount a comeback.
“I feel like it’s not impossible,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. “I remember, it seems like it was just six races ago that we had just passed Carl [Edwards] for 12th and now he’s 300 points ahead of us.
“The points are there if you can get the car going and get it done. The problem is, if we just keep running like we’re running, it ain’t going to get it done.”
Earnhardt Jr. is 16th in points, 27 behind 15th-place Jamie McMurray and 121 behind 12th-place Mark Martin. Martin, Earnhardt Jr.’s Hendrick teammate, leads 13th-place Clint Bowyer by 10 points. Ryan Newman is 14th.
Earnhardt Jr. was in the top 12 in points after 11 races, but fell as far back as 17th in the following weeks. He climbed back to 11th after a fourth-place finish at Daytona.
He has finished 23rd, 27th, 27th and 26th in his last four races, however, plummeting to 16th. He lost two points positions last week at Watkins Glen.
Earnhardt Jr. has won races at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond, the next four tracks on the schedule, while Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond are his three best tracks in terms of average finish.
“We do have some good tracks coming up and if we can capitalize, we can go into Richmond with a real legitimate opportunity to come out of there in 12th place,” he said.
Earnhardt Jr. missed the Chase last year after making it in 2008. Missing it again would mark another disappointment in his three-year tenure with Hendrick.
“Only 12 get to make it, but the guys who are consistently making it, that is a feather in their cap every year,” he said. “When you’re not one of those guys, it’s pretty frustrating to not be consistently in there.”
SceneDaily.com • Nationwide drivers obtain sponsors for Michigan race
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