Dale Earnhardt Jr. chases Jamie McMurray on the last lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

But plate racing at Daytona and Talladega is very different from the rest of the season and Earnhardt knows he and the 88 team still have a lot to prove.

“This is not a true gauge on what the changes are going to do to our team,’’ he said. “The next couple racetracks will definitely give us a better understanding of where we are. … If we can go to Fontana, Vegas, be competitive at any point during them races, it would be a little more validation.’’

Sunday was a very good day, similar to the plate races of a few years ago when Earnhardt was considered the master of the draft.

“It was all a blur,’’ said Earnhardt, whose finish was reminiscent of his father’s last victory at Talladega, when he sliced through traffic and drove from 18th to first in the last 10 laps. “I was just going wherever they weren’t.

“I really don’t enjoy being that aggressive. But if there was enough room for the radiator to fit, you just kind of held the gas down and prayed for the best.’’

It was the most fun he’s had on a plate track in a while.

“Yeah, I had a hell of a time tonight,’’ Earnhardt said. “When you got a good car, one that will make some moves and don’t wreck … I wrecked out of the last couple 500s. I figured, `What do I have to do to finish one of these things and finish it good?’ I might have been a little too careful (in the past), you know.

“Tonight, I just let it all hang out. If there was a hole in the middle, I went there, wherever it was.’’

That was good enough to give Earnhardt some much-needed momentum and his legion of fans some hope.

– Mike Harris can be reached at mharris@racintoday.com

Mike Harris was the long-time auto racing beat writer for the Associated Press and is now a frequent contributor to RacinToday.com