An 11th place finish just what Dale Jr needed

After a 7th place finish at Michigan a week ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr said that going to Infineon, one of the two Sprint Cup Series road courses, he would bring dynamite to blow the place up. Now the race at the difficult road course is over, and he probably still wants to blow the place up.

However, he did tie his best finish there, 11th, and beat out the people he is racing to get into the Chase. Those drivers, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, and Clint Bowyer, finished 14th, 29th, and 31st respectively. Now, Junior Nation has something to cheer about. He is only 57 points out of the chase in 13th.

It didn't seem like much of a glamour filled weekend, but this is huge. If Dale Jr. can make the Chase, this race may be the reason that really puts him in there. Remember, the days that really matter are the tough days.

And it was a very tough race for Junior. Complaining of a loose car off the corner, he was not able to be up front all of the race. Towards the end however, he was able to find the right holes to make his way up to the front. Getting through this race successfully will be very important to Junior's Chase run.

Now, it's back to tracks where the 88 team can keep the good finishes rolling. The only track that may be a slight concern to the team may be Watkin's Glen, but Junior says that he can "run in the top 10 at the Glen on a good day."

The next few weeks are going to be crucial, but not as much now as before.