Has Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s season turned the corner for the worse?

The 88 team pushes the broken HMS car into the garage after a rough day at Infineon. Picture from Jeff Gluck, SBNation.com

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is told by crew chief Steve Letarte to bring it down pit road as Earnhardt's engine erupts into flames resulting from a broken radiator. For the second weekend in a row, something, or someone has caused them to have a poor finish as the Chase nears. At Infineon this past weekend, it wasn't just a poor finish, it was terrible - not even a top 40 - 41st to be exact.

With NASCAR's new points system, every point counts tremendously, so finishing low in the running order is far worse than it has been in years past. What was once a top three team in points, faultered to 7th place in the standings after a race at Earnhardt's obvious hated track.

With this being only his second DNF of the season, Earnhardt Jr., along with his new revived team, have been solid to say the least. Scoring 3 top 5's and 8 top 10's has made Jr. say this has been one of his most consistent years of his career - if not the most consistent, even without a win yet.

However, the summer months have proven to be deadly to NASCAR's most popular driver, with a string of tracks that are not the best for him.

Many who are critical of him say that June would be a crucial month for him, and while he had started strong in the early month of June - the highlight of that being Pocono, a track where Earnhardt has had little success - trouble two weeks in a row have put him closer to falling out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

While he still has quite a gap, this new points system has proven many times this year that no one is safe, and that every point can be considered to make or break a team's season.

Luckily for the 88 team, Daytona - a very strong track for Dale Earnhardt Jr. - is up next on the schedule, but even an Earnhardt is not safe from the unpredictability of a restrictor plate race. Earnhardt himself isn't looking forward to it all that much.

"I'm not looking forward to going to Daytona, not with the way the (two-car) drafting is there," he said. "But we'll just have to see if we can get lucky out there. What's after Daytona? I'll be glad to go there."

After Daytona, no matter the result, Earnhardt and his team must perform. With teams climbing their way up the standings after a rough start to the 2011 season, they must not only be on offense, but deffense as well.

Are they truly in trouble? Perhaps not, but one thing is for certain: 3rd in points is more conforting than 7th.

Special Paint Scheme, New Car For Earnhardt This Weekend

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the number 88 team will try and rebound after a tough finish last weekend at Richmond International Speedway due to pit strategy. The AMP Energy team is now fourth in points, after falling from third position.

The team will field a new paint scheme this weekend at Darlington as well as next weekend at Dover - the AMP Energy Sugar Free scheme. Not only is the paint scheme something new, the car is as well. The team will unload a car that has never been raced or tested before(for folks who are interested in the actual chassis number, its 88-657).

Earnhardt says Darlington is a slick track and it is important to find that edge.

"Darlington is a slick track. It is a difficult track to drive around. It is real smooth, and you have to find that edge. There is a lot of load change like driving into Turn one and then the load comes out of the car through the center and then the load increases on the exit of Turn two. The car just really changes a lot as you are going around the corner, and it can just snap on you."

Darlington Raceway, due to its odd shape and narrowness, is hard on many drivers and teams, and tends to give everyone a 'Darlington Stripe' at least once in a weekend, however it has been a fairly good track for Jr. in his career. NASCAR's most popular driver has three top-five finishes and seven top-10s and has completed 98.1 percent of the laps he has attempted.

It has not always been the same Darlington in Earnhardt's career - a repave a few years ago has changed the track somewhat according to crew chief Steve Letarte.

"It's changed a little with the new pavement. Tire wear is not really an issue. The key to success at Darlington is to take care of your equipment. The track will lull you into complacency. You go there with heightened senses because you know it tears up a lot of right sides. Over a couple of days you get more relaxed and the risks become normal. In Turns 1 and 2 you are right against the wall and not many people make a lot of mistakes down there because there is a lot of room. Turns 3 and 4 are just the opposite. You drive in really straight, and you have to make the car turn right up against the wall. To be good all day long at Darlington, you have to stay out of that Turn 3 and 4 wall."

Earnhardt's second worse finish of the year came last weekend(19th). Other than Richmond and Daytona, the 88 team has finished no worse than 12th this season.



Thanks to the 88 team PR for the quotes

Don't expect Dale Jr. to take out anybody for the win

After getting passed late in the race last weekend in Martinsville to lose the race to Kevin Harvick, many have been critical of Dale Eanhardt Jr. for not taking out Kevin Harvick to win the race. Being NASCAR's most popular driver and the son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt have put extra attention on how Dale Jr. raced for the win last weekend. Although Earnhardt did bump Kyle Busch out of the way to take the lead initially, some say Earnhardt raced Harvick the wrong way, saying that his father wouldn't have let that race get way.

When asked about the closing laps of the race the following week at Texas, Dale had no regrets.

"I didn't want to take him out under any circumstances," he said. "I don't take out drivers or wreck people on purpose. I wanted to race him hard."

Although there was some contact between the two drivers, Earnhardt called it a "pillow fight," which is what he expects from drivers if he was in Harvick's position in the future.

"If it's near the end of the race, I expect to run hard and be aggressive, and I expect the guys to run me hard and be aggressive, and I think that's kind of what went down this past weekend."

With the next three races coming up on the circuit being good tracks for NASCAR's most popular driver, we may see Dale Earnhardt Jr. race for the win again very soon. According to him, don't expect him to take anybody out on purpose.

Dale Jr. Almost Ends Winless Streak

After almost 100 races since Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last Sprint Cup Series points race win, Earnhardt took the lead from Kyle Busch after a bump and run only to get passed by Kevin Harvick with just a few laps remaining.

For a while, it seemed Jr's winless streak was about to be over, and that he would finally be able to take home a grandfather clock - the trophy for winning at Matinsville. It seemed, even to Earnhardt, that he would take the checkered flag, saying he thought "I was meant to win that damn race."

This was not the case, as he barely even held on to finish second place after a loose car in the final laps. Although disappointed, NASCAR's most popular driver is also "thrilled."

"I'm really thrilled," Earnhardt Jr said after his chance at winning. "I know it don't look like it. But I've got such a hell of an opportunity. This is such a great group to be around, and I'm having fun it. I'm racing cars. It's all I've ever wanted to do.

"I want to run like this. I want to finish like this and run a little bit better than this on every weekend, and we are right on the outside of that – and it's frustrating to be that close. It was frustrating to be leading the race with inside 10 laps to go and be passed."

Dale Earnhardt Jr, heads into the next few races with a good chance at winning yet again. The next three race tracks have been a place of victory for Earnhardt Jr. in the past.

Friday Bristol Dale Jr. Quotes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has gotten off to a great start in the 2011 season with new crew chief Steve Letarte. With the team chemistry improving more and more as the races begin to click off, Jr. Nation gains more hope and excitement. Dale Jr. however, is happy but is not ready to call it a good year yet. Here are some statements made by Earnhardt Jr. in Fridays practice and qualifying day at Bristol.

"I think we've just got to temper our excitement over what we've seen so far. Just got to temper your mood and keep working hard. Keep focused on how much further in the season we've got to go."

"It's just such a clean slate starting this season that it allowed me to sort of reboot a little bit," he said. "Me and Steve are getting along really good. Hopefully we can maintain that. That's going to be the challenge, really – maintaining our positive attitude and the communication and the consistency that's working right now."

"It's just such a clean slate starting this season that it allowed me to sort of reboot a little bit. Me and Steve are getting along really good. Hopefully we can maintain that. That's going to be the challenge, really – maintaining our positive attitude and the communication and the consistency that's working right now"

Talking about Steve Letarte, Jr. said, "He does a great job of just keeping you in the game. You're part of the puzzle and everybody needs to be pulling in the same direction. He's good at what he does, you know? There's no doubt about it."





Thanks to Jeff Gluck for the quotes

Dale Jr: 'This Really Ain't A Fluke'

For the second consecutive week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his new 88 team pulled off a solid top ten finish. Although it may not seem like much, it really is something to be confident about for Jr Nation as well as Dale Jr. himself.

"It feels like it's working – and it's obvious that it is working, when you really look at it," he said. "I was sitting there in the middle of the race saying, 'You know, this really ain't a fluke. This is how it's supposed to go and how it should go – and how it went in the past when things were good.'"

It's no secret Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been struggling in his recent years, with multiple crew chiefs and teams, with what is supposed to be the best equipment in the garage. Dale Jr. himself knows that this season is critical for his future in racing.

"Failure at this point is completely unacceptable," he said. "I've got to put it all out on the line to make this work, because if it don't work with him, I've got nowhere else to go. I've got no other options, really – other than to race myself into oblivion with my own team and Tony Jr. and those guys.

"I want this to work. I want to race Cup. I want to be in the COT the rest of my career, and I want to be successful."



He was the head of the Hendrick team today, the only team to finish in the top 10, in fact.

It may be early, but Dale Jr.'s pairing with crew chief Steve Letarte seems to be a good one, and may even become the best Earnhardt has ever had. There is no doubt that confidence is what needs to improve the most with the driver, as Jr. stated on the radio just following the finish. Having more good runs, will increase that confidence incredibly and should even propel the team to victory lane in the near future.




Thanks to Jeff Gluck from SBNation.com for the quotes.

Dale Earnhardt Jr wins the most popular driver award for the 8th consecutive year

The NASCAR annual Myers Brothers Luncheon consists of many awards, consisting of awards for pit stops, pole awards, and many others. It even included a presentation regarding the new E15 fuel that the sport will use next year. The most talked about award had to be regarding the most popular driver award.

Guess who won?

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Didn't see that one coming, did you?

Here is what Dale Jr. said in a press release by Hendrick Motorsports.

"It was pretty cool to hear that I was eight in a row just like Bill (Elliott). I've enjoyed winning it – my fan base has stayed strong. It's become an important honor each year for me. I'm glad that fans still feel their support for me. I appreciate their dedication and loyalty."

Dale Jr. may not have had as many wins as other drivers in the past few years, but he has won over the majority of people that matter the most, the fans.

Big changes at Hendrick Motorsports

Just days after Rick Hendrick's 10th Sprint Cup championship, changes are being made to the team.

Hendrick will switch all the crew chief driver combinations, with the exception of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, effective immediately.

Lance McGrew will switch over to the number 5 team and Mark Martin. This will leave Dale Jr. needing a crew chief. He will get Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte. This means Gordon will get Alan Gustafson.

Not only do the crew chiefs swap, the shops do too. The previous 24/48 shop will switch to the 48/88 shop. This makes the previous 5/88 shop turn into the 5/24 shop.

Here is what Rick Hendrick said in the official team statement.

"This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

So exactly what is the issue for the 88 team?

Three years. 2 crew chiefs. 1 win. Those would be the expected stats of an average driver.

And that driver just might be average, at least that's what some people think.

As far as my opinion goes, I'm not buying it. At least not yet.

Those stats belong to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Who would've thought that about three years ago?

I bet you the list of people who did is a very short one.

Now, from everything that has been tossed around, from conspiracy theories, to the driver or crew chief being the blame, I still believe that everyone associated with the 88 team is very good at what they do.

So what is the problem?

Just ask Jamie Mcmurray what his problem was at Roush Fenway Racing.

Chemistry.

NASCAR's most popular driver is with a more successful team than he has dealt with in the past, however that doesn't mean anything if there isn't any good chemistry.

When Dale was driving for DEI, he may not have had the best equipment, but he did win a lot of races, 17 to be exact.

That was a result of good chemistry.

An article by ESPN's David Newton helped me realize it.

Tony Eury Jr. told ESPN something that is missing in the 88 team.

"One thing we had that was strong when we were at DEI, it was brother eat brother. I mean, we were there for one another. We would take a shot for one another."

As far as I'm concerned, Rick Hendrick can put as many technology savvy people as he wants as of a member of Dale's team, but as long as there is no chemistry, no "brother eat brother," there will be no success.

Take when Dale Jr. won in the 3 car recently at Daytona. Jr was with some members of the 88 team, but as far as engineers and the crew chief, it was people Dale had surrounded himself with for years at JR Motorsports.

So what does Rick Hendrick do now? Well, he has two choices: He can keep Lance as the crew chief and try to build chemistry, or he can let the whole Dale Jr. experiment go, and have Dale move on to a better place to have the chemistry, possibly at his own team.

Either way, I believe that Dale Jr. will still have more success in his career, because he is not just average. Although, that success may not be at his current team.