June 2008 was the last time that Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered victory lane
after he won The Lifelock 400 in Michigan. Since that time Earnhardt
and his no. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet have become
the bridesmaids of NASCAR, coming so close to victory on several
occasions. Last season started with Junior winning the pole for The
Daytona 500. Junior then suffered a practice crash which forced him to
start the race at the 43rd position due to NASCAR’s rules which prohibit
drivers from switching cars after qualifying. Last season Earnhardt Jr.
was withing half a lap of winning The Coca-Cola 600 only to run out of
gas on the final lap. Junior finished the race in seventh place.
Dale Jr. has lacked a victory in 2012, but he is having his best season
on the circuit. In September 2011, Junior signed a five-year extension
with Hendrick Motorsports and he appears to have a new peace of mind.
Earnhardt Jr. is currently fourth in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Standings and
he has nine top ten finishes and four top fives under his belt this
year.
Junior’s success this season can be attributed to a 2010 switch by
Hendrick Motorsports involving Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin.
Earnhardt Jr. saddled up with Steve Letante as his crew chief and bid
farewell to Larry McGrew who went to work with Martin. Since then Dale
Jr. is running with new life that has carried over to 2012. Almost a
third of the way into the season, Junior is on pace to clip his best
mark of 21 top tens which he achieved in both 2003 and 2004.
Aside from trying to stop his winless streak, Earnhardt Jr. has some
stiff competition to win The Sprint Cup. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth,
and Tony Stewart are all currently in the top ten of The Sprint Cup
Standings. All three drivers have Sprint Cup Series titles with Johnson
and Stewart winning the last six. All three will continue to provide
serious competition for Junior.
Everytime that Dale Jr. appears to make progress in the standings,
current points leader Greg Biffle finds himself making a strong showing
not allowing Junior to breathe. It hasn’t fazed Earnhardt Jr. and sooner
rather than later he will once again find himself in the winner’s
circle.
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