Earnhardt in tight spot
Chance driver misses Chase
Meet Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bubble Boy.
Unlike the classic “Seinfeld” episode, this is not a good or funny thing. Earnhardt, much like “Seinfeld” back in the day, is must-see TV — which puts NASCAR in a dicey predicament should the sport’s most popular driver fail to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Earnhardt is No. 14 in the Chase grid (and 13th in points) with eight races left before the 16-driver field is set, but there are complications. Any top-30 driver below 16th who wins a race would knock Earnhardt one notch further back.
In a sport that puts a premium on winning these days, NASCAR’s favorite son is winless in 2016 and has led only four laps since mid-March.
“There was a time earlier in the year when he rattled off quite a few top-10s and a few top-fives and it looked like he was in pretty good shape. It’s gone downhill,” said Jeff Burton, an NBC NASCAR analyst and former Cup veteran. “I don’t want to say panic, but I do sense a high level of concern from within the team. And when you hear him talk, there’s certainly some anxiety.”
It will amp up to high anxiety as the weeks go on if Earnhardt continues trending downward.
Earnhardt has averaged a 21st-place finish in his last four races. That’s exactly where he finished two weeks ago at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400. And therein is part of the bigger-picture reason to worry.
Superspeedway restrictor-plate tracks are where Earnhardt, much like his late father, used to bank his money. Earnhardt crashed in the Daytona 500 and again at Talladega. There is one more restrictor-plate race at Talladega in October, but that won’t matter if he doesn’t qualify for the Chase.
“Going to Daytona and not running well, that was a big deal for them,” Burton said. “That took some of the wind out of their sails. ... That put a lot of pressure on everybody. It put a lot of pressure on him. Put a lot of pressure on the team.” Earnhardt gets it. “What am I going to do?” he said after finishing 13th at Kentucky last weekend. “We’re running as good as we can. It’s either going to be good enough or won’t be enough. I’m not really going to lose any sleep over it, at least at this moment. When we miss the Chase, it’ll be frustrating and disappointing, but we’re going to plan on not doing that. We’re going to plan on making it.”
The flip side is Earnhardt has won at Bristol, Michigan and Richmond, all among the eight tracks before the Chase field is finalized. But it’s tough to connect the dots with history when his current form seems so shaky, especially with the Hendrick Motorsports team struggling as a collective.
“It’s really important to remember that this stuff is not easy,” Burton said. “And I think Dale Jr. fans sometimes have unrealistic expectations.”
The bubble may burst. The static noise would not be pleasant.