Driver Spotlight: Dale Earnhardt Jr (Preseason Addition)

Dale Earnhardt Jr's 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

The first Driver Spotlight of the 2014 season will come early this year, yes in fact still in 2013. The way I see it, if you are going to start the season off, why not start it with Nascars most popular driver (again), Dale Earnhardt Jr? (Take a look here at last years Driver Spotlight on Jr)

Jr will turn 40 this Nascar season and time could be running out for him to win multiple Championships, but that doesn't mean he can make a run at finally getting his first.  In fact, he could be hitting the prime of his career right now. In 2013, Dale posted the most top 10's he has ever had in a single season (22) and he also had ten top 10's on the year. What seems most telling to me about the 2013 season is that he ended up finishing the season 5th in the points Chase.

Lets take a quick look at the final ten races of the 2012 season for a better understanding of how he finished the best he has in the standings since 2006. If you look at how the Chase started for Dale you would say it would have been easy for him to roll over and just coast through the rest of the 2013 season (35th place finish at Chicago). In the next 9 races he did manage to finish in the top ten 8 times, with 5 of those being top 5's. That's a hot ending to the 2013 season that could roll over into 2014.  He had half of his season top 5's in the last 10 races of the season, where they matter the most.

If Dale could have erased that first Chase race he may have been contending throughout the Chase. His worst finish (other then the 35th place when he had engine troubles) was 15th which was his only finish outside the top 10.

After the review of 2013, it is hard not to think that Jr has a shot to contend in 2014. In fact, these numbers probably make Jr Nation drool with the thought of him holding that Championship Trophy. It all starts at Daytona where Jr use to be dominate. In his last 5 starts at the Daytona 500 he has finished runner up 3 times, the other to he finished 24 (but won the Pole), and 27th.

Is this the season that he starts out with a win in the first race and goes on to contend for a Championship? Let's here your take! Get on Twitter and send me your opinion and thoughts on Jr this season.