NASCAR Heads to Michigan with Dale Earnhardt Jr on a Roll

Quicken Loans 400

By Richard Tix

NASCAR heads to Brooklyn, Michigan for its 15th race of the 2014. Fans will wined there way, up and down, through the rolling green lands of the Irish Hills on there way to Michigan International Speedway. NASCAR will get back to racing with four turns for the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday, and as fans make there way through the beautiful surrounding areas on the way to the track I can't help but think of Dale Earnhardt's career path being the same.

Jr received this photo of he and his dad that
 he had never seen before.

When you take a step back and look at it, overall he has had a pretty great career. He has had a lot of up's and down's throughout his lifetime in NASCAR which don't always have to do with his race results. But as we get to NASCAR Dale Jr is on one of those high points, where you can see nothing but perfect green grass and a small country road. 

Dale Jr started the 2014 season with plenty of questions about a number that his father made infamous. The 3 was back, and other than Richard Childress and Austin Dillon, Jr was in the media cross-hairs. What is obvious to everyone, is that Sr meant a whole lot to Jr and every year that goes bad fans get to see more and more of that.

Finally, the talk ended and racing began and in that sense the season couldn't have started any better. Jr won the Daytona 500 for the first time since 2004 and didn't look back as the season went on. Dale Jr has had very few bumps in the road this season (other than putting himself in the grass at Texas) but of any driver in the Sprint Cup Series he could be the one to tell you about the ups, downs, and tough luck of racing.

After posting a win, 6 top 5's, and 8 top 10's in NASCAR's first 13 races of the season Jr was in the position of tough luck again at Pocono. After what became the last race restart of the day on lap 17, Jr was trying to catch up to race leader Brad Keselowski. BK had the car to beat all day at Pocono and it looked like he would cruise to a win. Then a gift came for Jr, a piece of trash got stuck on BK's grill and his temp's started to run hot.

Dale Jr stuck around, clinging onto BK hoping to make a move. Then it happened, BK got off the pace and Jr finally did something that he has had happen to him all too often when he had the car to beat, he passed BK for the lead. Dale may not have had the best car, but opportunity presents itself to those who put themselves in position to take advantage. 

Jr went onto win his second race of the 2014 season just as NASCAR heads into Michigan International Speedway. Now, most people will say this is his track, but fact is MIS is just like a lot of his career, up and down. Most fans remember MIS as the track that Jr finally broke out of his win less streak in 2012, but I would bet Jr has stuck in his head his 36th and 37th place finishes of last year. 

That's what I think is more important as NASCAR heads to MIS. Not that Jr has had a good track record at MIS (which in general I think is a false statement, he only has 10 top 10's in 29 career races and only 4 in his last 10 starts) but that he has it in the back of his head how bad last year was in Michigan when expectations were so high. This year expectations on the whole season can be thrown out the window. Its Steve Letarte's last season as Crew Chief and he and Dale Jr can just let loose. With two wins on the season he is locked into the Chase already so he and Steve can put it all on the line. When it comes to speed at MIS the #88 team should find it so all they need to do is play the correct strategy. Dale is coming into MIS on a high of confidence and a determination to improve on last year's lack luster results. Confidence is a great thing in NASCAR as is team chemistry, and Dale Earnhardt Jr will have both as he rolls into the Irish Hills past little farm houses and churches on every corner. This could just be the first time Dale Earnhardt Jr wins back to back races in his 519 Cup race career.

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.

Driver Spotlight: Dale Earnhardt Jr

Nascar Behind the Wall Driver spotlight: Dale Earnhardt Jr. This segment will be a short article about where each driver is right now during the 2013 season. At the end of the season I will review some of the more interesting stories from Driver Spotlight



Well Nascar is officially through 13 points races in the 2013 season and Dale Earnhardt Jr looks to be
in a pretty safe spot in the Sprint Cup Standings (6th). Since 2006 when he finished 5th in the points standings Jr has had only 2 wins and made the Chase 3 times. That is 3 Chase appearances in 6 seasons, or for you math majors 50% of the time. Those are not numbers many fans of Jr Nation like to see or hear about.

Lucky for Jr, and his loyal following, he is having his one of his better seasons since then (last year at this point was better, see below). He already has 8 top 10's in 2013 which ties his total from 2010 and is more then 2009 (5). He has 3 top 5's which is the same story as the top 10's (tied 2010 total and more then 2009). So it is pretty easy to say after having a pretty good season last year until a concussion held him back in the Chase, that Jr has regained some form.

The big spotlight for Jr this season is will it all come together or will it just be another "good" and not great season.

Let's break down this season so far because when broken down Jr hasn't been near as consistent as he would like.

The first 5 races:

• Well Jr was all the talk when the 2013 season got off to a hot start.  Not only was there some great racing and great story lines going on, but Nascar's most popular driver was on fire. In the first 5 races Jr finished in the top 10 every time and had 3 top 5's.  As a fan of Nascar anyone had to enjoy seeing that because lets face it, fan or not, when Jr is doing well everything is more interesting.

Next 5 races:

• The next 5 races couldn't have been any more opposite then how he started the season. He had one top 10 in those 10 races and was completely out of the spotlight. In those 5 races his average finish position was a dismal 19.2.

Last 4 races (ASR included):

• Even though the ASR didn't involve points I did include it in this spotlight because it brings it closer to splitting the season so far 5, 5 and 5. Jr hasn't quite got back to the form he was in to start 2013 but in his last 4 he has 3 top 10's. He has been very quiet during this stretch but he has been getting valuable points and staying in contention for the Chase.

Jr has 8 Top 10's and 3 Top 5's in 2013 through 13 races

Really 2013 has been the tale of two Dales. Something Jr will have to figure out when he gets to the Chase is how to stay consistent. If he enters the Chase on one of his "hot" stretches then Jr Nation may finally get to rejoice and Jr may finally get that coveted Championship.

A comparison to his 2012 season start:

Season	2013	2012
Races	13	13
Wins	0	0
Top 5's	3	5
Top 10's	8	10
Average Finish Position	13.5	7.85



So the big question is, can Jr get hot at the right time, during the Chase and make a bid at his first ever Sprint Cup Title? Also a side note to keep and eye on, can he get a Win in 2013? He is on a current streak of 32 races since his last win at Michigan International Speedway last season.

Hopefully for Jr Nation I come back to this article at the end of the season praising how good of a Chase Jr had while he went on to his first Championship, but it also just could be a dream. Only time will tell.

**Update 6/16/13: Heading into Michigan on 6/16 it looked like Jr was getting on a roll again and might get his first win of 2013. Jr had a fast car and even lead some laps at MIS. While he had a 5 second lead on JJ his blew an engine that ended his day and his bid at a 2013 win at MIS in the June race just one year since his last win.**