Earnhardt has sharpened his focus |
Earnhardt led 47 laps
Sunday en route to a fifth-place finish, and was a leading contender for
Victory Lane until inadvertently being blocked into his pit stall by the Ford
of Casey Mears on the afternoon’s final pit stop.
"I hate to be
frustrated at Phoenix, but I think we are," said Earnhardt afterward.
"We had a real good car (and) we feel like we could have finished better
than fifth, maybe even won the race. We just didn't get the breaks on pit road.
I think we could have beat (Edwards) off pit road, but somebody was pulling
into their stall in front of us, and I had to lift and give the spot to the No.
99.
“That was the race, in
my opinion.”
The finish was
Earnhardt’s second Top-5 showing in as many starts this season. He trailed
winner Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag in the Daytona 500, and that fast
start has him second in championship points, just eight behind Johnson. While
it’s too soon to begin watching the championship scoreboard, this is clearly
not the same Earnhardt that finished the 2010 season a lowly 21st in
points.
That season, NASCAR’s
perennial Most Popular Driver managed only three Top-5 and eight Top-10
finishes in his third campaign with powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, triggering
a firestorm of speculation about his future with NASCAR’s most dominant team.
Today, there is no
question about Earnhardt’s place in the HMS lineup. He snapped a four year,
143-race winless streak with a popular victory at Michigan International
Speedway last June, and led the championship standings at midseason before
being forced from the title chase by a crash at Talladega Superspeedway that
left him with a severe concussion.
In crew chief Steve
Letarte, Earnhardt has found the friend, cheerleader and mentor he has lacked
since Tony Eury, Sr., climbed down from the pit box at Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
prior to the 2005 season.
Junior and Letarte have meshed |
On Letarte’s watch,
Earnhardt has brought a more professional approach to his job as a NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series driver. The 38-year old spends less time with his Playstation
and more time debriefing with his crew, immersing himself in the factual
minutia he openly disdained just a few seasons ago. He has supplemented his
longtime diet of pizza and chicken wings with an increased emphasis on fish,
chicken and vegetables, and now tips the scales at a svelte 175 pounds; down
from 190 less than a year ago.
“I lost a lot of
weight -- about 15 or 20 pounds -- trying to do a better job of managing my
calories,” he said. “I never really worried about it before. I’d eat all kinds
of stuff like pizza and wings every day and not really watch portion control.
“For me, (it’s about)
trying to maintain my weight so I don’t have to keep getting my driver suits
altered throughout the season,” he laughed. “Last year I was like, ‘Man,
they’re shrinking, something is wrong with the washer.’ I'm no health freak,
but I think the older you
get, the more you have to do to maintain a healthy weight.”
By all accounts,
Earnhardt is a stronger, fitter and more emotionally invested driver than he
was just three years ago. Letarte and team owner Rick Hendrick have helped in
that transformation, as have the driver’s own age and maturity.
Regardless of who gets
the credit, however, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finally appears ready to contend for
the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, fulfilling the expectations his
fans have clung to so patiently, for so long.
Photos: Getty Images, AP
Photo/Autostock/Russell LaBounty
He's always ready , just ask him , they otta call him Top 5 .Only problem is nothing ever comes from it ?
ReplyDeleteDon't Worry Dale Earnhardt Jr. I Have Alot Of Faith And Poistive Additude For You, Your Going To The Top This Year, Wheather You Come In First Or Last, You Will Always Be #1 To Me. But 2013, Your Going To Rock, Your On The Move, And Your Coming Up From The Back You'll Be In Alot Of Victory Lane. Watch And See, 2013 You Will Rock Nascar And The Universe. Your The Man Just Think Positive. Thanks, You Have All My Support, And We All Love You, No Matter What!!! #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Your The Man So I Don't Fool With The Rest!!!
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