Dale Earnhardt Jr. long shot to make 2010 Chase
LAS VEGAS -- With apologies to Elvis impersonators, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the building.
Then, just like that, he left.
Earnhardt Jr. commuted to Vegas for a single day to pick up his seventh consecutive most popular driver award, then left town without enjoying a night out with his buddies.
Anyway, while Earnhardt Jr. was here, he let everyone know that his Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team had made some personnel changes, specifically in the engineering department.
He tried to downplay them as much as possible, saying that he didn't want them to get blown out of proportion - as is the case so often even when Earnhardt Jr. sneezes.
But he and his fans can only hope they pay off immediately.
If I were a Vegas oddsmaker, I'd say Earnhardt Jr. is a decided underdog to make the Chase For The Sprint Cup in 2010. He simply didn't show enough at the end of the season - besides increased optimism - that next year could be a big rebound.
Here's hoping I'm wrong (for the sake of the sport, if nothing else), but Earnhardt Jr. and his team need to come out of the box strong at the outset of the season to give themselves a shot.
That would give him the confidence he needs to feel things are turned around, and it would increase Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of sticking around Vegas for more than just a day next year.
