Earnhardt Jr. hoping to overcome bad luck at Atlanta

By SceneDaily staff report
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. likes high-speed ovals such as Atlanta Motor Speedway, though he is hoping that the late-race setbacks he has endured at the track come to an end Sunday.

Earnhardt Jr. has one win at the track (March 2004) and nine top-10 finishes in 16 races there. But he thinks that his record at Atlanta, site of Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race, should be much better.

"I don't think there is a place on the tour where we've been as consistently fast and at the front only to have strange things happen in the final laps," he said. "It's a lot like what has happened for the team all year: We're fast, we lead laps, we set ourselves up for victory, and then - 'Bam!' - something odd happens."

The Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver has faced engine problems in seven races this season, but he remains 13th in the standings, the highest spot any driver outside the Chase For The Nextel Cup can attain.

Now if he can just avoid those setbacks.

"We should have a lot more wins here, but we've missed out because of agonizing things like flat tires in the final five laps or a piece of metal getting lodged in my eye [in Nov. 2001]," he said. "We had that race won easily, and then suddenly I'm driving the last 30 laps with one eye open."

He says that 2004 win came at the perfect time.

Earnhardt Jr. and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team opened that season with a win in the Daytona 500 but then endured a disastrous outing at Las Vegas. Rallying at Atlanta really sparked the team's morale once more.

"The critics were sharpening those pointy lil' pencils after Vegas, saying the team was done," he said. "But we came back and put a hurt on them the next week at Atlanta. That's what makes a win even more meaningful: when your back is on the wall and your critics and doubters have their shovels out - ready to bury you - and you come back to get a win."

Now, he'd like to do that again. Earnhardt Jr. was in Chase contention for most of the season, but setbacks such as the growing engine problems hampered his effort shortly before that field was locked in. He's struggled to find consistent finishes in the last seven races, running well but then having engines fail (twice) or other setbacks.

Now, he's looking to rally at a track where he knows he can perform well.

."We've had a nightmare of a time getting to the finish of so many races this year, and the only way to overcome those feelings of frustration is to be [celebrating] in victory lane at the end of the night," he said.

Mentioned Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6492
2 Mark Martin -108
3 Jeff Gordon -169
4 Kurt Busch -211
5 Tony Stewart -285
6 Juan Pablo Montoya -289
7 Greg Biffle -321
8 Denny Hamlin -352
9 Ryan Newman -411
10 Kasey Kahne -476
11 Carl Edwards -520
12 Brian Vickers -666

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