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Top-30 drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
By Rea White
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
JAMIE SQUIRE / GETTY IMAGES
This wasn't the way Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to end his tenure at Dale Earnhardt Inc.:
- Zero wins for the first time in his NASCAR Cup career.
- Missing the Chase For The Nextel Cup for the second time in three seasons.
- The most DNFs of his career, two more than even in his rookie season.
Earnhardt Jr. made far more news off the track than on it this season, a trend he no doubt hopes to reverse in 2008.
The 33-year-old Earnhardt Jr. is far and away NASCAR's most popular driver, and the Kannapolis, N.C., native comes from one of the most famous families in all of professional sports. With 17 career victories to his name, he makes much of his income from endorsements and other off-track activity though he did pocket $5.1 million in purse money this season (his lowest total since 2002).
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup driver point, and here's how Earnhardt Jr.'s season unfolded:
By the numbers: Earnhardt Jr. failed to win a race for the first time and recorded seven top-five finishes (tied for the second-fewest of his career) and 12 top-10s (fewest since his rookie season). He finished 16th in points and missed the Chase, and much of the blame fell upon a career-high nine DNFs, which included six engine failures. Earnhardt Jr. still led 433 laps, reaching double-digits in that category during eight races.
Season highlights: Earnhardt Jr. won the pole at the second Pocono race and finished runner-up to Kurt Busch, sparking optimism that a competitive No. 8 car could do battle with its beer-sponsored rival all the way to the Chase. Though a blown engine knocked him out of contention the next week at Watkins Glen, Earnhardt Jr. later recorded consecutive top-five finishes at Bristol and California and then finished third in the September race at Dover while teammate Martin Truex Jr. went to victory lane. In the spring race at Martinsville, Earnhardt Jr. led 137 laps and finished fifth.
Key setbacks: Many of Earnhardt Jr.'s potential season highlights were thwarted by engine failures. He led 96 laps in the first Texas race but blew
an engine (later finishing the race in Kyle Busch's wrecked car). He led 33 laps at Indianapolis but blew another motor and then led 31 laps in the fall race at Talladega but lost yet another engine.
Newsworthy moment: Moment? How about a newsworthy season? Earnhardt Jr.'s departure from DEI and subsequent signing with Hendrick Motorsports was the No. 1 news story of the entire year, as voted upon by the NASCAR media corps. From Speedweeks at Daytona - when Earnhardt Jr. revealed his widening rift with stepmother Teresa, who owns the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team to his DEI departure announcement in May, to his free agent search and Hendrick press conference (which was bigger than a circus) and sponsor/car number announcement in Texas, Earnhardt Jr. generated more headlines this season than many drivers do in their entire careers.
In his words: "If we don't make the Chase, I'll be the most surprised person - not only in this room, but in this garage - because I feel totally confident that we've got control of it and we can get it done." - Earnhardt Jr. after winning the pole at Pocono.
"We deserved to be in the Chase. We love racing. We'll be all right." - Earnhardt Jr. after missing the Chase at Richmond.
Mentioned Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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