Earnhardt Returning To Familiar Ground

After posting an average finish of 19th over his career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reaffirmed on Sunday that he has returned to competitiveness. Of course he was already in the top 5 in points and has been for several weeks, but when listening to people speak about his chances in 2011, one would have to think something would change mid season. This week he showed he was intent on staying near the top of the points.

Prior to Sunday, Junior had not finished in the top 10 at Pocono since the spring of 2008. In that race he finished 4th, then followed it up with a win at Michigan the next week, his last win. He may not be one of the strongest drivers at the 2 mile oval, but plan on seeing him near the front.

Although this weeks track is the location of his last win, it is not the only “Familiar Ground” Dale Earnhardt Jr. is returning to. It has been quite a while since Junior has been expected to contend for a win on a weekly basis, a change not lost on the North Carolina native. He has alluded on multiple occasions to the fact that he would rather be expected to win and get a decent finish than to not be on the radar at all.

Even if Dale Jr. is not at or near the front for a majority of the race, don’t worry, he will get there by the end. That has indeed been one of the most refreshing changes for the 88 team. Earnhardt Jr. has finished, on average, 3.5 places better than his average running position this year. In fact, in 10 of 14 races this year he has surged forward at the end. That means that the 88 team is making the right changes coming down the stretch.

The most undeniable reason for that statistic is that the communication between driver and crew chief is, beyond a doubt, better than it has been for quite a while. The other reason for the late race improvement is that, not only has Earnhardt’s confidence in his crew chief grown, but his self-confidence has grown as well.

Also, Michigan is a notorious fuel mileage track, which will seem typical for 2011. Due to the long, green-flag runs, common at Michigan, gas mileage is always at the forefront when preparing for this weeks race. Given the 88 team’s ability to stay close on fuel mileage races in 2011, expect to see Earnhardt’s crew chief, Steve Letarte, have the strategy down pat should it come to it on Sunday.

For Hendrick Motorsports in general, Michigan has its ups and downs. Jeff Gordon has 2 wins at the track, his average finish there is 11.4, and he has eight 2nd place finishes. Mark Martin has 5 wins at Michigan, an average finish of 13.6, but his last three finishes there were 16th or worse. And Jimmie Johnson has an average finish of only 15.2, has no wins, and only has 2 top 5’s in 18 starts there.

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