Returning To Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Strength, Not Plate Tracks, Short Tracks!

With last weeks disappointing 25th finish at Talladega, many Dale Jr. fans were left with not much hope for the end of the season.  They began their work week grumbling about NASCAR, Team Orders, Tandem (Two Car) racing, and dadgum "laying back."  Well, maybe I'm speaking mostly for myself, but from the replies I received from my last post I don't think I am alone.

Most Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, and other NASCAR fans in general, don't like to see their driver falling to the back to simply ride around till the finish.  We want to see white knuckle racing, passing on the outside, and threading of needles.  We have a dry, bitter taste in our mouth that is the residue of two-car racing and we are hoping for something to wash that flavor away.

Well, help may be here.  This week NASCAR returns to Martinsville Speedway and although many people equate Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, where he has 7 wins, his real strength is on a much shorter circuit.  Yes, although he only has 4 wins at the sport's 3 short  tracks, they are 3 of his 5 best tracks for average finish; and the other two are the intermediate tracks of Atlanta and Texas.

Dale Earnhardt's top 5 tracks (in average finish) are 1 - Bristol (11.7), 2 - Atlanta (12.8), 3 - Martinsville (13.3), 4 - Richmond (14.4), and 5 - Texas (14.5).  His average finish at both Talladega and Daytona is 15.0.  Of course this is mainly due to the unpredictable nature of the plate tracks, but Dale Jr. has definitely shown an ability in the past to keep his car clean until the end of the race and apply front bumper when needed: two traits that are paramount to good finishes at short tracks.

Martinsville is a strong suit in general for Hendrick Motorsports and is also where Dale Jr. was passed late in the spring to finish runner-up to Kevin Harvick.  I'm sure if Junior can make it to 2nd with 10 laps or so to go this weekend that his fans will forget about last week, especially if he is chasing down the 29.  I am also certain that if given the chance to chase a car down for the lead late this weekend that Dale Jr. will definitely let out some aggression from his late race frustration from last week.

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