Junior's biggest test is yet to come
FONTANA, Calif. – In just two laps – or four left turns of his steering wheel – Dale Earnhardt Jr. produced something he hadn't in a very long time – hope.
His mad dash from 10th to second in the closing moments of last Sunday's Daytona 500 sent a chill up the leg of everyone from Darrell Waltrip in the broadcast booth to Brian France in the bean counters' skybox to fans in the stands who were still wondering if the $99.99 they'd shelled out for an official Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy jacket was worth it.
It wasn't just what he'd done, but how he did it. Coming off a season supersaturated with instances of him fading as the checkered flag ebbed closer and closer, Junior was actually around at the end – and a threat to win, to boot.
"I got more text messages and phone calls about those last two laps than I did when I won the damn race," an incredulous Earnhardt said Friday at Auto Club Speedway. "I really enjoyed that. It was good for our confidence."
He's talking about the finish, not the phone calls, though he could have been referring to either. Because of all the things lobbed at him lately, positive affirmations haven't been among them.
It's for this reason that he wouldn't be blamed for cracking a smile – for allowing the simple satisfaction of a second-place finish to creep into his head. But he hasn't – not at all. Because despite the phone calls, the text messages, the attention, Earnhardt knows a second-place finish in the Daytona 500 means diddly squat as it relates to him being "back."
"I didn't want to get too excited after that finish because it was at Daytona and it was a track that I can typically run good. A lot of questionable talent have run good there," he said. "I didn't want to get too excited about it because I know I wouldn't be able to really convince anybody that we were back or we are a strong team or had fixed anything until we come to these kinds of tracks and my team runs good at them."
Say what you will about Earnhardt, but he is a realist. He's well aware that his last name has buttered his bread, that his popularity doesn't match up with his performance and that a lot of people – directly and indirectly – have a ton riding on him being a competitive driver, all of which is why this weekend's Auto Club 500 – not the Daytona 500 – is his biggest race of the year.
If last weekend's race was a wild card, this Sunday's is the great predictor. Ten of the top-12 drivers in last year's Auto Club 500 went on to qualify for the Chase. In 2008, it was eight of 12.
Though Junior doesn't have to win – a flat tire or a blown engine could wipe him out in an instant – it's almost imperative he show well. Because if he doesn't run near the front Sunday, the odds are good he won't be spending much time there the rest of the season.
"[The Daytona finish] helps him, for sure. It gives his fans something really exciting to talk about," Jimmie Johnson said. "But I think he would be the first to admit he wants to come and run top two at a track like this. So it's a step in the right direction and it helps and it's great for everyone, but he's real focused on making sure he runs well on the downforce tracks [like Auto Club Speedway]."
"We gotta back it up this week," Earnhardt said, "and the next and the next and the next."
Asked if he's feeling any anxiety going into this race, Earnhardt replied, "I guess so. I mean, everybody is paying attention, so I gotta go out there and see what we can do. I'm just feeling like there are a lot of people watching."
There are and there will be, each with vested interests in how Junior will do.
While he did provide some hope on Sunday, actual results will come from something more tangible than a feeling. They'll come from doing, and despite a second-place finish in the Daytona 500, Junior hasn't done anything yet.
