Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes over points lead after Auto Club 400

FONTANA, CA - MARCH 24: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 24, 2013 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA - MARCH 24:  Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 24, 2013 in Fontana, California.  (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA – MARCH 24: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 24, 2013 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

While chaos reigned all around him Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed another strong run and now finds himself atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after the Auto Club 400.

The day didn’t start out encouraging for Earnhardt. After starting 15, Earnhardt reported his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy was ‘wrecking loose’ on lap 18. By lap 85 though the crew had made adjustments and Earnhardt was in the top five.

On lap 123 during a caution period trouble on the pit stop sent Earnhardt back in the field and restarting outside the top 10.  Earnhardt said he and the crew were able to keep positive after the bad stop. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.