It certainly isn’t Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first rodeo, but the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup series Chase for the championship could be his best shot at winning his first Sprint Cup title.
In his second title hunt with Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt is seeded in the seventh slot in the 12 driver Chase after finishing 14th at Richmond International Raceway. This marks his fourth appearance in the Chase with his best finish being fifth in two seasons. But in a season where he’s revisited victory lane for the first time in three years and been the most consistent driver in terms of top five and top 10 finishes all year, this could be the year Earnhardt goes all the way.
“I feel we’ve got a good shot at it,” Earnhardt said early Sunday morning after the marathon race at Richmond. “We’ve been consistent all year long. We just hope we can keep that up. I think it’s going to take a couple wins to win a championship outright. “ MORE>>>
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.
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