For a time during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway it looked as though Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s magical season might be coming to an end. After winning 3 races, including the season opening Daytona 500, Earnhardt entered the Chase as one of the favorites.
In the three races prior to Sunday however, Earnhardt seemed to be struggling. He finished 11th in the opening race of the Chase at Chicagoland and headed to New Hampshire with high hopes. After starting 11th, he was working to get inside the top 10. But during a caution on lap 105, Earnhardt rejoined the field and knew something was wrong. He was forced to pit again thanks to a loose wheel. He came back out a lap down.
Earnhardt would later make up his lap and soon was inside the top 15. As the laps wound down, and other Chase drivers crashed around him, Earnhardt avoided trouble and came home ninth.
“ I like the way we worked all day,” Earnhardt said.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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