If you’re expect to be a successful NASCAR driver, the only way to contend for a championship is to grab the wheel, take your team on your back, and press the pedal to the metal to make it happen.  That is exactly where Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands today.

 

Rewind: Earlier this Season

Earlier in the 2011 NASCAR season (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) Junior Nation was on top of the world.  However, that elusive win would rear its ugly head again soon, but not before he was locked in to the chase more than half the way through the season at third in overall points.  Nevertheless, as predicted that elusive win was on his shoulders six races later.  The disintegration of their secure chase spot was not of No. 88 team’s doing. The reality in this sport is that uncontrollable things happen very fast:  You get put in the wall at Michigan, and then you finish 41st after running into someone else’s accident at Sonoma.  When these types of things happen you are going to lose some points, and defeat will seam to scream in victory.  The only option available when left in these circumstances is to recover, but we’re not seeing that happen with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Despite the fact that the No. 88 team is running mediocre and having a round of bad luck to boot implies nothing as they head to Pocono in 10th place with a 19 point lead over Denny Hamlin, until you combine those two names:  Pocono & Hamlin.  We don’t really need to go there, do we?  This is likely the most critical year in the career Dale Earnhardt Jr., with an unsigned contract seemingly waiting on the overall results of this race season.  Clearly, Jr. has some recovering to do, but is there any room for a rebound?

Ultimately it’s all up to you Dale as it appears that you have only two options available:  Win and compete in the chase, or lose and fade into oblivion…