While there are those in the Hendrick Mototsports camp who would have you believe that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s performance at Watkins Glen actually put him in a better points position heading to Michigan, a close look at the standings reveal one thing. Dale Jr. is one bad race away from not making The Chase.
He currently sits 9th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings with four races remaining until The Chase begins. While he has won, in the past, at all four tracks upcoming on the schedule, his current performance level doesn't lead to alot of confidence in him maintaining one of those top ten spots, especially when you look at who is fast approaching.
Tony Stewart is currently in tenth, and while this hasn't been one of his better years, so far, he certainly seems to be running much better than Dale Jr. lately. The 11th and 12th place drivers are Clint Bowyer, and Denny Hamlin, respectively. Both are only 40 to 50 points behind Earnhardt, meaning they basically have to outperform him by an average of 10 to 13 positions over the next four events to move past him in the points. Again, with the number 88 National Guard team's performance lately, that scenario does not seem unlikely.
All of the above assumes Dale Jr. doesn't have any bad runs, that he is consistently in the top 15 every week. One DNF would hurt his chances dramatically, as it would those chasing him, however, he is the hunted. It is currently his spot to lose, and sadly, barring a good run at Michigan, he looks to be letting it all slip away.
The biggest story in NASCAR, after the next four events, may just be who didn't make The Chase, rather than who did. Didn't Dale Jr. get the memo from NASCAR? He's supposed to be making headlines for good reasons.
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