Dale Earnhardt Jr. Makes the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Title, Now What?

The chance for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to make the Chase looked precarious at best when he slammed his No. 88 Chevrolet into Clint Bowyer, who had spun on lap eight at Richmond International Raceway. 

The mangled front end could have easily ended his hopes to remain in the top 10 had the radiator given out with so much of the race left to run. They couldn't raise the hood for fear of it not closing properly.

It was a long night for Earnhardt Jr., and his winless streak continued to 119 races at the Wonderful Pistachios 400.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver expressed frustration during the race as to why his crew chief, Steve Letarte, wasn't making his car better. Dale Jr. really had no idea how badly damaged his car was.

Letarte told him over the in-car radio, "Look at the big picture." It was difficult for his driver who was being lapped.

Earnhardt Jr. replied over the radio, "I can't think of the big picture because I can't really see it."

It took 17 pit stops to tape the damaged No. 88 together and make sure the car was still intact enough to survive the tough night of racing that included 15 caution flags.

Junior tested the temporary body work his Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet when he hit Travis Kvapil as a payback, which caused one of those cautions.

The relief showed on Earnhardt Jr. when the race was concluded and he knew he had made the Chase. He was actually able to smile as he celebrated with the 11 other drivers who had also made the Chase.

The pressure to make the Chase is off of the driver, and he starts with a clean slate for the final 10 races of the season.

Now the question remains as to how he will fare with the other two Hendrick drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who are likely to be dominant factors and the other drivers who have performed well.

Can Junior get a win in the Chase? The answer is probably not unless they are able to unload a car that can qualify well and is fast out of the hauler.

Earnhardt Jr. has had three top-five and nine top-10 finishes this year. Performance like that is not good enough to be relevant in the Chase. He has to win and get consistent top-five finishes.

The future looks good for the driver of the No. 88 with his cheer-leading crew chief, Letarte, who has been very good for Junior.

He is under contract for six more years with Hendrick Motorsports. This season has shown considerable improvement from the two previous years which were his worst ever.

Earnhardt Jr. may be in the Chase, but he is not a contender for the title this year.

All the pieces are in place and look for Junior to find his way to Victory Lane with a championship likely in his future before his days at HMS come to an end.