Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Please Help, I Have Some Questions

I know Jr. is pretty busy with racing and commercials, and I don't really expect him to help answer any of these questions, but since "Jr. Nation" hasn't had much to crow about this year, maybe a few of them could take the time to figure out legitimate answers to some of these questions I have. 

In Saturday’s Nationwide race, it was Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. running one, two and three.

With 14 laps to go and a seven-second lead, Kevin Harvick pitted. Busch would pit also. Jr. stayed out.

Why?

He was told he would be five laps short on fuel. Why not stop for gas? Tires were going to be an issue by the end of the race. Why not stop for tires and fuel, as Harvick did? Why not just two tires and fuel?

A less-than-stellar pit stop caused Harvick to lose almost all his lead over Busch. When the dust settled, Jr. was leading, but according to calculations, would be five laps short on gas.

Was Brian Campe betting on a caution flag late in the race? Was this decision influenced by Tony Eury Jr., who was sitting to his left atop the war wagon?

Jr. was still ahead of Harvick by 2.6 seconds with four laps to go. It was obvious Jr. was trying to conserve fuel. It was also obvious he was a sitting duck.

Fresh tires and a full tank of gas make a perfect late race cocktail on the track.

Harvick passed Jr. in turn two like he was parked. Busch would do the same just one turn later.

Earnhardt Jr. ended up finishing third, exactly where he was when the decision was made not to pit.

In the post-race interview, Jr. was asked if Harvick was just too much for him. He never really answered that question. What he did say was that he didn’t know where Harvick was in the final laps.

Did you really say that? Did you just tell a national TV audience that you were unaware of where your closest competitor was on the track? 

Comedian Bill Engvall could sum up that comment in three words: Here's your sign!

How do you not know where the guy is that’s running you down? Did your spotter forget to keep you informed? Was your crew chief not watching the race?

Why not pit with the others? Was there concern the team couldn’t pull off a good pit stop and get you back out in the same position? Or was Jr. concerned his well-documented pit road problems would continue?

How does your crew chief miss a fuel calculation by so much? When Jr. crossed the start/finish line with two laps to go, he still had gas and was a full second ahead of Harvick. Shouldn’t his spotter have informed him Harvick was coming hard? Wouldn’t it have been best for your crew chief to throw caution to the wind and tell you to stay ahead of Harvick by running hard the final two laps?

Has Jr. lost so much confidence in his abilities and his team that they don’t know what to tell him or how to help anymore? Was finishing third just easier than going for the win?