Dale Earnhardt Jr.: The 5 Biggest Reasons He Hasn't Won Since June 15, 2008

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured the checkered flag in the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 2008, nobody could have possibly imagined NASCAR's most popular driver would go the next three years without a victory.

The win at Michigan was the 18th of Earnhardt's 10-year career. In the nine full seasons he had raced to that point, he had won at least one race in eight of them. He had just joined NASCAR's most dominant team, racing alongside Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, and things appeared to be moving in the right direction for Junior.

Since then, however, Earnhardt has gone 112 races without a victory. Although he has been in contention until the final laps for several races over that time span, he hasn't been able to close the deal and return to victory lane.

He remains a fan favorite, despite the winless streak. But his supporters have to be wondering when that next win will finally come. Judging by his career statistics, it isn't likely to occur next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so his fans will have to wait at least a little bit longer.

Here are the five biggest reasons Earnhardt has failed to win a race since the middle of the season in 2008.

5. Team Change

Since joining Hendrick Motorsports before the start of the 2008 season, the win at Michigan is the only one on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s résumé. He averaged more than two wins per season while racing full time with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Many racing fans believed a move to the more powerful Hendrick Motorsports team would be a positive one for Junior's career. So far, the results haven't been there. Jimmie Johnson has had massive success while working out of the same garage, so why hasn't Earnhardt been able to match that? It's a tough question to answer. If anybody had an answer, Earnhardt wouldn't be suffering through such a long drought.

Although the move will likely pay off in the long run for Earnhardt, the short-term results have been extremely frustrating for him and his fans. Hendrick will give him every opportunity to succeed because they benefit from his unmatched popularity. It still seems like a match made in heaven, it is just taking a while to get there.

4. Bad Luck

There has been more than one instance over the past 112 races where Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the best car. But as every racing fan knows, the best car doesn't always win the race. Whether it be an ill-timed wreck or running out of fuel on the final laps, Lady Luck hasn't been on Earnhardt's side.

There have already been a handful of instances of bad luck this season. He earned the pole position for the Daytona 500, but a crash in practice forced him to the back of the field. Earnhardt seemed like he was finally going to burst the winless bubble in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he ran out of gas on the final lap. It is these types of fluke occurrences that must make Earnhardt wonder if he'll ever win again.

The good thing about luck is that it is destined to change. Earnhardt has withstood so much awful luck over the past couple years, it feels like when things finally break his way, he could get a run of great luck to make up for the last 112 races.

3. Media Pressure

How would it feel if you were having a tough couple of months at your job, and then every day when you got out of work there was a mob of reporters asking you the same questions over and over? Not only would it make you feel even worse, but it would make you want to perform better—just to shut them up.

That is the life of Earnhardt for three straight years. Although he has handled it like a pro for the most part, you can tell by the tone of his voice that he is tired of the whole situation. Earnhardt probably dreams of the day when he gets out of the car and somebody asks him what went right instead of what went wrong and how he can fix it next week.

All of this pressure just continues to build and, to use an old cliché, it's like a monkey on his back. That monkey keeps growing every week Earnhardt doesn't end up in victory lane. As much as he would like to think it doesn't affect him on the track, it has to have some impact on his mental outlook.

2. No Dominant Track

Most drivers have either one track or a type of track where they really thrive. They can count on that track, even during the midst of a poor season, to provide them with a chance to contend and possibly win a race. That isn't the case for Earnhardt.

Earnhardt doesn't have a single track where his average finish is within the Top 10. His best track is Bristol Motor Speedway, where his average finish is 11.5. But even there he has only one win in 23 races.

He has five wins in 23 tries at Talladega Superspeedway, but his average finish is 14.6. If he doesn't win, he isn't usually even in contention.

If you look at his two most famous teammates, Johnson and Gordon, they both have tracks where they succeed almost every time. Johnson has 11 tracks with an average finish inside the Top 10 and a total of 30 wins at those tracks alone. Gordon has seven such tracks for an aggregate of 21 victories. Without that single-track advantage, it is tougher for Earnhardt to find a win.

1. Poor Qualifying

The main reason Earnhardt hasn't won a race since June 15, 2008 is his inability to qualify near the top of the field. In 2004, when he won a career-high six races, his average starting position was 10.9. This season, his average starting position is 21.3.

When you have to make up an extra 10 spots per race, it becomes obvious why it is so difficult to win. Earnhardt's last three seasons of qualifying numbers represent three of the five worst average starting positions of his career. Out of the 19 races this season (and counting the Daytona 500 where he qualified first but started at the back), Earnhardt has started 21st or worse 14 times.

Nobody has been able to pinpoint the reason for Earnhardt's qualifying woes in recent seasons. Until they can find the cure, it will take a super in-race effort to pick up a win.