Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Why Making the Chase Isn't Enough

You have got to be in it to win it, but for Dale Earnhardt Jr. just being in the Chase and not winning the title will be bittersweet at best.

Certainly, Earnhardt Jr. is pleased to be back in the Chase after his two worst seasons ever in 2009 and 2010 with Hendrick Motorsports.

Under the guidance of Jeff Gordon's former crew chief, Steve Letarte, the driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet started the season looking good as he rose to third in the point standings.

The summer was not especially kind to Junior and he slipped steadily down in the points until it looked as though he would be out of the top 10 with his winless streak of 119 intact.

Letarte took a conservative approach with Junior unable to lead laps and run in the front. Now that they have made the Chase, going for wins and top finishes are mandatory.

Earnhardt Jr. will be 37 in October and now has a five-year contract extension beyond 2012 which will likely keep him at Hendrick Motorsports until he retires as a driver in the Cup series.

Earnhardt Jr. never expected to amass titles like his father, the "Intimidator," but he is a racer and he won't truly feel validated as a driver in NASCAR's elite series until he wins at least one title.

The Hendrick driver spoke to the media at Bristol Motor Speedway's August race. He stated, "Making the Chase is just an afterthought. I really want to win the championship you know. Making the Chase is great and all, but as a person you want to be the champion."

Earnhardt added, "Making the Chase doesn't really make you feel better at the end of the season if you don't win a championship, you are really disappointed."

This will be the fourth Chase for Junior since it was implemented in 2004. His last appearance was the 2008 season.

Earnhardt spoke with on-air personality Hannah Storm at ESPN prior to the Chicagoland Speedway kickoff race in the Chase.

Storm asked him about the pressure of being the most popular driver in NASCAR. Earnhardt stated, "It's a real humbling honor every year. There's pressure to give fans something to cheer about and I need that."

The driver of the No. 88 added, "It makes for expectations and it's hard to separate popularity and performance."

Certainly, Earnhardt Jr. has received more than his share of criticism because many think he is over-hyped and over-rated as a driver who doesn't deserve the fan base he has just because of his last name.

Junior Nation is perhaps the largest fan base of any driver in NASCAR, rivaling that of his father and Richard Petty. That league of fans is the not so silent wind beneath his wings that keeps him wanting to continue in the sport.

Earnhardt Jr. also knows he can't be a quitter, though sometimes it would have seemed the easy way out.

In his heart, he knows he must continue to go for those elusive wins and try to capture a title before his days as a driver come to an end because to do anything less would forever haunt him in the future.

The competition level continues to get higher and winning becomes tougher with the parity of the teams.

At Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt Jr. is among two drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who have nine championships between them.

The third HMS driver is an accomplished NASCAR veteran, Mark Martin, who will be replaced by Kasey Kahne in 2012.

Rick Hendrick will continue to provide first class equipment and the talent of Letarte will hopefully be enough to get Junior back to winning form and in contention for a title.

Earnhardt Jr. looks to be the underdog when it comes to winning the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup title, but to him, the slate is clean and he has as good a chance as any of the other 11 drivers.

This driver knows he is going to have to have fast cars that he can drive on the edge. Letarte is going to have to be able to make the leap from conservation mode to pure raw speed in a consistent car.

The first race of the Chase at Chicagoland looked much like a typical race for Junior who started 19th and ran mostly around 14th place until after the final pit stops.

Letarte made adjustments on the car that had him running around sixth place heading toward the finale of the race.

When other Chase contenders were running out of fuel, Earnhardt had the fuel to make a charge and garnered a third place finish that moved him up five slots to fifth in the point standings.

The No. 88 team did what they had to do to secure a more solid place in the roster of drivers contending for the title, but they need to win, run consistently well and qualify better.

Can the Amp Energy/National Guard team become title contenders this year?

For Earnhardt Jr., that is all that matters now that he is in the Chase.