After another disappointing finish Saturday night at Richmond, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now in serious danger of not making this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Kevin Harvick, who has made NASCAR’s playoffs the past three years, is in even bigger trouble.
After 10 races, Earnhardt Jr. is 18th in points. Harvick, who wrecked and finished 34th at Richmond, is 23rd.
They aren’t the only ones in trouble, of course, but they are the biggest names among the drivers who have gotten off to slow starts and must turn their seasons around in a hurry in order to make the Chase.
Both Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick have been hurt by bad luck and uncharacteristic mistakes. But both have also struggled to get their cars dialed in, suffering through too many races when they were simply not a factor.
Both have the driving talent and teams to turn things around quickly. The problem, however, is that both are mired behind several other drivers who have proved capable of running at least as well and challenging for a spot in the Chase.
And to even have a shot, they must hope that at least one or two drivers currently in the top 12 hit a slump and fade out of contention.
David Reutimann, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne are all ahead of Earnhardt Jr. in points while Harvick also trails Marcos Ambrose, Casey Mears and Truex.
Kurt Busch, winner of the inaugural Chase in 2004, has arguably the most improved team on the circuit at Penske Racing. He has a win and six top-10 finishes in 10 races and is just 10 points behind leader Jeff Gordon. He is almost certain to be in the Chase come September.
Ryan Newman’s new Stewart-Haas Racing team is also showing rapid improvement. He also had his share of bad luck to start the season but has rallied with consecutive top-five finishes to move to 10th in points.
With the Stewart-Haas organization showing that it will be a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season, Newman appears to be another good bet to make the Chase.
So where does that leave Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick?
It leaves them with a long road ahead of them, and not much hope.
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