The consistency that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shown during the first half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season has been rewarded.
Earnhardt, who won at Michigan International Speedway last month, is second in the driver standings heading into Saturday night’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. He has 12 top-10 finishes, including last weekend at Daytona, and in 18 starts this season he has seven top-fives, second among all drivers.
“We’ve had that consistency and have been able to show up every weekend and have something for them (the fans),” Earnhardt said. “We’re competitive and that comes from the preparation and pride my guys have at Hendrick Motorsports. (Crew chief) Tony (Eury Jr.) and the boys are getting the job done.
Earnhardt has 18 career wins. His best finish in the standings was third in 2003; he also finished fifth in 2004 and 2006.
“I think this is a really good opportunity for me to race for a championship this season,” he said. “We show up every single week with a competitive car, we lead laps, and I think we have a shot to win a few more races this year.”
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