Jr. Discusses Winless Streak

Earnhardt opens up about breaking winless streak

By Jim Utter - jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Wednesday, Jul. 07, 2010



AP Photo

Car owner Richard Childress, left, and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrate in victory lane after winning the Subway Jalapeno 250 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, July 2, 2010.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a more than two-year winless streak in NASCAR competition with his victory Friday night in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

But there was much more to the win than padding stats.
The victory also marked the last time Earnhardt plans to drive a No. 3 Chevrolet – a number made famous by his late father, seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

Earnhardt discussed that and his recent struggles in the Cup series during a candid media session following his win.

Q: You've made it really clear that you'll never drive the No. 3 again. With all the pressure, if you didn't win, do you think maybe you'd think differently?

No. I just think it ain't in the cards.This is it. I just knew before the race, and I said it. I felt 110 percent sure before the race, regardless of whether we finished or even started the race. So, yeah, I'm so glad we won. It means more to me now knowing that I won't ever do it again that I won.

You know, we can all just remember this, squash it, finish our lives, you know, do what we got to do, what we need to do, till we get too old to do whatever we want to do.

Q. You said I think last year how you really had started to treasure wins because you never really know when your next one's going to come. All the pressure of the No. 3 car aside, what kind of relief is it just to get back to Victory Lane and to win a race?

I didn't have the typical reaction I guess I normally would from a victory. There was so much relief and just pure satisfaction. I didn't have the jubilance, just the explosive excitement that you really have when you win because, uhm, I was just happy for everybody else.

But I told somebody out there, Victory Lane, when you're a little kid, you got a tree house, or you and your buddies got a clubhouse in the woods or whatever, that's what Victory Lane is to me, and I like going there. You miss it really bad. But you know it's there and you can get back there again if you try really hard. It's not gone, but it's very difficult to get into.

Q. If you were willing to take on the burden that you've talked about with this race, driving this car with this sponsor, with the "win or it's not worth it" attitude, should anybody question your commitment on the Cup side?

Yeah, I don't think that they should. I think people can stop questioning my commitment, whether I care, whether I have the passion anymore, enough passion. I have busted my (butt). I mean, I can't drive and work any (expletive) harder than I'm working right now. I can't. This is all I got. And I'm doing it hard, man. I mean, I cannot work any harder.

You can't do it 90 percent. You'll get eaten up. It will be obvious to everybody around you, your team, your crew chief, everybody who builds your motors, builds your cars, they'll stop giving a (expletive) because they know you're not and you won't go anywhere.

I tell myself every year, I go, you know, 'Am I working hard?'Yeah, I can't work any harder. And I've asked myself, you know, maybe people are right, 'What more can I do?' But this year, I mean, we've wore it out trying to get back to where we need to be.

I'm not burnt out. I still got a lot in the tank. We got a long season left. But I got the passion, man. I want to win. I want to be here for a long, long time. But I guess, you know, people will question that until you're done. I mean, not just me, other drivers, too, I'm sure. I shouldn't take it so personal.