[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]Dale Earnhardt Jr. has done everything but win thus far in 2011. He’s won a pole, wrecked, led laps and finished well. But he still hasn’t found a way to snap the looming over 100 race winless streak.

He’s come close in races such as Martinsville and Charlotte where he was in the lead until Kevin Harvick came along for the win on both occasions. Sunday in Kansas, Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy team worked themselves to another great finish, but it came in a way they would have preferred to avoid.

During a period where Earnhardt Jr. said he was trying to find more speed and gain ground, he “busted my butt in three and four” and spun out. It sent him to the rear of the field after making a pit stop. That however set them up to run the race with just one remaining stop while the leaders would have to pit twice.

Leaders started to pit as the laps wound down and Earnhardt Jr. climbed up the board. Eventually he found himself running second to Brad Keselowski who was making the fuel gamble also. In the end, Earnhardt Jr. would tie his best finish of the season, second.

“We got lucky at the end on fuel mileage to get second place,” said Earnhardt Jr. “We ran real good. We found some speed at the end of the last practice and when the race started the car was pretty good and I think we made it better in the race. It’s just so hard to pass here, the worst I’ve ever seen it and starting where we did wasn’t easy.”

Luckily points are given where you finish and not where you start.  Earnhardt Jr. moved into third in the series points standings, just 41 out of the lead. He also has the second best average.

While some are quick to point out that Earnhardt Jr. has appeared more lucky than good this season, he’ll agree to a point. Acknowledging that his team has been performing very well.

“We’ve had some runs were we drove ourselves into the position we finished,” he said. “We finished well by running well and by getting lucky. That’s what championship teams do. You always scratch your head when Jimmie [Johnson] and those guys look like they’re out of it in and the next thing you know at the end of the race they’re right in the middle it. Now, I guess I’m on that side of the fence.”

The 2011 season is the first in many were Earnhardt Jr. has been in contention. Revealing last weekend after Charlotte that he looks forward to coming to the racetrack each weekend, no longer having to force himself to find something to be happy about. Other members of the team say they love being able to come to the track knowing they have a chance to win.

Earnhardt Jr. has had fast cars and a few chances to win already. A little luck here or strategy there and who knows.

A different Earnhardt Jr. attitude has taken center stage and no longer is it a stretch to talk about an eventual win. Such as what almost was on Sunday in another fuel mileage race.

“We did what we had to do, I’m happy,” said Earnhardt Jr.

He was also happy to praise his new crew chief, who has been credited with a big part in Earnhardt Jr.’s turnaround. For the second week in a row, Steve Letarte knew that the only way to get his driver back in contention with the cards they were dealt was through pit strategy.

Last Sunday night in Charlotte they were just a few hundred yards from the win, but ended up seventh. But Letarte didn’t shy away from trying again and kept Earnhardt Jr. on the track and coached him toward the front and a second place finish.

“Me and him get along great,” said Earnhardt Jr. “He’s a good crew chief and he’s real smart with the cars. He’s not afraid to try what he sees other people doing. He’s just sharp, we all could do better and be better at our job. Right now it’s working out. We’re getting along great, we’re running good. Hopefully we can keep it up, it’s going along good. I’m not going to do anything to mess it up, I’m going to stay on the positive side and work hard right along with him and give him everything he needs.”

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”252″][/media-credit]Kansas is my home track. I have seen  it go from a run down residential area to the modern state of the art facility that it is now. It’s a beautiful place. The people of the community are hard working Nascar fans who waited a long time for this facility and it’s second date. But early summer in the plains of Kansas, it’s brutal.  It will take it’s toll on everything and everyone, including the STP 400.

The race was lack luster with very limited passing. Dale Earnhardt Jr said, “It’s so hard to pass here. It’s awful hard to pass. Worst I’ve ever seen it. And I went to searching for more speed and busted my butt up there on 3 and 4 and lost us all the spots we worked for all day.. But it gave Steve a chance to play the strategy game.” He went on to say, “The track didn’t like the heat too much. You had to run dead against the apron. If you was off the apron by two or three inches you’re in trouble there’s no grip.”

Kansas officials have stated that the track will be repaved following the fall race here for the 2012 season. The track is peppered with slick tar seams with heat and weight sensitive pavement. As the heat of the day grew so did the slickness of the track. You could smell the oil in the tar and after the race there was a haze that hung just above the pavement.

The heat was stifling out of the cars as well as inside the cars. Denny Hamlin described it as a sealed sauna at about 140 – 180 degrees with very little air movement. “These cars are hotter than the cars we used to run. We are sitting right on top of our exhaust system that’s a thousand degrees. in these new cars are completely sealed off. We’ve got our window nets now to where they pretty much seal the left side of the car so there’s no air getting in or out of the car.”

Jeff Gordon said that the track freed up a lot over the day, “I felt like we needed to free it up a little bit more. It seemed like the track freed up at the same time so that adjustment definitely hurt us a little bit but we were still able to maintain second so I am guessing everybody was dealing that.”

Tony Stewart seemed to be the only one that didn’t notice the heat. Living up to his nickname Smoke he said “It was warm. But I didn’t think it was that bad. It didn’t really bother me. It’s normal.”

The fuel mileage game was unfortunate, but lets not take anything away from Brad Keselowski.  He was smart enough to know how to save enough fuel by coasting through the corners. Give the 88 credit.  Earnhardt Jr. knew what he had to do and he did it. Give Denny Hamlin some big kudos as well, he finished 3rd in a car with an unidentified broken part in the front end.

The fans did their part as well. The near sell out took place in heat that was stifling and draining. Even the shady areas offered no relief. Many stayed as long as they could bear it or their children could bear it. The second date for this track was much sought after and highly anticipated by everyone in this community. But the day and the time of the year it was given was a horrible choice in this part of the country not only for fans but for drivers as well.

Hopefully after this experience Nascar will make some tweaks in the schedule for next year and schedule us a little earlier in the year.

As the sun is beginning to set and Nascar’s Kerry Thorpe announces that post race inspection is clear and the engines of the 2, 88, and the 5 are going back to the R&D center and the 2 and the 5 cars will also be going back to the R&D center for routine post race.  The media center has grown quiet and only the clicking of lap top keys can be heard. The haulers have begun pulling out and the weekend has come to a close.

It had it’s excitement with Clint Bowyer winning the truck race. It’s controversy with the Childress and Busch altercation. It had it’s concerns with the heat. But the one constant, the one thing that didn’t change or even give second thought was the fans. No matter whose shirt they were wearing, no matter what make they supported, they were there and die hard. They are what makes Nascar work. They are the life blood of the sport. They may get disgruntled. They may not always agree with the sanctioning body but they will stand behind their driver and their sport. And Nascar, it’s drivers, it’s officials and even those of us that cover the sport are thankful that they do.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on his Sprint Cup Series win, his first in 2 years.

Congratulations to Justin Allgaier on his NNS win. The first for a NNS regular with Sprint Cup regulars in the field.

And congratulations to Clint Bowyer on his impressive Camping World Truck Series Win.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.