Since everything Dale Earnhardt Jr. does is news, it's now news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not be in the Sprint All-Star race. Horrors!
Now, Junior has two ways to get in, and both would appear to offer a reasonable option for entry. He can get in on the fan vote, and since he's been NASCAR's most popular driver since, oh, 1736 or so, that would appear to be a safe bet. But even if not, he's got the showdown on Saturday night, from which the first- and second-place drivers will jump to the main event. Junior is running better, over the course of the season, than anybody else in the field and, it must be noted, most of the drivers in the big race, as well.
Noting that he doesn't "take it for granted" that he'll get in on the fan vote, Junior indicates that "I would rather, personally make it through the fan vote because the qualifying procedure is a little bit of a pain in the tail ... Having to qualify and then sit around and wait for everybody else to qualify and run up and down pit road like hooligans is not a lot of fun."
Overall, Junior is philosophical, using this entire experience as a Teaching Moment. "It will be interesting being on the other side of the fence, trying to find a way into the race and going through that experience myself personally, to have an appreciation for what that is like, versus just showing up and being locked in," he says. "It could be interesting and good for me to have that experience as well."
"Interesting"? "Good"? Look, we dig Junior around here. The guy handles more pressure than anyone can imagine with grace and dignity. But for heaven's sake, someone get the guy a thesaurus, quick. If he doesn't make it into the race, he'll be able to get a head start on it for next weekend.
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