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It will still be compelling to watch Earnhardt give it one last shot, and it was riveting to watch him Sunday night in California.
He was red-faced and spent after driving his wheels off for 500 miles in 100-degree heat, and the twinge in his voice made his words sound like a concession speech. Earnhardt is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season, and this is his final opportunity to win a Cup title in his beloved No. 8 Chevrolet.
“I would like to thank my team,” Earnhardt said. “I like to think they can run just as good without me, but I would never be able to run that good without them.”
It will be interesting to see if Harvick can stop his slide. The Daytona 500 winner has plummeted from seventh to 12th the past six weeks.
He’ll claim he’s not concerned, and the sensible part of him knows it will be awfully hard for Earnhardt to gain 128 points on him in one final race. But he’s clearly on edge.
“We’re in the race,” he growled, when asked if he was concerned about the Chase following his 14th-place finish Sunday night. “You make a story about it and jerk everybody around and make them feel it’s a good story. I feel like you’re asking me stupid questions because we’re in good shape.”
Unlike last year, when defending champion Tony Stewart stunningly missed the Chase, or 2004 when Jeremy Mayfield won Richmond to earn his berth, there shouldn’t be much drama beyond Harvick’s snarls and Earnhardt’s effort.
Only 10 drivers made the Chase in its first three seasons, and the field was expanded to 12 this year. After one season, it appears adding the two spots has watered down the field and taken all the air out the “Race to the Chase.”
Yet it’s way too early to call it a bust — the Chase may still be fantastic. And there’s still time to hope it produces a fraction of the IRL’s fireworks.
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