Ten years ago this week, Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally conquered the lone demon that continued to haunt his NASCAR career when he won the Daytona 500 for the first time. It was the only significant achievement that had eluded the elder Earnhardt during his 20-plus years on the circuit.

When the NASCAR Sprint Cup series begins the 2008 season on Sunday with the 50th running of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will find himself in the opposite situation than the one his famous father faced. Junior picked up a Daytona 500 victory in 2004, in only his fifth Cup season. It is the other achievements in the sport — most notably Cup championships — that have largely eluded him.

Junior has yet to win a race at several of the circuit’s signature tracks, including Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte and Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. He is winless on road courses and has had only sporadic success on short tracks of less than a mile, which is where true driving ability often shines through. Those holes in his racing resume have prevented Junior from becoming an accomplished all-around driver.

And of course, there is the matter of Junior having just as many Cup championships as Dave Blaney and Johnny Sauter. Namely, none. He hasn’t really even come close, finishing better than fifth in the final point standings only once in eight seasons (a third-place showing in 2003, when he still wound up more than 200 points out of the lead). Junior wasn’t even the best driver in the Cup rookie class of 2000. Bland and boring Matt Kenseth took that honor, and three years later he was the overall series champion.

For the most part, Junior has been all flash and no dash. A fan favorite and sponsor’s dream off the track, but little more than an above-average driver on it. And lately, he hasn’t even been that good. Junior has only two Cup victories over the past three seasons, and is winless since May 6, 2006.

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There have been 18 drivers — nearly half the regular starting lineup — who have won at least once since the last time Junior visited Victory Lane. That group includes such marketing lightweights as Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray and Clint Boyer. Even former open-wheel racer Juan Montoya, whose entire Cup career consists of 37 races, has won more recently than Junior.

But there are signs that 2008 could be the year of Junior achievement. The move from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports seems to have revitalized him. He is now with the most successful organization in NASCAR, and he no longer has the crushing pressure of being the main man on his team. Not with two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champ Jeff Gordon as teammates.

Junior appears to be more relaxed and confident than he has been in several years. He is smiling and joking and generally having a good time. He is acting more like the cheerful chap who started this decade (and won 15 times in five years) than the sullen fellow who moped through much of the past three seasons, as he feuded with his stepmother and struggled to live up to the fame of his name.

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