Hendrick Motorsports

Confident Earnhardt leads Sprint Cup Series into Martinsville

Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads NASCAR point standings, enjoying momentum

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings and is a favorite to win this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

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It’s said that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is off to the best start of his 14-year NASCAR Sprint Cup career.

The 38-year-old has recorded top-10 finishes in each of the first five events, averaging a 4.4-place finish, and leads the point standings heading to the circuit’s sixth stop, in Martinsville, Va., on Sunday.

Earnhardt Jr. Looks to Pick Up Chase Performance

Communication key to turnaround at Dover

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. tells Athlon Sports contributor Dustin Long that improved communication within his Hendrick Motorsports team is important if he is to battle for NASCAR's Sprint Cup championship.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR

Chase for the Sprint Cup

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2012

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to be more forceful with his Hendrick Motorsports team at times but he worries about upsetting his crew.

Earnhardt knows he must do something after two pedestrian finishes in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup have him seventh in the standings, 26 points behind series leader Jimmie Johnson heading into this weekend’s race at Dover.

The time is now for Earnhardt to exert his leadership.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Long Road

NASCAR's most popular driver has come full circle since 2004

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After breaking a four-year winless drought at Michigan last Sunday, it's best to see the path that took Dale Earnhardt Jr. full-circle, back into contention and relevance in the Sprint Cup Series.

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2012

Sunday, June 17, will be remembered by Junior Nation as they day when their boy finally came home. Much like John J. did at the end of Rambo, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came full-circle, literally, this past Sunday in the Irish Hills of Brooklyn, Michigan.

Jimmie Johnson Dominates NASCAR All-Star Race

Strategy, speed, execution propel Team 48 to win

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Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus put together winning strategy to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race in Charlotte.

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2012

Prior to Jimmie Johnson’s win in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on May 12, it seemed Hendrick Motorsports would never get that elusive 200th Cup win. Its 16-race slide in between wins was relative in NASCAR terms, but for an organization lugging around tractor trailer loads of “200 Wins” caps and assorted other merchandise, it was time to hit the milestone and move on.

It turns out, moving on is just what Hendrick Motorsports has done.

Mark Martin is Back, Advice for Danica and Purse Payouts

The Long and Short of It

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Following Greg Biffle's win at Texas Motor Speedway, Athlon Sports contributor Dustin Long takes a spin around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

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purse money

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News

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2012

This is what retirement is supposed to be like.

“This is so much fun,’’ Mark Martin said after his third-place finish last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Well, the 53-year-old Martin never said he was retiring, just that he wouldn’t race a full schedule years ago when he first cut back.

NASCAR's Comers and Go'ers

Taking stock of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series at the Easter break

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Athlon Sports contributor Jay Pennell reviews the first six NASCAR Sprint Cup races of the 2012 season as the series takes its first off-weekend.

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2012

Taking Stock of the 2012 Sprint Cup at the Easter Break

Six weeks into the 2012 NASCAR season, the Sprint Cup Series heads into the first of only two off-weekends of the year. With no race this weekend, and thus no fantasy picks to make, let’s take a look at some of the biggest surprises thus far, which drivers and teams are on track for a solid season and which need to turn their season around before it is too late.

Chad Knaus Penalty Overturned

Suspensions, point penalties to 48 team reversed

NASCAR News & Notes

by Matt Taliaferro

The National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer, John Middlebrook, reduced a penalty handed down by NASCAR to Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 team on Tuesday. Middlebrook rescinded the loss of 25 owner and driver points and the six-race suspension of crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec. The $100,000 fine remained in place.

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National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook overturns NASCAR penalty levied against Hendrick Motorsports.

2012

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Oh, Say, Can You C-Post

A possible Knaus/Malec suspension will not derail the machine that is Team 48

Garage Talk

by Vito Pugliese

You could forgive team owner Rick Hendrick if he now believes NASCAR really is an acronym standing for “Never Appeal Suspensions for Chad And Ron”.

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Athlon Sports contributor Vito Pugliese believes that not even a six-week suspension to team principles Chad Knaus and Ron Malec can derail the machine that is Team 48.

2012

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Hendrick Penalty Upheld

National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld NASCAR penalties against Hendrick Motorsports

NASCAR News & Notes

by Matt Taliaferro

The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld NASCAR penalties against Hendrick Motorsports and crew chief Chad Knaus on Tuesday.

Knaus was fined $100,000 and, along with car chief Ron Malec, suspended six races for unapproved C-posts on the No. 48 Chevy driven by Jimmie Johnson prior to inspection for the Daytona 500. The No. 48 team was also levied 25-point fines in the championship and owner standings.

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