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RICHMOND, Va. -- Even as the NASCAR Nextel Cup regular season was winding down, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was convinced he would qualify for the Chase.
"I thought there was no team around me or within reach that I couldn't beat," Earnhardt said.
Despite that confidence in the ability of his team, however, Earnhardt fell short, and his comments the day before Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway sounded like a concession speech.
Earnhardt acknowledged that his succession of uncharacteristic engine failures helped Kurt Busch climb back into the top 12 and ultimately secure a position in the Chase, but Earnhardt says Busch deserves the credit for fighting his way into the field.
"We were just beat," Earnhardt said. "We were outraced. Kurt outran us, out-qualified us. If we ran great and were in the top five, he was ahead of us or right behind us. He deserves credit for making it into the Chase because he outran us.
"Those other guys just had better years overall. Like I said, there's no real excuse. We've had some failures and what-not, but you can't really lean on those as excuses, because you're in control of those types of things, too. The best thing we can do is take this negative and make it a positive and try to come out at the end of the year with the same confidence level that we came into this season with."
Is Bowyer the Chase dark horse?
No one seems to be giving first time Chaser Clint Bowyer much of a chance to win the championship -- except maybe Bowyer himself.
With the Chase set to start Sept. 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway, Bowyer is ready for the action to begin.
"That's what this series is all about -- that's what you race this whole season for to get inside that Chase," Bowyer said. "Now that you are, now let the race begin. You've got to pick the pace up and go after that championship. For us, we're a top-10 team. We got to make that next step and turn the corner and become a top-five team, start racing for wins and racing for this championship.
"Last year, looking at our season, most of our good runs came within the last 10 races of the series so I'm really looking forward to these last 10 races and seeing what we got."
Kvapil excited about Cup return
Travis Kvapil's driving career hasn't been without its share of speed bumps. Kvapil won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2003 and immediately lost his ride to lack of sponsorship.
His two full seasons in Nextel Cup racing were with two teams struggling to stay afloat, but this year, with Roush Fenway Racing, Kvapil is making a concerted run at another Truck Series title. Currently third in the standings, Kvapil trails leader Ron Hornaday Jr. by 194 points.
Announced Friday as the driver who will succeed Ricky Rudd in the No. 88 Ford, Kvapil jumped at the opportunity to prove himself in another Cup ride. The naming of the driver coincides with the announcement of owner Robert Yates' retirement; the upcoming sale of Robert Yates Racing's assets to a new entity called Yates Racing and headed by Robert's son, Doug Yates; and the news of a closer association with Roush Fenway.
"This is definitely a great opportunity," Kvapil said Saturday at Richmond. "I took a step back going to the Truck Series in the hopes that an opportunity like this would come along. I had to go out and prove myself again and try to win races and prove to team owners that maybe I deserved another shot in Nextel Cup.
"For this to come along, obviously, I'm really excited. I'm definitely excited that Yates Racing is going have an affiliation and a lot of support from Roush Fenway as far as hardware and engineering and the marketing side of it. I think it's going to help Yates become a little stronger, and I'm just really excited to be a part of it and looking forward to getting going."
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