Earnhardt Jr's miserable start of the season continues as he failed to finish in the top 10 for the fourth time in five races -- not at all what was expected in his second season with the most successful team in NASCAR over the past 15 years. The driver said a poor qualifying run on Friday was largely responsible for his finish. "It was all right but we need to run better than that," Earnhardt said. "We qualified so poorly, I made a real big mistake in qualifying. We had a pretty good car, we just needed track position.'' For Earnhardt's teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, the results were their season's-best finishes through the first five races of the year. Martin in particular needed a strong run after two engine failures and blown tire in the prior three races left him in serious danger of falling out of the top 35 in points.
NASCAR: Tough times for Dale Earnhart Jr