The offseason departure of esteemed crew chief and confidant Steve Letarte caused speculation whether Earnhardt's performance would regress. Those concerns were assuaged not just by wins at Talladega and Daytona, but a continued even-keeled approach that saw the No. 88 car competitive more weeks than not.
Although sound, the No. 88 team isn't operating at a championship level. Not only is Earnhardt's pit crew prone to sloppy mistakes -- loose wheels have continually been an issue -- Hendrick Motorsports' Chevrolets haven proven inferior to JGR's Toyotas and Team Penske's Fords. Accordingly, if Earnhardt can avoid a Round 2 exodus like last year, his Chase will be deemed positive.
A repeat of last year's choke job when Earnhardt posted finishes of 39th, 20th and 31st to earn an early elimination.
Unable to up his performance due to Hendrick's woes, Earnhardt's trademark consistency vanishes. That forces him to rely on winning to stay in the playoffs, which is something he cannot deliver. And in similar fashion, he's again dropped from the Chase following Talladega.