After Michigan, What Other NASCAR Races Could Dale Earnhardt Jr. Win This Summer?

Folks, get used to seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane, because it’s a sight that could become a common one in the coming months.

As strong as Earnhardt Jr. has been this season – he leads all drivers in top-10s, laps completed and is just four points out of first in the standings – there is little reason to think multiple victories aren’t attainable for NASCAR’s most popular driver.

A quick glance at the Sprint Cup Series schedule shows several tracks where Earnhardt Jr. should be in contention:

• Daytona: Always a stronghold for the sport’s premier restrictor-plate racer;

• Michigan: Where Earnhardt Jr. blitzed the field Sunday winning by a staggering five-second margin;

• Pocono: A track where just last week Earnhardt Jr. had the strongest car in the closing laps only to be undone by pit strategy;

• Bristol and Atlanta: Two tracks where Earnhardt Jr. has struggled recently, but places where he has had success in the a past (winning one race at each).

However, win No. 2 almost certainly won’t come next weekend at Sonoma, as Earnhardt Jr. has yet to finish a race inside the top 10 on the windy road course located in Northern California.

So like it or not, odds are favorable that it won’t be another 143 races before Earnhardt Jr. is spraying Mountain Dew and holding a big trophy in the winner’s circle.