NASCAR standings 2014: Displeased Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes 10th, clinches Chase spot

It was the kind of result that in past years would have left Dale Earnhardt Jr. satisfied. A hard-fought 10th-place finish on a tough New Hampshire Motor Speedway track.

Yet finishing 10th, as Earnhardt did Sunday in the Camping World RV Sales 301, is no longer acceptable in a year where he harbors realistic championship aspirations.

To win a championship Earnhardt knows he must perform better. Especially at New Hampshire, as the track will host the second Chase for the Sprint Cup race in September, and where on Sunday fellow title contenders Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch finished first and second, respectively.

It was real disappointing not to have the speed a lot of those other guys had,” Earnhardt said. “The No. 2 (Keselowski) and (Busch) were all real fast. Hats off to them because they surely got their cars figured out. It’s just real frustrating all day long to be playing second fiddle. We worked really hard all day to finish 10th. Pretty disappointing we will go home and work on it and try to do better.

“I’m really disappointed, but I remember when we used to like these (finishes).”

Although Earnhardt might have been frustrated with himself, there was plenty to smile about afterward.

After struggling in qualifying and posting just the 29th-fastest time, it appeared the race was going to be struggle, as New Hampshire is not a track where passing is easy.

But sound strategy and adjustments by crew chief Steve Letarte helped Earnhardt gain track position. And a large part of winning a championship is turning potential bad days into solid finishes, which is what the 88 team did Sunday.

“That was the hardest I’ve ever worked for a 10th-place finish,” Earnhardt said. “But we have been off all weekend. It’s been a real frustrating weekend to be honest. The guys worked real hard. Steve and the engineers did their best to try to get the car more competitive. ... I had to drive so perfect every lap. That was really frustrating.”

On the strength of victories at Daytona and Pocono this season and his position in points (second overall), Earnhardt clinched a Chase spot Sunday. It is the fourth consecutive year he has made NASCAR’s playoffs.

“You could say it was an afterthought, but we worked hard to get to where we are to be able to run as well as we have and win some races,” Earnhardt said of earning a Chase berth. “It feels great. It’s an accomplishment. I’m proud of our team for that.”

And yet in the same breath Earnhardt still couldn’t get over the discontent he was feeling.

“Hopefully we can improve though before we come back here,” Earnhardt said. “This is an important race track so we need to run better than this and I know we will work hard to figure that out.”