Dale Earnhardt Jr. can’t overcome lack of restart speed, finishes 2nd

In a race slowed by four red flags and ultimately cut short due to persistent rain, having the best car over a long run wasn’t going to be much of an advantage.

That was the predicament Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself in during the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 88 car had the speed, but Earnhardt needed a few laps before he could get going, which allowed eventual winner Kurt Busch to put enough distance between himself and Earnhardt before rain forced NASCAR to cut short Sunday’s race 62 laps from the scheduled finish.

Earnhardt was second to Kyle Larson on Lap 130 restart. But as Earnhardt was racing Larson, Busch passed him. And when Larson eventually had to pit for fuel five laps later Busch inherited the lead that he never relinquished. As three laps later rain started falling again, prompting officials to call the race.

“When it came to the restarts, we didn’t take off as well as (Busch),” Earnhardt said. “We were just kind of tight waiting on the front to work, don’t have the good speed that they have the first three or four laps, and that was the difference today.”

Kevin Harvick had the dominant car, leading a race-high 63 laps. But Earnhardt felt his Chevrolet was equal to Harvick’s, who fell out of contention when a broken valve stem caused a tire failure.

“The 4 (Harvick) had the field covered,” Earnhardt said. “I think on the long run we were one of the best cars. Us and the 4 seemed to match each other into that last run and found some good speed running the very top of the groove.”

The second-place finish was Earnhardt’s best since winning at Talladega Superspeedway on May 3. Because he’s virtually locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the primary focus between now and the start of the playoffs is running consistently and maximizing finishes.

As in recent seasons, Earnhardt has performed well during the regular season, only to struggle once the Chase began. Although he’s made the playoffs every year since 2001, Earnhardt’s best points finish is fifth two years ago.

“We’ve been as good or better than anybody during the regular season and just haven’t showed up in the Chase,” Earnhardt said. “I told my guys after Pocono (last week) when we run 11th with about a third-place car that I wasn’t going to worry about finishes and I wasn’t going to worry about trying to get everything I can on finishes.

“I was just going to go to the track, try to win, try to learn. We need to make sure when we get to the Chase, we understand everything we can about the car and how to deliver the best car every week.”