NASCAR mailbag: Should Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans be concerned?

As NASCAR heads into its annual mid-June break with its most popular driver winless and experiencing a mini-slump, that can only mean one thing: an anxiety-riddled supporter of Junior Nation wondering if the proverbial sky is falling.

You’re right that NASCAR is awash with a lot of young talent, but it seems like a lot of that talent won’t get a chance to race in Cup because of a lack of opportunities. Take a look around and tell me where guys like Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Ty Dillon will end up. The rides just aren’t there.

--Alex

The outlook isn’t as muddled as you think. As explained in last week’s mailbag, Toyota has room to add additional Sprint Cup teams through Furniture Row Racing. Meaning, the carmaker’s developmental prospects (Jones, Suarez, Byron, Christopher Bell and Rico Abreu) will all have an opportunity to advance provided they show they’re deserving and the appropriate sponsor dollars can be accrued.

The chances are equally available to younger Ford-and Chevrolet-supported drivers as well, with each manufacturer having teams in the fold that could expand (Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, etc.). Again, it comes down to funding. But if the money is present, the rides will materialize.

Also keep in mind the Cup roster is going to undergo quite a transformation over the next few years. Notable names such as Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray are all 40 or older and will either retire on their own terms, or be phased out for younger and more productive replacements. It’s the natural cyclical evolution that happens in the sport every 15 years or so.

Have the Gibbs cars slowed down or has the pack caught up?

--Robert

With Kurt Busch in a Chevrolet winning a week ago and Logano taking his Ford to Victory Lane on Sunday, the question of whether Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota are no longer the dominant organization has been a popular one. But it’s not an issue of JGR “slowing down,” rather the inevitable swinging of the pendulum that occurs over the course of a protracted season.

It is rare that one team will be superior from the green flag at Dayton in February to the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami. JGR is a perfect example of that shift. In 2014, the team won just twice and started last season rather slowly, prompting Joe Gibbs to call a company-wide meeting in the spring where he rather pointedly demanded better performance. Shortly thereafter, the team began its current streak that’s seen it win 19 of the past 36 races.

And though it’s easy to think the JGR/Toyota run is over considering the recent finishes, that’s not necessarily an accurate reflection. A deeper look shows the JGR drivers (including de facto teammate Martin Truex Jr.) have largely remained on their game.

Kyle Busch was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time at Pocono, and had debris overcook his engine leading to a fiery explosion at Michigan; Kenseth led 31 laps at Pocono; Carl Edwards scored consecutive top 10s; Denny Hamlin was fast at Michigan before a tire failure sent him crashing out; and Truex Jr. had potential winning cars at both races, but didn’t execute.

The next few months will be a great indicator of where teams stand going into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but for now JGR is still clearly situated atop the pecking order.

As a Dale Jr. fan I’m really, really worried. He’s winless and on the verge of falling outside the Chase. Something is wrong and I can’t figure out what. All I know is I miss Steve Letarte. Any way we can convince him to return as crew chief or maybe some kind of advisor role?

--Cathy

The main culprit is inconsistency. Four times Earnhardt has finished runner-up, an indication he and the No. 88 are capable of running up front in contention. That’s negated, however, by four finishes of 32nd or worse. Thus, Earnhardt is ranked 11th in points and in need of a solid summer stretch if he’s to make the playoffs for a sixth straight year. It’s not a dire situation by any means, though certainly not enviable and one that would be a lot better without the inordinate number of poor results.

On the crew chief front, sorry but Letarte is quite happy working as an NBC Sports analyst and will not be forsaking that position anytime soon. Don’t sour on Greg Ives yet, who showed last season he’s a more-than-capable crew chief, guiding Earnhardt to three victories and coming about 100 yards short of earning a championship race berth.

Although it may be hard, remain patient. Your driver may have had an uneven first half, but he still controls his playoff destiny.