Junior should improve in '06.
(AP)
2005 season statistics
Wins: One (Chicagoland)
Best Finish: First
Top-fives, top-10s, DNFs: 7, 13, 6
2005 Recap
Junior said it himself: "Even Elvis made bad movies." That just about sums up Junior's season. The much talked-about team swap with Michael Waltrip's squad prior to the start of the season was a disaster for both teams and eventually was reversed following the second Bristol race. Every great driver has a bad season, and 2005 was Junior's. When his team was good (Junior did score a win at Chicagoland), it was decent. But when it was bad, it was really bad. Chalk it up as Junior's "lost weekend."
2006 Outlook
What's next
Earnhardt Jr.'s cousin Tony Eury Jr. took the reins of the No.8 team toward the end of '05 and immediately made a difference. Junior can drive a bad race car – much like his dad did – but he's unstoppable when he's got a good car. A new attitude about his life along with several new team members will put Junior back in the Chase in '06.
Best case scenario: DEI has stepped up its engine program over the past year, and that will provide the kind of horsepower that could make the No. 8 car untouchable, especially on the restrictor plate tracks. Expect Junior to be back in the Chase and to be a serious contender for the championship. Likely scenario: With rookie teammate Martin Truex Jr. alongside, Earnhardt Jr. will find an even better match than he did in the "older brother" figure of former teammate Waltrip. Both Juniors will benefit from the relationship.
Beware: Late nights and a rekindling of his mainstream media celebrity status when he starts winning races again could knock this juggernaut of its tracks.
