In June 2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to winning ways after a four-year hiatus and did it dominantly. With each passing race adding to the questions around him, Earnhardt broke a 143-race curse as he cruised to victory, but he was far from happy.
After years of close calls and agonizing results, many had given up on the hope of seeing Earnhardt return to victory lane in the Cup Series. The now 50-year-old wasn’t too confident in his racecraft anymore, as he kept waiting for the other shoe to fall while being minutes away from a famous win.
Recalling the Time Dale Earnhardt Jr. Was Worried by His Own Track Dominance
The Michigan International Speedway played host to Earnhardt’s win in 2008, giving way to a four-year, 143-race winless streak for the current JR Motorsports co-owner. In 2012, the same track broke the curse that befell Earnhardt, as he recorded a stellar win.
Driving a convincing race, Earnhardt outlasted a challenge from Tony Stewart, and he did so in some fashion. The No. 88 car crossed the finish line 5.393 seconds ahead of the runner-up, rewarding fans for their continued belief, support, and patience.
However, as he drove towards the finish line, Earnhardt felt more pressure than ever before as he waited for his bad luck to kick in and his lead to fade away.
Speaking about the same, Earnhardt said, “That was the worst feeling, riding around there with 15 laps to go, wondering what was going to happen; how you were going to lose. Those laps couldn’t go by fast enough.”
Earnhardt’s concerns were even more ignited by what had happened a week before. Driving in the Pocono race, Earnhardt had led 36 laps when he decided to pit for more gas. Many questioned why he wasn’t trying to stretch his current tank to the end, and they were correct.
He lost the race lead and had to settle for a runner-up position, adding to his ongoing misery.
Before the 2012 Michigan race, Earnhardt had 11 top-ten finishes and was running second in the drivers’ standings. However, after his Pocono mess, questions about his ability as a driver also arose.
The questions were put to rest as quickly as they had risen, with Earnhardt breaking the sixth-longest winless streak in Cup Series history.
Notably, Earnhardt’s 2008 victory in Michigan came after another winless streak of 76 races, highlighting that the track was lucky for him when it came to breaking unwanted winless streaks.