NASCAR notes: Earnhardt frustrated with season

Earnhardt frustrated with season

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit rock bottom during his last trip to Lowe's Motor Speedway. He struggled with his car, feuded with his crew chief and finished a season-low 40th in one of the most embarrassing weekends of his career.

Team owner Rick Hendrick fired crew chief Tony Eury Jr. three days after that May debacle, and things were supposed to turn around with some fresh leadership on Earnhardt's No. 88 team.

It hasn't happened.

Little has changed, at least in terms of results, in the four-plus months since. Back at LMS for tonight's Banking 500 race, Earnhardt is slogging through a 51-race winless streak dating to 2008, his first season with Hendrick Motorsports.

He's 22nd in the standings, has five top 10s and five DNFs, and hasn't finished higher than 17th in the past six races.

"It's like really encouraging one day and the next day it's equally discouraging, and that gets really old," Earnhardt said. "I'm about to the end of my rope on it."

Earnhardt seemed deflated as he spoke candidly about a season he has repeatedly characterized as the worst of his career. He said earlier this season that his struggles and the emotional split with Eury, his cousin, weighed heavily on his large family. Earnhardt doesn't think he's mentally strong enough to weather another year this bad.

"I've been riding it out, but there comes a point where you don't want to ride it out no more. You've just had enough," he said. "It's been so low. The highs have not been very high, and the lows have been terribly low. That's hard to want get back up and try again the next week when you take such a beating. I don't know what else to do."

Kahne's paint scheme is overshadowed

Kasey Kahne meant to make news by what was splashed across the hood of his No. 9 car and ended up talking about what was across the grille instead.

Kahne unveiled a special paint scheme on his No. 9 car that will honor U.S. Olympians participating in next year's Winter Games in Vancouver. Instead of the trademark red paint scheme he's used for title sponsor Budweiser, Kahne's car will be all white with red Olympic rings on the hood and snowcapped mountains on the trim.

The paint scheme, however, was upstaged by the Ford Fusion label across the grille. The sticker is the first physical evidence that Richard Petty Motorsports is switching from Dodge to Ford in 2010 as part of a merger with Yates Racing.

Diecast replicas of Kahne's Olympic-themed scheme will be available starting Oct. 23, with all proceeds going to the United States Olympic Committee.

Johnson claims pole with fast lap

Sprint Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson blistered the field during qualifying, posting a lap at 192.376 mph.

Johnson's lap was the fastest qualifying lap since NASCAR began using the new car in 2007. Dale Earnhardt Jr. held the previous record at 190.907 mph to win the pole at Texas in April 2008.

"It was a good lap and we've got 500 miles to run," Johnson said. "I think if we can lead a lot of laps, win the race, something around those lines, then we can send a statement."

Mark Martin, second in the standings by 12 points, will start second. Tony Stewart, fourth in points, will start fifth. Jeff Gordon, fifth in points, will start eighth. Juan Pablo Montoya, third in points, will start 18th.

Kesolowski pleased about interest level

Brad Keselowski is waiting for Penske Racing to hire a crew chief for him in 2010, but he's been very pleased with the level of interest for the job.

Keselowski, who is moving into a full Sprint Cup Series ride next season with Penske, said employees from Richard Petty Motorsports have inquired about possibilities with the No. 12 team.

"I think that whole team is scared to death," he said. "That whole company is scared to death. Everybody that works there is scared and we've got a lot of interest from some of their people and that's interesting. That's encouraging."

-- From Wire Reports