FORT WORTH, Texas — If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to make a serious run at this year's NASCAR Nextel Cup championship, the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday would be the perfect time to make a move.
Earnhardt goes into the race tied for fourth in the Chase for the championship with Jeff Burton, both of them 84 points behind leader Matt Kenseth and also trailing Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.
For Earnhardt, who missed the Chase last year after finishing fifth in 2004 in the inaugural stock car playoffs, just being part of the season-ending battle is a big deal.
"It's exciting," Earnhardt said. "It's fun to be battling for the championship with (nine) guys and just feels more prestigious to me, as far as the way it all rolls out throughout the season and how we crown a champion in this system."
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But Earnhardt, whose late father won seven NASCAR championships, is a realist, too.
He has won two Busch Series titles and watched enough Cup championships to know that it would take a miracle for him to come out on top of the standings after the season finale Nov. 19 in Homestead, Fla., unless he makes up ground at Texas and Phoenix the next two Sundays.
"I figure we've got to be within maybe 20 points (going into Homestead) to have a real chance," Earnhardt said Friday before the start of practice on the 1.5-mile Texas oval.
That's why the Texas race could not have come at a better moment for the 32-year-old.
It's the track where he won his first Busch race and where he also took the first of his 16 Cup victories.
"It's very special," Earnhardt said of TMS. "I always love running here.
"Texas was the place where I realized I could make a career out of racing. Before our Busch Series win here in '98, I wasn't sure I was going to make it as a race car driver. I was living in a doublewide (trailer) and trying to get my career going. I hadn't had much success in racing up to that point, but we won that race at Texas, and it set the foundation for our championship that year."
Earnhardt didn't hurt his chances any in Friday's qualifying. He was 10th fastest, while Kenseth was 36th — the slowest of the contenders — and Johnson fifth, Hamlin sixth and Burton 29th. Brian Vickers won the pole with a track-record average speed of 196.235 mph.
Pit stops
● Mark Martin earned his 30th career Busch Series pole Friday night at Texas, while Juan Pablo Montoya will start 10th in his second NASCAR race.
● Clint Bowyer had a dominating run at Texas, then held the lead after a green-white finish to win in only his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start on Friday night.
Bowyer led 103 of 148 laps and finished 0.279 seconds ahead Kyle Busch, giving Chevrolet a 1-2 finish on the night that Toyota captured the season manufacturer's title on the strength of Mike Skinner's third-place finish.
● Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs a good run to stay in contention
1. Matt Kenseth 6,008
2. Jimmie Johnson 5,982
3. Denny Hamlin 5,943
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5,924
Jeff Burton 5,924
6. Kevin Harvick 5,887
7. Jeff Gordon 5,862
8. Mark Martin 5,807
9. Kasey Kahne 5,798
10. Kyle Busch 5,759
