BRANT JAMES

Healthy Dale Earnhardt Jr. stuck in neutral in return to NASCAR

Brant James
USA TODAY Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has four finishes of 30th or worse in his first eight Cup starts this season.

That Dale Earnhardt Jr. has returned to health and full-time racing has made the beginning of his 18th season at NASCAR’s highest level a moral success for the 42-year-old, the series and his enormous following.

But eight races into his comeback from a recurrence of concussions that cost him the final 18 races of the 2016 season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver continues to struggle finding statistical success, finishing 38th at Bristol Motor Speedway after his No. 88 Chevrolet retired after an oil system failure on Lap 217 of 500.

Earnhardt said his car left oil in his pit stall after a pit stop under caution during Monday's Food City 500 and was smoking as he lined up for a restart. He subsequently slammed the wall of the .533-mile track when he could not steer.

MORE NASCAR COVERAGE:

Jimmie Johnson wins rain-delayed NASCAR race at Bristol

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s day ends early after crash at Bristol

Earnhardt said he was surprised he hadn’t been better than a mid-pack car because he had fared well in practices before the scheduled race, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed by rain.

“We ran into some issues at the end of the last practice with the car and they were still there today. I don’t know what in our set-up is creating that,” he said. “It’s not like I’m feeling something that I wasn’t familiar with. We did have some good practices and felt pretty confident, but apparently, whatever we got into the car late in the last practice we didn’t tune it back out.

“We were really tight in the center and tight in the throttle and guys beating me really bad back to the gas. That ain’t no way to run anywhere really.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. smacks the wall during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

It was no way to continue building momentum after producing his best finish of the season – fifth – in the previous race at Texas Motor Speedway, either.

Already befallen by crashes and unfinished races at Daytona and Martinsville, where he finished 37th and 34th, respectively, Earnhardt has led just eight laps this season. Though his health has been good enough – as in perfect, he’s said – to in good conscience plan for contract extension talks, his performance has lagged. Granted, Hendrick Motorsports also began the season modestly as a four-car unit although Chase Elliott has been competitive throughout and entered Monday second in the driver standings. Defending and seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson won his first race of the season at Texas and won again Monday. Elliott was seventh.

Earnhardt said at Daytona that he would require time to regain his racing reflexes. His performance on the repaved Texas oval, Johnson said Friday, proved there was no gap in his skills although “when you miss that much time from the car the sport changes.”

“I can’t say that it’s crossed my mind watching him this year,” Johnson observed. “He seems very comfortable in there. But to go to Texas two weeks ago and for him to run as competitive as he did at a treacherous track, I mean your sensitivity to the car and sliding the tires needed to be as sharp as ever. I think that is a great indication of him finding that last little bit and he is ready to go to victory lane.”

Not this week.

Follow James on Twitter @brantjames

PHOTOS: DALE EARNHARDT JR. THROUGH THE YEARS