NASCAR: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not Heading Into Kansas

USA Today Sports

NOT – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Many Earnhardt Jr. fans are not going to agree with him being on this list. They will point to how well he has run this season and the fact that he is sitting fourth in the points. All of those things are great but he is also coming off of a 26th place finish at Talladega. More importantly, he is coming off of a 26th place finish not because of a wreck or equipment issue; but instead because he played it safe. Earnhardt easily had a top-five car on Sunday however he decided to lay back in the latter parts of the race and as a result wasn’t able to ever make it back to the front. Earnhardt already has a win this season and he is high in the points. If those aren’t reason enough, he also dominates at Talladega! There was no reason for him to “play it safe” on Sunday, it was a poor choice all the way around.