NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Five Most Significant Wins
By Mike Hutton
Number 4: Michigan International Speedway, June 2012
Significance: First win in 3+ years, breaking his longest Sprint Cup winless streak
Despite 18 wins in his first 10 Sprint Cup seasons, Dale’s career is not like any other in that eventually, it hit a slump. For Dale, this slump began in June of 2009 and continued until June of 2012. During this time, Dale faced numerous critics — those who said he was done, those who said he owed his career to his surname only and those who said the pressure of following his father’s legacy had finally gotten to him and he couldn’t effectively process it.
Fortunately, this slump came to an end on June 17, 2012 when dale led 95 of 200 laps to score a popular win on the (then) newly-repaved Michigan International Speedway during the Quicken Loans 400. It proved that the No. 88 team should still be considered a threat on race day. Dale entered the race in 2nd-place in the season-to-date points standings behind Matt Kenseth.
As an aside, this author appreciated the win greatly because many fans stayed around to celebrate post-race. That always makes westbound traffic on US12 much easier to navigate and move more quickly!
Next: #3 - Daytona, February 2014