NASCAR: Five Cup Drivers Who’s Only Luck Has Been Bad Luck

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Jr.’s bad luck this season started pretty early. While Jr. did dominate throughout speedweeks winning his duel race and sitting on the pole for the 2016 Daytona 500, all that dominance would come completely undone before the halfway point of the race Jr. was diligently working his way back up the pack after a bad pit stop, when he suddenly lost control of his car and it nailed the inside wall of the track.

Jr. ultimately finished 36th and left Daytona International Speedway without a much needed win at one of his best tracks. Jr.’s luck changed over the next couple weeks, as the Hendrick motor sports driver was able to capture three straight top-ten finishes in the first four races of the season, but he still needed a win to guarantee himself a spot in that years chase. Something he was hoping to find at Talladega Super Speedway.

Tragedy struck again for Jr. however, as the #88 machine was involved in two separate on track incident and eventually watched his beloved car, Amelia burst into flames. The car was then loaded on the hauler and Jr. was once again left without a guaranteed spot in the Chase after one of his favorite races on the schedule.

To make matters even worse, Jr. came close to capturing victory three times this season. Unfortunately for Jr., he wasn’t able to capitalize on his great track position at Atlanta, Texas and Bristol and ended up finishing second in all three races.  Although Jr. has struggled to find victory so far this season, hopefully his three top-two finishes will be enough to drive him towards a win before the Chase starts.

Next: Inconsistent Clint?