Dale Earnhardt Jr. (left) and Michael Waltrip each moved up a spot in the standings with solid runs at Atlanta. Credit: Autostock
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
October 28, 2002
10:36 AM EST (1536 GMT)
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Three months ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranked a dismal 17th in the championship point standings and, for all intents and purposes, was on the proverbial outside of the top-10 looking in.
My how quickly things can change in the fickle Winston Cup Series.
Following Sunday's fifth-place effort in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. ascended to 11th in the standings - his highest ranking since April.
 | Video |  | Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on his fifth straight top-10 finish.
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"It was great to get some points," Earnhardt, Jr. said. "I'm real excited we're doing as well as we are. It really lifts all the guys' spirits. They are really competitive - Tony Eury Jr. and Tony Sr. - and it's good to see them satisfied with what they're getting out of the deal."
Compared even to the recent past, life is grand in the Budweiser shop. At Dover in mid-September, Junior released information that he'd suffered a debilitating concussion during an accident at California.
The team had been running badly, and rumors had surfaced about his relationship with the Eurys. Junior maintained that he was fully healed, and that all was well at Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Now, he's backing it up.
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Since Kansas - the event following his announcement at Dover - Junior has in the top-five thrice, including a win at Talladega, and has yet to finish worse than ninth. During that time, he's gone from 14th to 11th in the point standings.
Heading to Rockingham, he's just 46 points outside the top-10. Though a return trip back to Manhattan for the banquet would be sweet - he finished eighth a year ago - he's just happy to be here.
"I'm just happy to have a job doing it," Earnhardt said. "I mean I like to win races and win championships, but just being around here has always been fun - ever since I was a little kid. So it's just good to see the enjoyment the (team) gets out of it, and hopefully next year we'll get the year we're looking for."
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