Dale Earnhardt went from bad (practice) to worse (qualifying) Friday at Vegas. Credit: Autostock

More Las Vegas craps for Earnhardt at quals

Junior will have to gamble big to pull out win from 42nd starting spot

LAS VEGAS -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. no longer dreads coming to Las Vegas. At the same time, he is happy that the track soon will undergo a transformation.

The track, which plans to add banking immediately after Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, has never been favorable to Earnhardt.

Inside the Numbers Junior at Fontana and Vegas   Fontana Vegas Starts 9 6 Wins 0 0 Top-5s 1 1 Top-10s 2 2 Poles 0 0 DNFs 3 2 Laps Led 4 144 Avg. Start 21.8 22.3 Avg. Finish 21.2 21.3 DALE EARNHARDT JR. •   2006 Driver Page •   Store: Junior's gear!

That trend continued Friday. Earnhardt had a less-than-stellar practice run of 168.834 mph and followed that up with an abysmal qualifying session. Earnhardt's run of 163.334 mph failed to make time, and he needed the owner points provisional to start 42nd in the 43-car field.

"I don't think the racing is all that great the way it is," Earnhardt said of the current Vegas layout. "It's flat. It's hard to get around when it's flat. It has more grooves, which is great, but more banking is more fun for the drivers."

Thus, he'll welcome the changes to the track.

"It is kind of like going into your living room and just moving your furniture around," Earnhardt said. "Little change of pace. It will be an improvement.

Out in frontGreg Biffle secures pole position for UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836 UAW-DAIMLERCHRYSLER 400 •   Qualifying Results •   1st Practice Speeds

Earnhardt has famously experienced major struggles at the flat downforce tracks on the Nextel Cup schedule. His 11th-place run at Fontana was celebrated as a moral victory.

"We finished in the top 15 last week and that is our goal this week," he said. "If we can do that at these two racetracks, which has been our biggest nemesis, I think we can expect to have a good season and be competitive all year."

Fontana and Las Vegas devastated Earnhardt in 2005. He finished 42nd at Las Vegas after he admittedly caused an accident on Lap 12. He left Nevada 27th in points, and he never really recovered.

"When you go into California and don't run well, and you go into Vegas and don't run well, it puts a lot of pressure on you," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt -- like everyone else in the garage -- has been forced to watch as Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have dominated NASCAR's downforce tracks. During the winter, DEI had little choice but to work on the spoiler and tire package that gave it fits in 2005.

"I think, from what I have seen, we are making some huge gains and making some great ground on these tracks," Earnhardt said. "It makes me excited to go to Atlanta and places where I know we have been great ... my team is in as good a shape as it has ever been.

"This is the best opportunity I've had as a driver when it comes to driving good equipment. The team is really capable from top to bottom."