Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been in the middle of this Chase, literally, since it began. He's been as high as fifth and low as seventh. Credit: Autostock

Junior knows he must stay aggressive, smart

Earnhardt posts top-10 practice times at AMS; Edwards, Kahne lead

HAMPTON, Ga. -- More than anyone else in the top 10, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s October has been marked by missed opportunities.

Bass Pro Shops 500 Saturday Practice Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. C. Edwards 187.830 29.516 2. Ku. Busch 186.730 29.690 3. M. Truex Jr. 186.723 29.691 4. J. Johnson 186.240 29.768 5. K. Harvick 185.978 29.810 6. G. Biffle 185.741 29.848 7. M. Kenseth 185.729 29.850 8. R. Gordon 185.722 29.851 9. J.Nemechek 185.697 29.855 10. Dale Jr. 185.679 29.858 • Complete speeds, click here Happy Hour Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. K. Kahne 187.856 29.512 2. C. Mears 186.297 29.759 3. Dale Jr. 186.240 29.768 4. J.Nemechek 185.928 29.818 5. Ku. Busch 185.915 29.820 6. D. Gilliland 185.729 29.850 7. G. Biffle 185.617 29.868 8. J. Johnson 185.536 29.881 9. J. Burton 185.214 29.933 10. D. Stremme 185.146 29.944 • Complete speeds, click here Practice speedsDale Jr. spins in practice then recovers, Kahne is fastest Garage PassChase Drivers wipe the slate clean at AMS Atlanta ReadyBurton and Childress hoping to win the championship Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

The last-lap crash at Talladega. The late-race spin at Martinsville. It all adds to a pile of points that Earnhardt would like to have back.

As painful as his month as been, Atlanta has been one of Earnhardt best tracks. He finished third here in the spring after DEI gave him a motor that launched him off Turn 4 with exceptional power.

Earnhardt, who starts sixth in Sunday's Bass Pro Shops 500, was strong in practice on Saturday, posting the 10th-best time in the first practice and the third-best in the second.

Nextel Cup teams practiced under sunny skies on Saturday after heavy rains washed out practice and qualifying on Friday. Kasey Kahne, who won here in the spring, was quickest in Happy Hour with a lap of 187.856 mph. Carl Edwards' lap of 187.830 mph led the first practice.

Kahne ran only 16 laps in Happy Hour. He left early to fly to Memphis for Saturday's Sam Town 250 at Memphis.

A pair of teams lost engines and will have to go to the rear of the field on Sunday, as Ken Schrader and Robby Gordon both suffered failures. The caution waved in the first practice when Earnhardt spun in Turn 2, but his Chevrolet wasn't damaged.

Earnhardt admittedly was overaggressive in the closing laps last weekend at Martinsville. He tried to pass Kahne in Turn 4 but overdrove the car, spinning out and turning a sure top-five finish into a disappointing 22nd-place run.

"Last week, we had a great opportunity to get some points and I got overaggressive and it put me in the situation now," Junior said. "I have no choice but to be aggressive to try to get the gains we need.

"I will try to be a little smarter at the same time, but I gotta run good. You can't expect things to just go smoothly all the time. You beat yourself up a little bit."

Chase for the Nextel Cup Next: Atlanta (7th of 10 races) Pos. +/- Driver Behind 1. +1 Matt Kenseth Leader 2. +1 Kevin Harvick -36 3. +4 Jimmie Johnson -41 4. +2 Denny Hamlin -47 5. -4 Jeff Burton -48 6. -1 D. Earnhardt Jr. -94 7. -3 Mark Martin -96 8. -- Kasey Kahne -99 9. +1 Jeff Gordon -141 10. -1 Kyle Busch -171 • Complete standings, click here SUPERSTORE •   Dale Jr. Chase merchandise!

With four races to go, the circuit visits three mile-and-a-half tracks (Atlanta, Texas, Homestead) and one intermediate flat track (Phoenix). Earnhardt Jr. has two careers wins at Phoenix, but he is heavily banking on Atlanta and Texas to get him back in the Chase.

"We have got a couple of cars that we really, really like at these tracks," Earnhardt said. "The setups are very comfortable."

Atlanta and Texas were once considered sister tracks due to their similar banking and length, but Earnhardt said that Atlanta's aging asphalt has changed that.

"These tracks were cookie cutters when they were first built, but as they get older, the more they start to get their own little personalities and own little tricks and trades and things you can do on them that are different than the others," Earnhardt said.

"It gets older, and it has turned into quite a mature racetrack. It is a lot of fun to race on, and you have got to look at all these other mile-and-a-halfs and see them going in the same direction."