Runner-up not enough to keep Earnhardt in top 12

LONG POND, Pa. -- Despite a valiant effort to recover from a spin and remedy an ill-handling racecar, Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped one spot outside the Chase race and relinquished his highly coveted 12th-place position to Kurt Busch.

Although judging from his attitude after Sunday's Pennsylvania 500, where the No. 8 held off most of the field to finish second, Earnhardt isn't "too worried about it."

"I felt like I won," said Earnhardt, whose runner-up marks his best finish since a second-place finish last season in the September California race.

Lap-by-Lap

Kurt Busch led 175 laps in the Pennsylvania 500, the most of any winner in Pocono history.

• Lap-by-Lap, click here
• Race Video, click here

Earnhardt started from the pole but failed to lead the first lap after Busch took the advantage on the outside.

By Lap 72, problems and issues with a tight racecar had surmounted. The crew said their shock package may have been to aggressive from the beginning, making the car extremely tight and forcing Earnhardt to battle an out-of-control Chevrolet.

"Even though we were up there in the top 10, the car was wicked tight," Earnhardt said.

Finally, shortly after the halfway point of the race, it was the red No. 8 that brought out the caution flag after he lost control and spun in the infamous Tunnel Turn (watch video).

"We were looking pretty bad there at one point ...," Earnhardt said.

But when you're perpetually on the bubble in the 12th spot as he has been for weeks, you can't afford to have a poor showing. You have to make a little magic.

And that's what the crew did. They turned around what looked to be an inevitable poor showing with what some have quickly dubbed the "magic shock."

The left-front shock change dropped Earnhardt to 26th on the Lap 129 restart. He gained 12 spots by the time the caution came out again on Lap 138. And a two-tire stop on pit road catapulted Earnhardt 11 spots and eventually afforded the driver to the lead.

Unfortunate for Earnhardt, holding off race-winner Busch would prove to be impossible.

"That beer on Tuesday night might go down a little slower otherwise I'll be fine," Earnhardt said. "If I didn't run second I'd be worse and lose more points to Kurt. We got to feel pretty lucky to have stayed that close to him."

The victory moved Busch up to 12th in the standings, while Earnhardt is now 13th, just seven points out of the transfer position.

The new seeding selection where 12 as opposed to 10 drivers will make the Chase has every driver clawing for every position and the emphasis is on wins because winners are awarded 10 bonus points.

After the Sept. 8 race at Richmond International Raceway, the top 12 drivers will be re-seeded according to wins throughout the first 26 races.

Each driver in the top 12 will have their points reset to 5,000 points, plus any bonus points accrued.

As for dropping outside the 12-driver cutoff with only five events left until the Chase for the Nextel Cup seedings are set, Earnhardt merely said he is running as hard as he can every week.

"We are way better than 13th, but we've had bad luck, we cheated and got caught ... those types of things are going to hurt you," he said. "But the cream is going to rise to the top. I ain't too worried about it."