Notebook: Junior pleased despite not gaining ground

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Despite a fifth-place finish in the Sharpie 500 Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, time continues to run out on the chase to get into the Chase for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

That would be the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The top 12 drivers in points after the first 26 races of the season qualify for it -- and with just two of the "regular-season" races remaining, Earnhardt still sits in 13th after Saturday. The last two races before the 10-race Chase begins are next weekend at California Speedway and the week after that in Richmond.

Lap-by-Lap

Carl Edwards clinched a spot in the Chase with his win at the newly resurfaced Bristol Motor Speedway. Check out all the lead changes, pit stops and cautions from the Sharpie 500.

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

Earnhardt was 163 points out of 12th place heading into Saturday's event, and now he is 158 out of 12th. Kurt Busch, who finished right behind Earnhardt in sixth at Bristol, remains in the 12th and final spot.

Earnhardt didn't particularly want to talk about his dwindling hopes of getting into the Chase immediately after the 500-lap event at Bristol.

"I ain't worried about that," Earnhardt said. "I had a good night tonight. I just ran 500 [laps] at Bristol, so I'm pretty stoked about finishing fifth.

"We have Sunday off, baby! Finally! Every time ESPN [televises] a race, it rains Saturday night and we have to race Sunday. We're coming off just about the worst week ever after having to race [last] Tuesday [in Michigan because of a two-day rain delay]."

Earnhardt jokingly chided the media for bringing up his dimming hopes of getting into the Chase.

"Y'all make it miserable, because that's all you talk about," said Earnhardt, smiling. "[If] we don't make it, everyone will talk about it. It's a bummer when you see that and watch that [on television]. You kind of want to go under the radar when you can't get it done.

"I'll be more upset if I don't win a race this year. I want to win. If I can't get in the Chase, I just want to win a race."

That hasn't happened for Junior since May of 2006 at Richmond. His winless streak now stands at 50 races.

Not enough banging?

Earnhardt didn't agree with those who suggested there wasn't enough bumping and banging to put on a good show for the fans Saturday night.

"We don't like running into each other all the time. Is that what y'all want us to do?" he said. "I want the tires to run straight. I go to beatin' on people, it just messes the car up."

Besides, Earnhardt said he and Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge that finished seventh, mixed it up a little on the newly resurfaced concrete track.

"The 12 ran into me one time and almost put me in the fence. So we beat on each other a little bit for about 10 laps over that, but I reckon we got over it because he quit beatin' on me. But other than that, I didn't have to run into anybody," Earnhardt said.

"We were coming off [Turns] 3 and 4, and I might have left him a little window for the radiator to fit in there and he hit me in the quarter panel. He hit me right square on the back end and I almost wrecked. I said, 'I'll get you back' and I did hit him three or four times. He was like, `What did you hit me for?' He hit me a time or two and then it was over."

Earnhardt also denied that being so close to Newman in the points standings (Newman sits one spot behind him in 14th, a mere 17 points behind) had nothing to do with them banging on each other.

"It doesn't have anything to do with that. He's aggressive and I'm aggressive," Earnhardt said. "We don't like taking crap from anybody. That's what happens when you hit two hammers. It's not going to be pretty."

Tough finish

Robby Gordon was aiming for a better finish in his No. 7 Ford when he claimed Kevin Harvick spun him needlessly on the final lap.

"Harvick didn't need to do that," Gordon said. "I cleared him clean. We lost an ignition box coming off [Turn] 2 when we were running 12th. The thing just died, so I had to flick the switch and that allowed him to get next to me. We ran side-by-side for a lap and I cleared him again, and then he wrecked me for no reason.

"A 20th-place finish is good for us at Bristol, but we were going to finish about 12th -- right about where we thought we were in practice."

Taking the blame

Juan Montoya started on the outside of the front row after qualifying second for Saturday's race, but was kicking himself for suggesting changes that ultimately led to a 17th-place finish for his No. 42 Dodge.

"You know, it's my fault. I'm blaming myself," he said. "It was too loose for my taste and I thought we were going to be too loose. We tightened up the car and it was just horrible. And when we tightened it up, we ran for 130 laps [under green] so we went a lap down there."

Quotable, Part I

Bill Elliott, who came out of retirement earlier this year to drive the No. 21 Ford for the Wood Brothers, was a sweaty mess when he finally climbed out of the car after finishing 25th Saturday.

"I'm used up. I told them on the radio that I wouldn't do this for just anybody," said Elliott, laughing.

Quotable, Part II

Told that Tony Stewart said driving on the new surface at Bristol in a Car of Tomorrow was the most fun he's ever had during a race at Bristol, Earnhardt laughed and said: "I don't believe him. I think he's making it up. When has he ever said anything like that? He had a good line at the end. You'll have fun doing that."