This time, for once, Jimmie Johnson followed the lead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But growing a beard during the Sprint Cup Series offseason is small-time stuff. It's Earnhardt who wants more of what Johnson has as the three-time defending champion in NASCAR's top series.

Stand by his man

Tony Eury Jr. can handle the criticism when his driver doesn't perform well. But he says the No. 88 team can do better, and he expects nothing less.

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Last year, during his first season as a teammate with Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt got off to his own fast start, only to fade at the finish in 2008. After running second in points much of the season and entering the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship seeded fourth out of the 12 drivers who qualified, one poor finish after another during the Chase's 10 races sent Earnhardt tumbling all the way to 11th in the final standings.

Asked to grade himself and the No. 88 Chevrolet team on the season, Professor Earnhardt did not hold back.

"It was about a 'C.' I was little disappointed in how it ended -- pretty disappointed, actually," he said. "We should have done a lot better in the Chase. I anticipated being a little stronger in the Chase, but we weren't. We weren't as good as any of us had hoped."

Even now, going on three months later, Earnhardt said he is not sure why.

"We didn't finish good in the Chase. We need to do better in that. But I don't really know what to put my finger on exactly what we should do better," said Earnhardt, whose highest finish in a season's final standings is third way back in 2003. "We'll just have to show up at the race track and see what's up, see if we can do better."

It should help that he has a year under his belt at Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt admitted that last year he was just a little uneasy, stepping into a new situation with a new team and a new employer after driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- the company founded by his father -- for the first nine seasons of his Cup career.

"I was nervous, but not tense coming into last year. Tense is sort of a negative term to me," Earnhardt said. "I was apprehensive and excited, just a little unsure and uncertain in some areas, whereas now I have a real good idea of what to expect and how well we may be able to do."

Expectations always are high for Earnhardt, simply because of his last name. New Hendrick teammate Mark Martin said he finds it remarkable that Earnhardt bears the burden of those expectations -- and the scrutiny of fans and media -- as well as he does.

"I look at Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I see, honestly, the strongest set of shoulders in NASCAR," Martin said. "Not many race car drivers could shoulder the weight that he carries as being NASCAR's most popular driver and just being Dale Earnhardt Jr."

Despite winning only one race last season -- a victory that broke a 76-race winless drought -- Earnhardt continues to be the sport's most popular driver with the fans, hands down. He was voted Most Popular Driver by them for the sixth consecutive season in 2008.

He said he doesn't take that popularity lightly or for granted.

"I really appreciate the award. And having received it for a few years in a row, it's meant a lot to me that the fans appreciate us like they do and support us like they do," Earnhardt said. "We've put them through a lot over the last several years, and they've stuck by us.

"It means a lot to me, and it motivates me. The fans are a huge motivational factor. When you go to the race track and you're standing there, getting ready to get in the car, and you've got a lot of 'em on your side, it boosts your work ethic and makes you want to go out there and try your best."

He added that he expects his best this year to be better than what his best turned out to be a year ago. Reminded of the grade he gave himself and the team, Junior was asked what it would take to earn an 'A' this season.

"Half a dozen wins. I sort of put that five- to six-win mark as a really extraordinary, excellent, exciting season. And typically that will put you right in the Chase," Earnhardt replied. "Every year you raise your expectations. I never set specific goals, but you definitely don't want to do the same or worse than the year before.

"We've got to get it done eventually, and this year would be just as good as any. I definitely think we got out there last year and ran good for the most part, especially the first half of the season. But when the chips are on the table, we're not getting it done. When the Chase started, we didn't get it done. We ran second in points the first half of the season. We've got to fix where it went wrong -- whatever and wherever that is.

"I don't think it's one or two tiny things. But I don't think it's a big fix that's required, either. I think it's a couple of tweaks here and there and some patience, and a little more professionalism, and we'll be fine."