For Earnhardt, baby steps back to competitiveness

It seemed like a club meeting, with one member missing. Hendrick Motorsports didn't win last weekend's race at Phoenix International Raceway, but the finishing order easily reflected the organization's unparalleled depth -- Jeff Gordon in second, Jimmie Johnson in third, Mark Martin in fourth. It wasn't quite a full house, though, not with Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming home in 12th.

It was a not-atypical roller coaster of an event for NASCAR's most popular driver, who endured a broken splitter brace and an ill-handling race car, but benefitted from the track position earned by crew chief Lance McGrew's late two-tire call to salvage another top-15 result. And yet, given where he finished relative to his teammates, Phoenix is just the kind of race that leaves the No. 88 faithful shifting restlessly in their seats. The denizens of Junior Nation are very, very tired of seeing their man perform as something as an undercard to Hendrick's three primary title contenders, to the point where you sometimes hear grumbles about favoritism -- the same thing you used to hear about Terry Labonte and Casey Mears, that old canard about how one driver in the Hendrick stable must be getting the worst equipment.

Let's step back into the realm of the sane for a moment and realize that in no way would Rick Hendrick submarine his most valuable sponsorship asset, and remember that he restructured the team of Martin -- you know, the guy who finished as championship runner-up last season -- in an attempt to build more strength around Earnhardt. So if you're a fan of Dale Jr., let's dispatch with the half-baked conspiracy theories. Let's deal in reality. And let's do one more thing.

Chill out. (Continued)