Races remaining ranked in order of Dale Jr.’s hopes for a win

The six races left in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series' regular season are best seen as six opportunities through Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s eyes. The driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet plans to step away from full-time competition at season's end, with the ultimate goal of becoming a playoff contender one last time.

Based on past performance, here's a list of those half-dozen races with a gauge of Earnhardt's chances at breaking into the win column.

6. Watkins Glen

Race: I Love New York 355 at The Glen (NBCSN, MRN)
Career average finish: 21.7 (16 starts)
Best finish: 3rd (pictured, 2003)
Most recent finish: 11th.
Analysis: Earnhardt has shown improvement at road courses, but the rest of the Monster Energy Series roster has, too. Though Earnhardt has been on the fringes of the top 10 his last two times at the New York layout, he hasn't sniffed the top five there since 2004 and hasn't led at the Glen since 2008.

5. Richmond

Race: Federated Auto Parts 400 (NBCSN, MRN)
Career average finish: 13.7 (35 starts)
Best finish: 1st (2000, 2004, pictured 2006)
Most recent finish: 30th
Analysis: It's tough to rank the .75-mile track -- site of three Earnhardt Jr. wins -- in fifth (more realistically, it's probably 3-a), but top-five finishes have been hard to come by in recent years -- just two in his last 16 Richmond efforts. On the positive side, if Earnhardt hasn't broken through by the time the schedule hits the regular-season finale, a combination of desperation and extra effort may boost his hopes of sealing a playoff berth.

4. Darlington

Race: Bojangles' Southern 500 (NBCSN, MRN)
Career average finish: 14.0 (21 starts)
Best finish: 2nd (2014, pictured)
Most recent finish: 8th
Analysis: Earnhardt has top-10 finishes in his last three Darlington efforts, an upward blip in his body of work at the South Carolina track. Expect the 'bucket-list' motivation on throwback weekend to be high for Earnhardt, who would savor adding his name to the historic ledger of winners at the track 'Too Tough to Tame.'

3. Bristol

Race: Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race (NBC, PRN)Career average finish: 13.3 (34 starts)
Best finish: 1st (2004, pictured)
Most recent finish: 38th
Analysis: Earnhardt's average finish at Bristol is his best among the remaining regular-season tracks, and it's third-best among the 23 tracks that host Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events. It's been quite a drought for Victory Lane visits in Thunder Valley, but if he unloads with a fast setup, Earnhardt's short-track savvy could do the rest.

2. Pocono

Race: Overton's 400, July 30 (NBCSN, MRN).
Career average finish: 15.1 (34 starts)
Best finish: 1st (twice, June and Aug. 2014, pictured)
Most recent finish: 38th.
Analysis: His self-induced engine failure from June notwithstanding, Earnhardt's results have been among his most consistent at the Tricky Triangle in recent seasons. He has six top-five results in his last eight Pocono starts, and that stretch includes his masterful 2014 season sweep.

1. Michigan

Race: Pure Michigan 400 (NBCSN, MRN)
Career average finish: 15.6 (35 starts)
Best finish: 1st (2008, 2012)
Most recent finish: 9th.
Analysis: Though his average finish at Michigan isn't the best among the lot, the 2-mile track has been the site of two much-needed slump-breakers during his time with Hendrick Motorsports. He broke a 143-race dry spell there in 2012 (pictured); four years earlier, he filled a 76-race void at Michigan. Earnhardt may be due for another rollicking ride in the Irish Hills.