"I was a little disappointed with how we ran but I got to thinking how fortunate I was to be able to move on and there were some guys that were probably taking it on the chin so it set things in perspective pretty quick,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

Almirola, driver of the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford, won in July at Daytona to qualify for the Chase, but saw his first appearance in the 10-race program take a huge hit when his car’s engine expired during the opening Chase race at Chicago.

In 2010, Almirola made eight starts for Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports organization in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series; the following year he ran the full schedule, finishing fourth in points.

"He drove for me a long time ago,” Earnhardt Jr. said, "and I’ve just always had a good relationship with him. We talked about his performance and his team and I think a lot of his crew chief — I have a lot of respect for Trent (Owens).

"I felt like just letting him know that I thought they were getting things going in the right direction and don’t let that disappointment of falling out of the Chase early derail their trajectory. They should be proud and keep digging.”

Unable to reach Allmendinger via text messaging, Earnhardt Jr. said he thought tweeting a message of encouragement "was the next best way.”

Allmendinger qualified for the Chase with JTG Daugherty Racing, a single-car operation, by winning earlier this year at Watkins Glen International. It was the first Chase appearance for the team, as well as Allmendinger, and came a little more than two years after he was suspended for violating NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy.

Released from Team Penske, Allmendinger completed the required Road To Recovery program established by NASCAR, and returned to competition less than two months later. While sharing the No. 47 ride with former series champion Bobby Labonte in 2013, Allmendinger was named the team’s full-time driver for the ’14 season.

"Back when AJ had his trouble and got suspended, he called around to a lot of different drivers I think, just talking to them, trying to rebuild relationships and rebuild trust,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

"Ever since he made that mistake he’s done everything else right to get his career back on track. I think he’s set a great example on how to handle a situation like that the proper way. He’s become a real asset to that team … when he’s the driver of that car he improves their opportunities. There are a lot of great drivers in this sport but only a handful that you can put in a car and they … instantly improve the team.”

Earnhardt Jr. said he noticed Allmendinger and the team’s struggles this season as they tried to raise their level of competitiveness and qualify for one of the 16 Chase spots.

"He seemed to be on an emotional roller coaster all year with his success and trying to get this team going in the right direction,” he said. "Somebody said to me after the (Dover) race that they saw him on pit road and he looked pretty dejected so I just felt compelled to remind him of where he came from, what he’s went through and how he should realize the gains he has made personally and as a professional race car driver.”

With his team struggling to find the speed and consistency that helped carry him to three wins this season, what possessed Earnhardt Jr. to take the time to reach out to the two?

"I just thought it would maybe make them not feel so disappointed about being kicked out (of the Chase) to read something like that,” he said.

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