ESPN Sprint Cup

ESPN.com preseason rank: No. 6

2009 Outlook

It's clear what Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to do to improve in his sophomore season at Hendrick Motorsports: Don't fall apart at the end.

Earnhardt was starting a new job last season for the first time in his Cup career. It started as well as he could have hoped, but it sure didn't end that way.

So how does he feel about his first year driving the No. 88 Chevy at Hendrick Motorsports?

"I was real happy how we started the season," Earnhardt said. "The first half of the year was great. We ran great right out of the box. We were actually one of the better teams for the first three months. Then the last half of the season was a steady stream of disappointments, especially in the Chase."

Earnhardt ranked second in the Cup standings after the Pocono event in August, the 21st of 36 races. He won at Michigan in June, and despite falling short of Victory Lane in a few other races he could have won, Earnhardt was a serious contender for the championship.

But those hopes faded away in the Chase when Earnhardt finished 20th or worse in five of the 10 playoffs events.

He ended the season with a 41st-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway when a wheel bearing failed. That dropped him to 12th, dead last among the Chase participants.

"I was very disappointed with how we ran at the end, but the whole team was," Earnhardt said. "I wasn't disappointed in any one individual or any one thing. We just didn't get it done. We worked really hard. I can't explain it."

It was a frustrating finish to a promising first year in the new chapter of his career, and it wasn't what the legion of Earnhardt fans hoped to see.

But teammate Jeff Gordon believes people shouldn't judge the first year too harshly for the No. 88 team.

"I felt like they did a fantastic job," Gordon said. "I know that they weren't as satisfied toward the end of the season, but I look for great things to come from them this year after getting that first season off their shoulders."

Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt's cousin and crew chief, took a lot of criticism for the team's struggles down the stretch. Gordon also believes Eury's critics are unfair.

"Tony Jr. impressed the heck out of all of us last year coming in here," Gordon said. "He's was great at organizing the team. He didn't come in trying to reinvent things. Tony and Junior wanted to blend in and be a part of Hendrick and take advantage of the resources we have, but also keep their individuality."

The first year for Earnhardt's new job left something to be desired when it ended, but the transition is over. Now it's time to make the most of what he learned.

"I feel more prepared now," Earnhardt said. "I've got a better sense of what to expect."

2008 Review

Earnhardt started the season with a bang by winning the Bud Shootout in his first race for Hendrick. He broke his losing streak with a victory at Michigan in June and started the Chase fourth in the standings, but faded miserably down the stretch and finished 12th in the playoff.

Has a shot at the title if: Earnhardt finds a way to win more races and doesn't fade in the final 10 events. Eury also must make the right adjustments during a race.

Won't win the title because: The No. 88 team makes too many mistakes in the middle of a race when Earnhardt has a chance to win.

-- Terry Blount