Expectations high for Dale Jr. this weekend

Every man, woman, child and otherwise expert will pick Dale Earnhardt Jr to snap a 100-race winless streak this weekend at Talladega, and I can’t blame them. Heck, I’ll have Jr. on my fantasy racing team this weekend, because it’s smart to pick him at restrictor plate tracks.

That being said, this may be the biggest pressure cooker Earnhardt Jr. has been under since he started at Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 (OK, maybe minus the Nationwide race in Daytona last year where he was running the No. 3 car). He’s practically supposed to win this weekend. If he doesn’t, then everyone, and I mean (mostly) everyone will be disappointed.

Earnhardt Jr. has one win in 115 races at Hendrick Motorsports. His win in June of 2008 at Michigan snapped a 76-race winless streak. So, if my math is correct, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won one race in his last 191 attempts. (I’m not a math expert, so someone double check me there)

Now, that’s nothing, as Stephen Hawkins of the AP pointed out after last week’s race.

He noted that a few drivers have longer “non-winning” streaks than Earnhardt, including 2000 Winston Cup champ Bobby Labonte.

“Bobby Labonte has started 259 races since his last victory in 2003, while Robby Gordon has made 255 starts since also winning that year,” he wrote. “Dave Blaney has never won in 369 races since his 1992 Cup debut.”

My opinion: put them in Hendrick equipment over 115 races and see how many they win. Chances are they’ll put a ‘W’ or two on the board.

Labonte’s last victory in 2003 came in the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, and he drove that car for two more seasons before heading to what was then called Petty Enterprises in 2006. So only he really had a car comparable to what Earnhardt has sat in since the 2008 season.

Will the “Jr. Nation” be celebrating a victory for the first time since 2008 on Sunday night? Chances look good, but then again, we are talking about Talladega, the same place that two season ago put Brad Keselowski in victory lane in a part-time ride.

Anything can happen in Alabama. While it’s a safe bet to go with Jr. this weekend, I wouldn’t bet the mortgage on him. After all, he’s only one for his last 115.