DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't know when he'll end his winless streak, or how long it will take to turn around his horrendous season.
The only thing NASCAR's most popular driver -- winless in 38 races -- is certain of is that he's not strong enough to withstand another year like this one.
Earnhardt heads into tonight's race at Daytona International Speedway ranked 19th in the standings and still adjusting to a crew chief change six weeks ago that brought an emotional end to his long working relationship with cousin Tony Eury Jr. As his struggles snowballed through April and May, it affected everyone in the tight-knit Earnhardt and Eury families.
"I can't have another year like this. I can't mentally. I can't physically. I don't want to put the people around me through this," Earnhardt said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press.
"When we were really, really struggling, everybody in the family was upset. Crying and carrying on. All the women were crying, the men we're cussing. I'm serious. This is our family, Eurys and Earnhardts, racing is our life and it wears on all of them. We can't put anybody through this (stuff) again. We've got to get this right."
Stoic through the aftermath of his father's fatal accident in the 2001 Daytona 500, and steady as his popularity pushed him into rock star status, Earnhardt rarely gives a glimpse of any inner turmoil.
But Earnhardt admits his confidence was shaken during the rocky first four months of the season. As Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin raced their way into Victory Lane and contention for the Chase for the Championship, Earnhardt couldn't keep pace.
Earnhardt had this current three-race stretch leading into NASCAR's off week circled as his time to click with interim crew chief Lance McGrew and turn things around. He was 13th last week at New Hampshire, is always a threat to win at Daytona, and a recent tire test at Chicago has him encouraged about next weekend's race.
And he's vowed not to let up until he's back on the right track, racing for wins and his first Sprint Cup title.
"Making the Chase is going to be (really) hard. I know it," Earnhardt said. "But we've still got a shot until they say we don't."
RAIN WASHES OUT QUALIFYING AT COKE ZERO 400
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- Tony Stewart will start from a familiar spot tonight at Daytona International Speedway.
The Sprint Cup points leader was awarded the pole for the Coke Zero 400 when rain washed out qualifying Friday.
It was Stewart's third pole -- all in rainouts -- in the past five races. He also started up front at Pocono in June and New Hampshire last week. His first points-race win as a driver/car owner came at Pocono, and he finished fifth at New Hampshire.
Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin rounded out the first three rows. Max Papis and Mike Wallace were sent home, unable to attempt to get into the 43-car field.
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