Watch CBS News

Earnhardt Feeling No NASCAR Chase Pressure

AdvoCare 500 - Qualifying
HAMPTON, GA - AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard / Race2Achieve.org Chevrolet stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on August 30, 2013 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)

ROANOKE (AP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he isn't feeling a lot of pressure in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Earnhardt has rebounded from an engine failure and 35th-place finish in the first week of the Chase with a pair of top-10 finishes. He says the last two weeks have been "really encouraging" and that he had probably the best two cars he's had all season. He started on the pole and finished second last week at Dover.

During a charity appearance Thursday night at a barbecue joint about five miles from Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt said his team is "swinging for the fences every weekend" with seven races left.

Earnhardt is 10th in the standings, 57 points behind leader Matt Kenseth going into Sunday's race at Kansas.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Latest News:

Top Trending:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.