Winless season looms for Junior

0 Comments | USA TODAY, November, 2007 | by Nate Ryan

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Unless he can solve one of his weakest tracks, the 2007 season likely will be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s first in Nextel Cup without a victory.

Earnhardt crashed off Turn2 on lap119 of Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, finishing a career-worst 43rd at a track where he had two wins.

"I just lost it," said Earnhardt, who has won at least one race in every year since 2000. "We were gaining on our car a little bit. I got up there a little high, and it just came around."

In his Dale Earnhardt Inc. finale before leaving for Hendrick Motorsports, the 33-year-old will try to end a 61-race winless streak in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has no top-10s and an average finish of 19.1 in seven...