Junior's fate lies in Bristol

Here's the deal. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 163 points behind Kurt Busch for 12th place in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings. If he is 161 points out of 12th and behind Busch after the California Speedway race, Earnhardt Jr. will not qualify for the Chase.
His fate can be determined with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He needs to finish ahead of Busch, well ahead of him, to have any chance of passing him in the Cup standings before the Chase starts.
But Earnhardt Jr. said he has no intention of playing it safe at Bristol.
"I have to keep myself excited. Running conservatively sounds boring," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "It is Bristol. It is a new track. I will be looking all over this thing trying to find a groove, be searching all over the place trying to find where the car is fast. There is a lot of room. It is a lot wider. So I am excited, I am looking forward to the race and having some fun. Running real real hard and seeing what happens."