r three TDs. The pairing may have arrived as the best 1-2

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Its a measure of how far Dale Earnhardt Jr. has come that people are talking like hes in a slump.?Sure, NASCARs most compelling star hasnt won a race since November at Phoenix International Raceway. But sitting 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, second among winless drivers so far in 2016, doesnt exactly hark back to 2008-12, when Earnhardt truly was embroiled in a slump.?He has come close to winning a number of times this year, logging four second-place finishes, the most recent in early June at Pocono Raceway. But a poor month of May and an inordinate number of crashes -- most notably at the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, places normally considered an Earnhardt specialty -- have resulted in four finishes of 32nd or worse and the perception that not all is well in the No. 88 camp.?Dale Jr. admits that this years results arent up to the standards he and crew chief Greg Ives expect out of their group at Hendrick Motorsports, especially on the heels of two consecutive three-win seasons. Theyve sometimes struggled in qualifying, making it harder for the driver and pit crew to get themselves into a competitive position on race day.?We are a little frustrated with how we ran through the month of May, Earnhardt said Thursday at Daytona while waiting out the summer rain.?We have seen more speed out of our cars but had some bad finishes, wrecks and so forth. Tore up a lot of cars this year, and its uncharacteristic, I think, for us to be in so many accidents. In the past several years, we have sat around the top five in points throughout the season and things just came easier for us. They are not coming so easy today.? ? ?So where we are in points is very frustrating, he continued.?It creates a lot of anxiety between me and Greg.?I think we are way better than where we are, and we both are not happy with where we are in the points. We are wondering and worrying about trying to make the Chase, and it shouldnt be something that this team is concerned with.?Earnhardts No. 88 Chevrolet has qualified for the Chase every year since 2011, but it wasnt until 2014 that he put together the kind of consistent season that made people think of him as a potential Cup champion.?Last year, he made a smooth transition between crew chiefs as Steve Letarte departed to pursue a television career with NBC, opening the door for Ives. The 2015 campaign was highlighted by restrictor-plate wins at Talladega in the spring and the summer Daytona race. Hendrick brought that car, named Amelia, back for the plate races this year, but Earnhardt crashed out of both.?In retrospect, he thinks the 88 teams dependence on a proven steed ended up costing it because other teams developed their cars better over the past 18 months.? ?Amelia has taken a place of honor in the race car graveyard on the property outside Earnhardts North Carolina home.?No, were not going to be naming cars anymore, he said with a laugh. I knew as soon as we did that, it sort of took off and put a lot of pressure on that car and the team. These cars just dont stick around long enough to get names. You used to race cars for years and years and they would show a personality. These days, you only keep a car for maybe a year before its unrecognizable or its cut out of the herd.?We had so much success with that car last year that we ran it this year, and we probably shouldnt have, he added. There are newer ideas and theories and better ways to do things that car didnt have. We have a new car, and well see how this car does. Weve got some good direction on trying to improve and built this car with some newer ideas. Hopefully its going to go out there and be quick.?Letarte, who was involved in the build and development of Amelia in 2014, said he was surprised Ives and the No. 88 team raced the car at Talladega after the crash at Daytona.?I was pretty shocked, just because the sport moves along so quickly that normally you can always build something better or newer, Letarte said. Its no different than Joe Gibbs Racing or Stewart-Haas Racing, where you see new cars week in and week out.?I would expect the guys and the group with the 88 and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports to feel very confident in the car they bring, he added.?No doubt the fact that they are in Daytona can only help. Earnhardt seems to have inherited plenty of restrictor-plate savvy from his late father, recording a total of 10 Cup Series wins at Daytona and Talladega.?He has earned a total of 17 victories at Daytona across all NASCAR platforms. And even if he cant win this weekend in the Coke Zero 400, Dale Jr. realizes that he needs to get a win sometime between now and September, or at least put together a series of consistent results, to guarantee another Chase appearance.?At 12th in the standings, he is second to Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott among winless drivers. But he is only 25 points ahead of the 16th-place driver idling on the Chase cutoff line -- another Hendrick teammate, Kasey Kahne.?I definitely come in here to Daytona thinking this is a great opportunity to win a race, Earnhardt said.? Hopefully, we can put a string of races together that will give us a good cushion between us and the next guys fighting for those last few spots [in the Chase].?Obviously, we need to get a win to put all that to bed, but nothing is guaranteed, he noted.?If we dont get a win going into the Chase, we are going to have to do well in these next 10 races and just be real consistent. Hopefully, we just get to Richmond and we dont have a lot of pressure about trying to make the Chase. Tommy McDonald Youth Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Wilbert Montgomery Youth Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Seth-Joyner-Jersey/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Herman Edwards Youth Jersey . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Custom Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . JOHNS, N. Fantasy football players must now deal with an added challenge: the bye weeks. That means replacing top players in your lineups, starting with those from Seattle and Green Bay, where the Packers looked better on offense last week.There are always quality options if you worked waivers cleverly and were fortunate enough to avoid many significant injuries.---BIG BIRDSIf you are looking to replace some Packers such as Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, Baltimore is a good place to start. The Ravens host the Raiders, who are allowing an NFL-worst 340 passing yards per game. Joe Flacco should have a minimum of two TD passes and a resurgent Mike Wallace already has three TD receptions. The Redskins are another passing game to target for production, as they face Cleveland, which has allowed 294.3 passing yards per game and seven TD receptions. Kirk Cousins may be available as a free agent or trade bargain. Wideout Jamison Crowder caught six balls in each of his first two games and has scored in consecutive weeks.---RUNNING WITH ROOKIESEddie Lacy is on a bye and many managers have been dealing with running back injuries and bad performances. But there is a pair of alternatives to consider in this weeks Lions-Bears matchup. Rookie Jordan Howard takes over as the starter for the Bears because of Jeremy Langfords ankle injury, but Langford was in danger of losing his grip on the starting job even before he was hurt. Howard had a 36-yard run last week and caught four passes for 47 yards, displaying his potential. Consider him a pretty good plug-in at your flex spot. Another first-year performer, Dwayne Washington, may be needed to play a larger role after Theo Riddick rushed for nine yards on 10 carries in Week 3. The Bears have allowed 142.7 rushing yards per game, so Washington could offer a nice return if you start him as your second running back or flex player.---KEEPING THE FAITHThree notable wide receivers, Julio Jones, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin, all hurt their fantasy owners badly last week. Jones caught one pass, Cooks caught two balls for 13 yards, and Benjamin was shut out. When top WRs get shut down or are quiet in a given week, their teams often make a strong effort to get them the ball in the next game. Jones is a bit banged up, but scored in each of the first two weeks. Cooks faces the Chargers, who have surrendered 322 passing yards per game, and Benjamin draws the Falcons, who have allowed an NFL-high 10 TD passes.---PROVE IT AGAIN, PRYORTerrelle Pryor played the Slash role so well last week, Kordell Stewart might be envious. He caught eight passes for 144 yards, rushed for 21 yards and a TD, and even threw for 35 yards. Before we get too excited, though, lets remember that Pryor has bounced in and ouut of the league since 2011 and only fully remade himself into a WR this season.dddddddddddd Now that opponents have seen what he is suddenly capable of, he is going to get increased defensive attention. You should remain skeptical, and dont start Pryor over a more proven player yet. If he draws some Josh Norman in coverage this week, hell have to show he can truly earn his receiving numbers.---ARIZONA IMPLOSIONCarson Palmer threw four interceptions in what seemed like a very friendly matchup at Buffalo last week. This week he draws the Rams, who have one interception. Los Angeles has only allowed four TD passes, but Palmer does have a good amount of weapons and should be able to bounce back at home. Even though this is a divisional game, and those can be tough battles, Palmer should be good for at least a respectable fantasy performance.---TRADE TODD?After a pair of mediocre outings to open the season, Todd Gurley rushed for 85 yards and two TDs at Tampa Bay last week. Now he faces the Cardinals, who were torn up by LeSean McCoy for 110 yards and two TDs last week. Arizona is going to key heavily on Gurley and he may also get out of the game flow if the matchup becomes one-sided. There will be more disappointing performances ahead for Gurley, so trade him coming off the good game if you can before Sunday.---HIGH FLYING FALCONSFans saw the Atlanta RBs soar on Monday at New Orleans, as Devonta Freeman totaled over 200 yards from scrimmage and Tevin Coleman rushed for three TDs. The pairing may have arrived as the best 1-2 combo at RB in the league, but this weeks opponent, Carolina, has allowed only 90.3 rushing yards per game and three TDs. Temper expectations on both players this week and realize that it could be a different guy every week outpointing the other statistically. Last week was fun, but could prove to be quite the anomaly. With the state of RB in fantasy right now, though, reliability is not easy to come by and you can continue to start both guys for their considerable upside.---SCORCH THE SAINTSThe corollary to the Falcons success is fantasy players should be checking to face the Saints every week, as their defense once again looks beyond terrible (448.3 yards per game allowed), and was depleted as well last week. This week its San Diego, so while the run defense is the worst in the league and that bodes well for Melvin Gordon, you should start WRs Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams with confidence, and even consider TE Hunter Henry if you need help at the position.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com . ' ' '