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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. Cheap Nike Free Shoes . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Nike Free Sale Australia .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. http://www.nikefreecheapaustralia.com/ .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Nike Free Australia . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Nike Free Shoes Australia . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. NEW YORK -- Michael Grabner wasnt being greedy. He and linemates Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller were just dominant.Grabner scored three goals, Miller had a goal and two assists, and Hayes added three assists to lead the New York Rangers to a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night.We had a a lot of chances as a line and could, maybe, have had a couple more, Grabner said.Theyre great players, Grabner said of his linemates. They have a lot of skill so I just tried to open up some room for them. Use my speed and it just worked tonight.Rick Nash and Jimmy Vesey also scored to help the Rangers win for the fourth time in five games. Antti Raanta stopped 31 shots.I felt good, Raanta said. I felt like I was seeing the puck (the) whole time and I was in the right position.Nash, Grabner and Vesey scored in a span of 2 minutes, 19 seconds midway through the second period to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. Miller scored late in the second and Grabner added two more in the third to make it 6-0 with his third career hat trick.We kept coming in waves, Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi said. Line after line, `D pair after `D pair, just kept doing the same thing.Steven Stamkos spoiled Raantas shutout bid with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining, and Ben Bishop finished with 31 saves as the Lightning lost their third straight.Were concerned with the way were playing right now, Bishop said. Its not something we cant fix. Its just about watching the tape and getting better from it; fixing it now. You dont want to stay in this rut.After a scoreless first period in which New York outshot Tampa Bay 16-10, the Rangers scored in a flurry in the second.Nash broke through at 4:45 with his fourth of the season. Nash was sprung for a semi-breakaway by Nick Holdens pass up the middle to start the sequence, and the New York winger snapped a shot which beat Bishop glove side.Grabner increased the lead with a one-timer off Brady Skjeis cross-ice feed as Miller screened Bishop at 6:42. On the play, Miller collided with with Bishop, which prompted Lightning coach Jon Cooper to use his coachs challenge in order to see if there was goaltender interference.ddddddddddddHowever, the video review showed Miller was bumped into Bishop by Valtteri Filppula.I thought the puck was pretty much already in the net by the time he pushed me, Miller said. I didnt think the goalie was going to be able to get over there.Just 22 seconds later, Vesey scored his team-leading fifth of the season to push the advantage to 3-0.Miller extended the Rangers lead with a tap-in with 1:50 left in the period.We put a few away in the second, New York coach Alain Vigneault said. Theres no doubt the speed and the pace was a factor.Grabners breakaway goal midway through the third increased the lead to 5-0, and his tap-in off a pass from Hayes with 5:13 left capped his first hat trick since signing with the Rangers in the offseason. It was also his first since Feb. 13, 2011, while with the Islanders.Breakaway after breakaway after 2-on-1, Cooper said. Not even the best goalies in the world are going to bail you out of that.All of New Yorks goals came at even strength. The Rangers were 0 for 5 on the power play, and Tampa Bay went 1 for 4.Game notes Tampa Bay RW Ryan Callahan made his season debut. Callahan, a former Ranger, had missed the Lightnings first eight games as he recuperated from offseason surgery on a torn labral in his right hip. ... Nikita Kucherov also played after missing Tampa Bays last game, a 3-1 loss to New Jersey on Saturday night, with an upper body injury sustained in the first period of the Lightnings 3-1 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal Thursday night. ... Prior to the game, Tampa Bay announced C Cory Conacher had been sent down to AHL Syracuse. Conacher had played in one NHL game this season, Saturdays loss at the Devils. ... The Lightning scratched D Matt Taormina and RW J.T. Brown. . Rangers LW Chris Kreider missed his fourth straight game with neck spasms. . New York scratched D Adam Clendening.UP NEXTLightning: At the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.Rangers: Host St. Louis on Tuesday night. ' ' '