Dale Earnhardt Jr. ~ Just Call Him Resilient
By Becca Gladden
To say that Dale Earnhardt, Jr., had a tough day in Texas on Sunday would be an understatement.
From a 10th-place starting spot, Earnhardt battled strep throat, joint aches, nausea and heartburn - along with hard contact with the outside wall on lap 166, which exposed him to carbon monoxide in the cockpit and its accompanying side effects.
He finished sixth in spite of these challenges, climbing one spot to third in the championship point standings with two races to go.
During a post-race press conference, Junior was asked about his team's ability to fight back from such adversity. He replied, "We've been called a lot of things, and it would be great to be called resilient."
Dale, you already have been -- by me.
Over two years ago, I penned a column explaining why I felt that resiliency was Earnhardt Jr.'s single best quality as a race car driver.
Here is that column again:
