Earnhardt Jr. admits he’s not a great driver

At Sonoma on Friday, a road course, Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted what the rest of the world outside of his fan club already knows – he's a very mediocre race car driver at best, riding largely on his late father's coattails.

“It’s impossible to pass. Where do you pass? There’s a couple braking zones, but that’s about it. You just wait on people to screw up."

In eight career starts at Sonoma, Earnhardt Jr. has never finished in the top 10. He’s finished in the top 15 only three times, and has led a lap in only one event.

“We’re struggling a little bit," he said. “We always do. I’m not very good at road racing, so we just try to do the best we can. … I’m just trying to get through the weekend."

Earnhardt Jr. said he's glad to be sitting third in points with a huge buffer back to the cutoff for the Chase. After all, he believes he won't make it through the Sonoma race without a mistake.

"I'm gonna screw up," he said. "Trust me, I'll screw it up. It's good to know you've got a cushion."