In 2009 it seems Dale Earnhardt Jr. has received more scrutiny than any time in his career. Driving more aggressively than he has in years, the sport's most popular driver helped cause a multi-car crash that took out a number of contenders and triggered a flood of backlash for one of the first times in his career. Heading to Fontana, Earnhardt Jr. looked to put his frustrations behind him.

Trying to clear the air after a week of criticism from media and fans alike, Earnhardt Jr. admitted he should have used better judgment and understood the backlash from the fans.

"It was interesting to be on this side of the fence," Earnhardt Jr. explained. "I'm not on this side too much. So it wasn't too bad. It will all turn around just as quick as it blew up."

Looking to rebound after one of the most interesting weeks of his career, Earnhardt Jr. struggled once again in Fontana. After qualifying 35th, Earnhardt Jr. reported to crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. that the car popped out of gear in final practice. Not the first time this happened, it was the first time he informed the crew. The team went to work replacing the transmission forcing the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to the rear of the field.

Earnhardt Jr. was able to charge through the field, but once again found frustration. With less than 100 laps remaining, Junior began reporting the engine was down a cylinder. Earnhardt Jr. brought the car to the attention of his crew, who lifted the hood to change plug wires. The work didn't help the problem and Junior pulled his car behind the wall on Lap 205.

"Something broke in the motor and they are looking at it right now," Earnhardt Jr. explained. "We were just sittin' there run good, just had a caution and got caught back up. We were sittin' there looking at maybe drivin' in to the top-10 for the first time tonight and it broke a valve spring probably."

Despite his poor finish, Earnhardt Jr. hoped to make it clear the car was competitive and he was making a charge to the front.

"I drove from last to 14th! Nobodies' car is perfect," Junior added. "I am always going to work on it. I was running good and I was going toward the front. I drove hard to stay on the lead lap. During that caution we were goin' 'All right, we got everybody here in front of us. Maybe we can get in the top-10 and get us a good finish.' I felt like we had a good enough car, we been runnin' good all night."

Regardless of how the car ran the past two weeks, Earnhardt Jr. has not gotten the finishes to show for it. He has failed to finish in the top-25 so far in 2009 and is stuck in 35th-place in the standings. Regardless of his early struggles, Earnhardt Jr. does not seem to believe he's out of contention just yet.

While he has caught a lot of flack in the first two races of the season, Earnhardt Jr. has been extremely competitive and shown a side of himself that has rarely been seen. The driver some have seen as distracted and unfocused has been more aggressive and competitive than perhaps any other time in his career. Some have seen this reckless and others might have already written him off, but it would come as no surprise if the driver of the No. 88 rebounds and is stronger than ever.