Dale Jr vows to fight on

Kenseth can clinch the title by finishing 30th or better in the final two races, but can guarantee the crown by finishing seventh on Sunday. However, Earnhardt Jr took victory in last weekend's race at Phoenix and feels that he has some valuable momentum.

"It's great heading toward Rockingham with the confidence we gained at Phoenix," said Earnhardt Jr. "We've had a great season, and we've improved on every kind of track. We got a top-three on a road course, we won on a flat track, and now it looks like we have one hurdle left: Rockingham. It's the last track where we've just never figured it all out.


"But, we were able to get some testing in last week, and I think we'll be improved. Until there aren't any laps left, we're going to battle every lap to gain as many points as we can."

However, Kenseth has a strong record at Rockingham, having finished in the top ten and scored one win on his last four races at the circuit.

"I really like the track," he said. "I think it's going to take a really competitive effort by this team to lock things up, but it makes it easier to imagine after our strong run last week. I feel pretty good about everything heading into this weekend."