Expectations growing for Junior, Stewart

His stomach in knots, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't want to do the one thing he grew up longing to do.

He didn't want to race.

"But it was too late," he said, recalling his first attempt to qualify for a Cup race in 1999. "I already told them I'd drive it."

He qualified eighth for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

That, Earnhardt says, was more pressure than he feels now, even as expectations about his first season at Hendrick Motorsports grow ever more optimistic.

A six-win season. A Daytona 500 victory. A Sprint Cup title. Even though the start of the season is a month away, fans and other experts are buoyed by Earnhardt's performance during Daytona testing. He has turned some of the fastest laps this week.

Earnhardt isn't surprised by the attention. He knows many will scrutinize him. If he runs well, many will cite the Hendrick operation. Should Earnhardt fail to win or even contend, some will use that as an indictment on his talent despite his 17 Cup victories - more than former champion Matt Kenseth and equal to former champion Kurt Busch.

"When we made this decision I knew what to expect and what it would be like coming back to Daytona... facing the fans, the press and the NASCAR community," said Earnhardt, whose lap of 185.820 mph was the fastest in Tuesday morning's test session.

"So I guess that sort of prepares you mentally to be able to deal with it one way or another because you've got to focus on driving and trying to do right by your team. And, if they see that people's expectations are affecting your ability to make decisions on the racetrack, then you're not a good race car driver."

Earnhardt isn't the only driver facing increasing expectations.

Take Toyota drivers, for instance.

Toyotas have been quick during testing, although that doesn't guarantee a team it will be fast next month.

Some Toyota teams need to be fast because they are not guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500 since they ranked outside the top 35 in car owner points last season.

Tony Stewart doesn't have that problem, but he faces the uncertainty of a new car. Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet to Toyota in the offseason. Stewart said he isn't worried.

"In the big picture, it seems like a huge change because we switched manufacturers," Stewart said. "But if we went ahead and made this change a year ago, it would have been a lot more dramatic than it is this year with the car that's the same for everybody. It's just literally a decal package and a motor package for the most part."

One thing that hasn't changed, though, is Stewart's contract status. Joe Gibbs Racing officials had hoped to extend Stewart's contract beyond 2009 before the move to Toyota became official. Stewart has said since last year that he's not interested in such talks yet. He wants to focus on racing.

How well the Toyota performs will play a role in what Stewart decides.

"It's obviously a lot easier to sit back and wait and see what happens and see what direction things go," Stewart said. "But if seeing what we've done so far is any indication, I think they've done a great job already."

Pit stops Bill Elliott will start the season with the Wood Brothers again before giving way to Marcos Ambrose and Jon Wood. The team needs Elliott early because it is outside of the top 35 in car owner points but could still make races through a champion's provisional that Elliott is eligible to earn....

Ryan Newman was the fastest in the draft during Tuesday afternoon's test session with a lap of 188.013 mph.... Repaving has begun at Darlington Raceway....

Former team owner Gene Haas reported to federal prison this week to begin serving his 24-month sentence for conspiring to cheat the government out of millions of dollars in taxes his company owed....

Defending Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick said he caught his wife watching the finish of last year's race on YouTube.com in her office recently. "It still gives you chills every time you watch it," he said.