Dale Earnhardt Jr. showing signs of progress

BROOKLYN, Mich.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was red-faced and huffing and puffing as he exited his car after Sunday's race. He slumped onto the pit wall and draped a wet towel around his neck.

"Never worked so hard to run third," he said a few minutes after collecting his breath on the hot day.

Earnhardt's first top-five finish since late April gave his fans something to cheer, and the way he did it should spark some excitement.

This was the effort Earnhardt needs every week even as he struggles with the car's nuances. Two days after he said NASCAR must change the car to improve racing - president Mike Helton said no major changes are coming - Earnhardt didn't vent and wasn't vexed driving it.

While some will say Earnhardt's high finish is only because Michigan again was a fuel-mileage race, that's ignoring what he and his team did throughout the day.

What seemed like a lost race - Earnhardt fell from his 15th starting spot to 26th before rain stopped the race briefly on lap 8 - turned into a critical step forward.

One of the raps against Earnhardt has been that he can't make the car better as the race progresses. Numerous times, he's been strong in the first half only to slide down the standings as the finish nears.

This time, his car and performance improved.

Before fans celebrate, understand one race isn't going to make a turnaround. Though he jumped four spots in the standings, Earnhardt is 21st and won't make the title Chase. He needs to keep working on how to dissect what the car is doing and relay that information to crew chief Lance McGrew. Only with that accomplished, can Earnhardt be considered a threat to win consistently.

He seems to be getting it, though.

"We just have to study really hard," he said.

"There's a whole lot more to this than just actions. You've got to really know what you're doing and why you're doing it the entire weekend. We're getting better at that."

Earnhardt says he's done a better job of remaining calm in the car. When he worked with crew chief Tony Eury Jr., some of their radio conversations were R-rated rants that drew snickers in the garage. The cousins had such a comfort level that they could yell at each other without taking it personally.

Such a demeanor though, didn't help Earnhardt explain the car's handling.

Kyle Busch admitted he needs to better control his emotions, acknowledging when he gets upset his feedback shuts down and his team can't help him.

Earnhardt has been there.

"I'm my own worst enemy, I guess, in the middle part of a race when I see us not going the right direction," he said. "I know how difficult and how much of a challenge it is to keep track position. I just get so frustrated.

"Since I started working with Lance, I've been trying to work really hard to be the same person at the end of the race that I am at the start of the race mentally. That really helps them stay focused on their job and working on the car instead of having to control me and my problems."

Like when Earnhardt felt a vibration and pitted about 10 laps ahead of the leaders near the midway point Sunday. He didn't panic.

A caution 42 laps from the end also proved pivotal. McGrew feared many cars would pit so he wanted Earnhardt to stay out and gain position.

"If we pitted now, we would make it," Earnhardt radioed to McGrew, noting they had to refuel once more before the finish.

"If we pit now, we'll make it," McGrew responded.

"That sounds like a good idea," Earnhardt said.

He stopped. With no cautions the final 40 laps, Earnhardt climbed from 17th to third.

"You drove your way up to the front," McGrew radioed Earnhardt in an excited tone after the checkered flag.

"You all made some good changes," Earnhardt answered.

It appears maybe Earnhardt is making some good changes, too.