It's been 10 years since Dale Jr. won Talladega, and he needs one now (VIDEO) - MotorSportsTalk

Ten years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the October race at Talladega. No real surprise at the time, mind you, because he’d won four straight Talladegas from 2001 to 2003, then finished second in the next two before returning to victory lane for the fifth time in October 2004.

The place Dale Jr. once owned now is his last stand to make the Chase in 2014.

Talladega, surprisingly, has been a challenging track for Dale Jr. since his last win those 10 years ago. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, he has only three top-five finishes (second in spring 2009, fourth in spring 2011 and second this race last year), while posting four finishes of 25th or worse in the same time frame.

He needs a win to advance, unless the drivers in front of him in points have issues to set them back.

Still, whether he advances or not won’t change what’s been a refreshing season overall for Jr. and the 88 team.

My colleague Jerry Bonkowski touched on this in the immediate aftermath of the Charlotte race last Saturday night, but what had been the “dream season” for Dale Jr. and the 88 crew is one race away from ending up no different than any other of Jr.’s seasons, dating to his rookie year in 2000: without a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. So he’s used to that.

In a longer form piece for NBC’s SportsWorld by Joe Posnanski, he writes of a happier, more at piece Junior, now 40, and content with his circumstances. Older, wiser, yet driving better than he has in years, Junior isn’t at a make-or-break situation if he fails to win Sunday and thus, likely, fails to advance through to the Eliminator round of the new Chase format.

A win would be clutch, but it isn’t necessarily the be-all, end-all for his 2014 season. But a win would tie a nice bow on the ten-year mark since his last Talladega win in a season that’s featured so many dream moments.

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With three multiple winners now vying for the championship, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

Chase Sexton earned his second victory of the season in Detroit when Aaron Plessinger fell on the final lap. Though he was penalized seven points for disobeying a flag, Sexton is third in the championship race. The Honda rider trails leader Cooper Webb (two victories) by 17 points, and defending series champion Eli Tomac (five wins) is three points behind Webb in second with seven races remaining.

Tomac won last year in Seattle on the way to his second season title.

Honda riders have a Supercross-leading 20 victories in the Seattle event but none at Lumen Field since Justin Barcia in 2013. Tomac and Barcia are the only past 450 Seattke winners entered in Saturday’s event.

Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 11 of the 2023 Supercross season in Seattle:

(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 11 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock with a re-air Monday at 1 a.m. ET on CNBC. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race. Click here for the full schedule.

POINTS STANDINGS: 450 division l 250 division

ENTRY LISTS: 450 division l 250 division

EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Here are the start times for Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:

4:50 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:35 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
6:25 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:40 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:55 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
8:10 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
10:06 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:20 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:54 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:28 a.m.: 450SX Main Event