By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career has caught a second-wind after horrid seasons in 2009 and 2010 where he finished outside the top-20 in the point standings. Last season Earnhardt began building a foundation with his new crew chief Steve Letarte. The two gelled nearly to perfection, and Earnhardt returned to the Chase for the first time since 2008.

This season Earnhardt is on fire. Through the first seven races he has racked up five top-ten finishes, and he has yet to finish outside of the top-15 in any event. Coincidentally now that Earnhardt has things turned around, the rest of Hendrick Motorsports seems to be struggling to find their way as the organization sits at 199 wins in the Sprint Cup Series.

Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne can’t seem to buy good luck, while Jimmie Johnson was mired in a cheating scandal during the early stages of the season.

Friday Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a candid weekly press conference, where he hit all topics including genealogy, whether he is better than teammate Jimmie Johnson, and he was even asked if there is a pecking order at Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think you do have a feel for, there is a bit of a pecking order and it really comes down to what you’ve done lately.  I think that Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) will always carry a certain role in that company that I will probably never achieve just due to them being there that long and having that trust built up with Rick and all the employees there and their accomplishments obviously.”

But don’t take that response the wrong way. If you’re down on your luck at Hendrick Motorsports, they don’t just give you inferior – or test – equipment.

Earnhardt would elaborate on the pecking order at HMS, ”I’ve never felt that was a disadvantage to me.  I felt like I have everything they have and I have the same resources and the same ability to make everything I can out of the team that they have.  I’ve had the same opportunity and I’ve never really felt like Jimmie’s car was better than mine or his team was better than mine or somebody was getting something I wasn’t getting.  I’ve never really had that feeling because everything there is just so good.”

Regardless of the pecking order at his race team, it is refreshing to see the sport’s most recognizable name near the front of the pack again. Earnhardt heads into Kansas tied for second in the Sprint Cup Series point standings with Matt Kenseth — just 19 points behind Greg Biffle.

When Dale Earnhardt, Jr. broke onto the NASCAR scene with back-to-back Nationwide Series championships in 1998 and 1999 it appeared the sky was the limit for the son of the seven-time Sprint Cup Series champion. He continued to open eyes in the Sprint Cup Series as he was a multiple-time winner in his rookie season. Every year that passed he seemingly got closer and closer to capturing a championship, and in 2004 he captured six victories. Had it not been for a slip of the tongue in Talladega’s victory lane, and a crash in Atlanta Earnhardt may very well have been the first-ever champion in the Chase format. However it wasn’t meant to be, and Earnhardt’s career spiraled out of control over the next half-decade.

During that time, Earnhardt’s now teammate Jimmie Johnson set the NASCAR world on fire. From 2006 to 2010 Johnson was the only driver to hoist the Sprint Cup, and Johnson has already amassed 55 victories in his 11-year Sprint Cup Series career — meanwhile Earnhardt has been stuck at the 18 victory milestone for nearly the past four years. Obviously it’s a no brainer that Jimmie Johnson is the better driver right? Not according to Earnhardt, who was asked bluntly if Johnson was a better driver than him at his weekly media availability.

“No, he’s a hell of a race car driver, but I feel like I’m the best.  I think that’s the way you have to feel.  I feel that I’m smarter than everybody and I can drive better than everybody and I know a lot of people ain’t going to agree with that, but I feel pretty strong about it,” Earnhardt stated emphatically and confidently.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is focused, he is beaming with confidence. All that is left is for him to return to a place that used to be a familiar site — victory lane.

– Toby Christie is the lead Motorsports writer for Sicknissified.com, and he can be reached via twitter or email. Tweet him @Tobalical or email him at tobalical@sicknissified.com.