TALLADEGA, Ala. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. has struggled in the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs and needs a good run at Talladega Superspeedway to avoid elimination in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Luckily for Earnhardt, he’s pretty good at Talladega.

And he’s headed into Sunday’s race with a proven car.

The No. 88 Chevrolet that Earnhardt will race Sunday won a qualifying race at Daytona in February, won here in May, then won at Daytona again in July. A fourth win in the car will automatically move him into the eight-man third round of the Chase.