The noise level inside the speedway increased - not because the next car had taken the track to qualify, but because NASCAR’s most beloved driver found success. The stands resembled a football game more than a NASCAR race as the lap of 190.907 mph hit the top of the scoring pylon, once again reassuring Earnhardt hasn’t lost fans in his move to Hendrick Motor Sports.

The Samsung 500 might be Earnhardt’s best shot thus far at a win in 2008. The 88 car found 11th on the speed charts in Friday’s practice session and looked glued to the track in qualifying. Earnhardt comes into Texas with four straight top 10s and a fourth place points position, Hendrick’s strongest driver six races into the season.

“The car handled really good. It should be a good weekend for us,” Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt didn’t say it would be a good weekend for him, but “us.” Every time he is interviewed, Earnhardt points out his crew and the people at Hendrick Motor Sports as the means for which he succeeds. Driver 88 went as far as to question how DEI managed to keep up with Hendrick cars while he was there.

“I want to go out there and get a win - get that out of the way, but how much better everything is for me right now is overwhelming in a sense,” Earnhardt said.

What can be seen as overwhelming is what Earnhardt has been able to do for the former Hendrick 25 team. The same team that struggled with Brian Vickers and Casey Mears is now at or near the front every week with the fresh faces of Earnhardt and cousin Tony Eury Jr. running things.

Driver may mean more than most people think in the recent era of NASCAR if a team is able to turn things around like the 88 team has this year. The 5 car with Casey Mears is not struggling, but not running the same pace Kyle Busch kept in the car last season. The 24 and 48 have looked strong at times, but incredibly and surprisingly inconsistent. That leaves the 88. Earnhardt is without a win (as Hendrick is as a whole) but running in potential championship form.