LONG POND, Pa. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. traded hats, waited for his cue, and flashed three fingers for the cameras.
That’s one for every win.
The beer baths, champagne toasts, selfies, and photo opps in Victory Lane are almost routine now for Junior.
He added a new wrinkle at Pocono, a broom.
Earnhardt hoisted the broom high over his head after he completed a season sweep at Pocono Raceway, the third win in a season that has served as a career renaissance for NASCAR’s most popular driver.
Earnhardt now holds the No. 1 seed in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Can he keep the momentum headed into NASCAR’s version of the playoffs?
“You’re the broadcaster,” Earnhardt teased crew chief Steve Letarte about that question.
“You don’t,” the departing Letarte said. “You’re too far from the Chase.”
The legion of Junior Nation fans roared when Earnhardt stormed ahead of the pack off the final restart with three laps left for the lead. His third win, he also won the Daytona 500, tied him for the most in Sprint Cup this season.