SAM DEAN The Roanoke Times

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with crew chief Lance McGrew following practice Friday at Martinsville Speedway. Go online and check out roanoke.com for a photo gallery from Friday's Sprint Cup practice at Martinsville.

SAM DEAN The Roanoke Times

Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs autographs Friday following practice for Sunday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- For as much as his results have improved and his attitude has changed, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won't boast about returning to the top 10 in points for the first time since 2008.

"We haven't turned a corner,'' Earnhardt said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. "We are maybe turning the corner, but we haven't quite got there yet.''

It's easy to discount Earnhardt's comments when examining his team's resurgence this year. Earnhardt, eighth in the points, hasn't been this high in the season standings since Sept. 2008. A year ago, he entered this race 19th in the points.

For a sport that wants -- and some have said needs -- its most popular driver to excel, his success is a reason to celebrate.

Just leave Earnhardt out of it.

Earnhardt will admit that success has changed his attitude. The confidence that waned last year is back.

"When we were struggling and we would show up and unload the car and it was a little bit off, it was really easy to accept it,'' he said. "There was no reaction of 'we can fix it.' You didn't really have that feeling of confidence that that could happen.

"But this year, you have that feeling that anytime there is that little thing that goes wrong, a little switch comes on where we can probably fix this.''

As much as many will say stock car racing is about speed, it's truly about problem-solving -- how to make the car go faster. That's why teams employ crew chiefs, engineers, car chiefs, tire specialists, shock specialists, mechanics and many more specialized individuals.

Crew chief Lance McGrew made some personnel changes in the offseason. He also aligned the team more closely to teammate Mark Martin, whose team is housed in the same shop as Earnhardt's team at Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt and others credit those moves for the improved performance.

"As a team, we got a lot to fix still,'' Earnhardt said. "I think that the next 10 races will surely reveal where we are still weak and where we need to work as a team. I think that it is important not to get too satisfied with how things are going. Always trying to strive to get more out of your team performance.''

Those words are critical for a driver whose focus and determination has been questioned much of his career. Such is the burden of carrying his famous father's name. Dale Earnhardt's brute determination was as obvious as the sun on a clear day. His son's drive is not displayed the same way. Thus, the questions hound Earnhardt.

He is sensitive to that issue. When McGrew implored Earnhardt "don't lay down'' after being caught for speeding on pit road at Bristol last week, Earnhardt stewed before he responded with a profanity-laced tirade.

"I'm just a human being,'' Earnhardt said of his sensitivity to the issue.

Teammate Jimmie Johnson can relate to the pushing and prodding from a crew chief. Johnson says Earnhardt has been more accepting of that this season with McGrew.

"I think it's good to be pushed,'' Johnson said. "Chad (Knaus) does it to me. He'll drive me freaking crazy, telling me to lay off, you're using the brakes too much, do this, do that, but as much as it annoys me and I hate to hear it, it's good to have that pressure. I think that this year (Dale Jr.) has put more pressure on himself. I think that Lance is also applying more pressure and that's helping him continue down the road and development and fall into our system better.''

Earnhardt defends McGrew. He says the respect between the two grows. Earnhardt said he wasn't upset with McGrew for what he said at Bristol over the radio.

"I was really upset about how that (speeding penalty) went down,'' Earnhardt said. "I wasn't thinking about what I was supposed to be thinking about, my job. He did the right thing.''

Earnhardt also appreciates McGrew's style.

"There are little moments (during the weekend) where he goes, "We're going to get this little bit right here, we're going to work and you're going to do this for us and we're going to do this and that's going to get us to where we want to be on the time chart,' '' Earnhardt said. "That's kind of refreshing.''