CONCORD, N.C. -- The 2017 season had a lot of built-up excitement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he looked to climb back inside the No. 88 Chevrolet SS after recovering from his concussion last season.
With the first six races of the campaign in the books, the No. 88 team has not yet seen the results Earnhardt and his teammates are looking for.
"We came out flat and have not had great finishes," Earnhardt told NBC Sports. "We lack a little speed. We saw some promise in the car at Martinsville, which made me feel good and get excited about when we are getting back on track."
Earnhardt has earned one top-15 finish so far this season -- at Phoenix Raceway -- and has been involved in incidents that ended his days early in two separate races -- at Daytona International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
Starting toward the rear of the field at Martinsville, Earnhardt spent the first stage climbing up and inside the top 10, a position which he maintained through the second stage.
However, a pit road speeding penalty in the final stage set Earnhardt back in the field once again. The No. 88 Chevrolet SS was ultimately caught in a late-race incident that ended Earnhardt's day in the garage.
"I was really disappointed that we didn’t get the run we deserved at Martinsville," Earnhardt said. "If we continue to have that type of result, we are not going to make the playoffs. Not really panicking just yet, but we can’t be giving away points like that."
However, the early season results have not stopped Earnhardt from maintaining a positive outlook for the No. 88 team.
"I think that if I’m positive, it keeps the guys positive and keeps the team ready to capitalize when we do have good fortune," Earnhardt told FOX Sports 1.
He even contributes part of his optimistic attitude to the time he spent out of the car last season while recovering from his concussion.
"I think being out of the car helped me reevaluate a little bit," the driver said. "You definitely don’t want these poor runs to continue. Frustration will mount, it will get harder and harder to brush it off and try to keep your head straight for the next race. So hopefully it doesn’t last too much longer. Hopefully we've got something to smile about in the next couple of weeks."