Earnhardt voted among America's favorite athletes

CONCORD, N.C. -- Not only is Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the top five in the Sprint Cup standings, he's in the top five of all "sports stars."

According to the latest results of The Harris Poll, which surveyed 2,241 adults between June 11 and 16, 2014, Earnhardt is behind only LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning in overall popularity.

He is tied with Kobe Bryant for the fifth-most-common answer to the question, "Who is your favorite sports star?"

In 2013, Earnhardt stood 10th in the same ranking. With his 2014 season off to a hot start, including two wins, Earnhardt leaped up the standings.

Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers round out the rest of the top 10 based on the online survey.