It has been a brutal season for Dale Earnhardt Jr., so bad that even the National Enquirer can't resist embellishing his tale of woe.

Earnhardt has not been abducted by aliens -- although he might wish he had been -- but the life of the NASCAR superstar ``has turned into a train wreck, and pals fear he's headed for an emotional breakdown,'' according to a recent Enquirer story in which the sources are anonymous. ``Now the troubled bachelor may be turning to booze to cope, insiders say.''

Earnhardt could only laugh when asked about the story after a qualifying run at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Sunday's Ford 400, the season finale. Earnhardt's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, is just a clean race away from winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title, and Earnhardt will try to end a losing streak as maddening as the Enquirer article.

Earnhardt did not seem the least bit suicidal as he joked about the dark foreboding in the story, which he said was untrue. He considered suing, but thought better after considering plaintiffs' track record against the tabloid and his own inability to win lately.

``A lot of people say any publicity is good publicity,'' Earnhardt said. ``We're [24th] in the points standings, and we're still relevant to the National Enquirer.''

So that's something. He's still headline worthy despite the worst season of his career. Zero victories in 35 races with an average finish of 23rd. Last week was typical: Earnhardt spun out while battling for the lead and triggered a nine-car wreck. He spent 50 laps in the garage area while his car underwent emergency repairs and finished 35th. There were also multicar crashes in Daytona and California and upheaval when he fired his cousin and longtime crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and replaced him with Lance McGrew.

But Earnhardt isn't anxious for the season to end. He's noticed improvement in the chemistry of his team thanks to changes by McGrew.

FEELS GOOD ABOUT TEAM

``It's hard to see, and the results don't show that,'' he said. ``We're not good as a team yet. We need to race more. So I wish the year wasn't over.

``I feel good about my guys and hope that the racing gods are kind to us. I need to believe that they believe and vice versa. If they get the feeling that I don't believe in them, then we're done.''

And something else. Junior Nation believes. Earnhardt is still NASCAR's most beloved driver. He was voted Most Popular for the sixth consecutive year and set a NASCAR record for merchandise sales in 2008, and that streak should continue.

Not only does he have the lineage and the most magnetic name in the sport, but he's also the down-home Everyman fans adore (never mind that he's made $54.3 million in career paychecks).

Fans walking around the garage area this weekend could shake hands with their favorite drivers, pose for pictures and look them in the eye. These athletes aren't 6-9 or 250 pounds. They like to drive fast and talk straight. Their roots are in moonshine running and cigarette smoking. They are not sponsored by Tiffany or Chanel but by Target, Miller Lite and Taco Bell.

But NASCAR's runaway growth rate of the 1990s has hit a lull. TV ratings and attendance have been slipping for four years. Can't blame it all on the economy. Nor is it entirely coincidental that the slump has occurred during Johnson's rise to dominance. Nice, impeccable guy. But NASCAR always has thrived on its personalities, feuds and climactic finishes.

The sport could use some Rocky Road to go with Mr. Vanilla.

And it could use the resurgence of Little E.

Earnhardt left his father's company, Dale Earnhardt Inc., in 2007 after failing to resolve a dispute over control and direction of the team with his stepmother, Teresa.

He joined Hendrick Motorsports, which boasts 60 engineers working at its 600,000-square-foot headquarters and a hands-on owner, Rick Hendrick.

Finally, Little E had the equipment to match his talent. He also had a boss with whom he shares an ache and a deep understanding of why it will never go away. Earnhardt's father crashed and died in the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 as Earnhardt finished second. Hendrick's son, Ricky, died in a helicopter crash at Martinsville.

ONE WIN FOR NO. 88

Yet Earnhardt has only one victory in his No. 88 Impala. It's doubly frustrating because Hendrick's three other drivers have won 13 this year and are 1-2-3 in the standings.

``He is the strongest man in NASCAR, and he proves it every day with the load he carries on his shoulders,'' teammate Mark Martin said of Earnhardt. ``I've encouraged him to keep his chin up. Things will change.''

Earnhardt, 35, realizes he can't make any excuses. He's got the name, the muscle, the support. Now he's got to win.

``I got a long ways to go to get back my confidence,'' he said. ``We sort of live and die by how each day goes. Every lap -- if it goes bad, it's hard to stay positive.

``The thing I focus on most is maintaining my attitude.''