AUTO RACING: It's life. Earnhardt Jr. gets it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been criticized and even ridiculed over the past two years.

As the son of a beloved seven-time NASCAR champion, Earnhardt is expected to not only contend for championships, but serve as the face for a troubled sport beset by lackluster television ratings and empty seats.

The success of Earnhardt’s teammates at Hendrick Motorsports has compounded the pressure and scrutiny.

Hendrick drivers swept the top three spots in Sprint Cup points last season, with Jimmie Johnson earning a historic fourth straight title.

Meanwhile, Earnhardt has won just one race in his two-year association with car owner Rick Hendrick and is coming off the worst season in his 10 years of Cup racing.

An introspective Earnhardt offered some insight into his stressful world Wednesday during the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I want to compete and match some of the success that the rest of the company is having,” said Earnhardt, who enters the 2010 season on a 57-race winless steak. “I want to get on that level.”

Earnhardt posted just two top-fives last season en route to a 25th-place finish in points.

Earnhardt said Wednesday that he understands and accepts the criticism.

“I have a famous last name and that goes with the territory,” he said.

As for the attacks on his lack of stamina and focus, Earnhardt said it’s part of the price of competing in a fishbowl.

“Those are just kind of little stingers that happen along the way,” Earnhardt said. “They don’t have a lasting effect. We go through transitions in our career where we have success, where we have failure and where we have to deal with adversity. That will always be there.

“It’s life. I totally get it. When it’s all said and done, everybody will be cool.”

Team owner Rick Hendrick said Wednesday that he’s dedicated to helping Earnhardt find his back to victory lane.

“We’ve done this a long time and we know what works for us, “ Hendrick said. “There’s no way for me to silence the critics other than to get the job done.”

According to Hendrick, Earnhardt began to find a comfort zone with crew chief Lance McGrew late in the 2009 season. McGrew replaced Earnhardt’s cousin, Tony Eury Jr., after 13 races.

“We could see spurts at the end of the year where we were getting better and where the car was running much better,” Hendrick said. “We just had some of the most awful luck in the world.

“When you get snakebit, you kind of go to the track thinking it’s going to happen. We’ve kind of put all that behind us and started again.”

Hendrick said he has been encouraged by the resiliency of Earnhardt, who showed up to the Wednesday’s press conference with a full beard.

“[Earnhardt] has been working out, he’s been here with the team and he’s been doing things we’ve asked him to do,” Hendrick said. “[Earnhardt] feels the pressure because he wants to race good.

“We’re in it for the long haul and we’re just going to keep attacking.”

At this point his career, Earnhardt is willing to accept small steps toward his bigger goal.

“Everybody is out there racing for the wins,” Earnhardt said. “But if we can put together complete races without me making mistakes or problems arising, that’s going to signal some progress.”

Despite his struggles and the intense media spotlight, Earnhardt said he still enjoys the racing life.

“The things that we have to put up with are really nothing compared to the big picture in what we’re able to enjoy out of racing,” Earnhardt said. “I enjoy my relationship with the media and everybody in the garage, and I still enjoy the competition.”

And the 35-year-old Earnhardt said he has no plans to slowing down.

“When you look at guys like Mark Martin and Ron Hornaday who are still competing and competing successfully, you feel like you’re not even halfway through your career,” said Earnhardt, pointing to two drivers who are still winning races in their fifties. “If I chose to be, I could be around for quite a long time.

“And I feel like that I want to be here to see what happens. I want to see what [NASCAR president] Mike Helton will be doing in 15 years. I want to see what our cars look like and drive like.”

Earnhardt was involved in one of the biggest offseasons in racing when IndyCar star

IndyCar Series Danica Patrick signed a two-year deal to drive for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports Nationwide Series car.

Patrick has been a major topic of discussion during the media tour, but Earnhardt said he’s content to leave Patrick’s schedule to his sister, Kelley.

Eury, Jr. will serve as the crew chief for Patrick.

“I’ve great people running all my programs,” Earnhardt said. “I can’t sit here and do this job, and then go tell them what to do with Danica.”

With a deep cast of engineers and experienced crew chiefs working with a humbled Earnhardt, Hendrick feels all the essentials are in place for resurgence by NASCAR’s most popular driver.

“The commitment is there,” Hendrick said. “We’ve just got to go do it.”

agregory@bristolnews.com I (276) 645-2544