INDIANAPOLIS — Don’t put this on Dale Earnhardt. The man has enough problems trying to find his racing mojo in this season to forget without blaming him for NASCAR’s TV ratings woes.

Sure, Earnhardt remains one of motor sports most popular drivers, so when he struggles — and you can call his No. 21 ranking in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings a disaster — it hurts. Pressure mounts. Criticism grows. Scrutiny and blame are everywhere.

Does it impact ratings? Earnhardt would rather not think about that.

“I’m not sure if that can be possible,” he said. “It shouldn’t be. The sport shouldn’t suffer. I don’t feel like personally it rests on my shoulders.

“I’m sorry I haven’t run better this year. I want to run better. We’re trying to run better. If it’s hurting the sport, that’s not what I want to do. It’s not my intent.”

Earnhardt’s intent upon joining NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Sports last year was to do what teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin are doing now — winning big. They’ve combined for seven victories this season, a series-leading four by Martin.

It hasn’t happened for Earnhardt. The driver with 18 career victories won just one race last year. It’s zero this season entering Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. He has just one top-5 finish, three in the top 10. His average finish of 21.2 (basically double what it was last year) is not close to the top-12 status needed to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

A mid-season crew chief change to Lance McGrew hasn’t helped.

Earnhardt was 19th under cousin Tony Eury. Still, Earnhardt sees progress.

“Lance came in easy to talk to,” Earnhardt said. “He’s confident. He has made my car better during races with adjustments. He makes good calls during practice to make the car better. I feel like I have a shorter gap between the information my teammates have to what I have.

“I would no way categorize my attitude as satisfied, but it seems like we’re going in the right direction and making gains.”

That would be accelerated with a victory on Sunday. Earnhardt has never won the Brickyard 400. His best finish is sixth in 2006. His best start was third in 2002. Qualifying is set for Saturday.

Earnhardt’s arrival at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway stirs questions about whether he would ever consider driving in IndyCar events in general, the Indy 500 in particular.

The starting times with the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., makes doing both races the same day impossible.

“It definitely interests me,” Earnhardt said. “I wouldn’t run the race the same day as the 600 like some guys have in the past, but should the schedules work out one day, I think you’d find a lot of guys interested in running the Indy 500 for sure.”

Interest, Earnhardt said, comes from the Speedway’s rich tradition.

“It’s an honor to run here. To win here is great for any driver’s resume, not only in North America, but the world. When you think about motorsports, you think about Indy.”

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