CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR will deny there is such a thing as the "Junior Rule" -- one set of standards for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and another for the rest of the Sprint Cup garage.

But there is that perception among fans, competitors and even a few in the media.

Saturday night's race at Phoenix International Raceway did nothing to dispel it.

Earnhardt, apparently upset by his late-race fade and being sent into the wall by Casey Mears, spun Mears out on the cool-down lap following his 31st-place...

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