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BROOKLYN, Mich. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first top-10 finish since April, placing third Sunday at Michigan International Speedway and giving his team a needed boost.

"I don't want to get too excited," Earnhardt said of his best finish since the spring Talladega race when he placed second. "You want to be up front every week like this. You want to be there the whole race.

"We're getting better as a team as a team. We're working really hard. Never worked so hard to run third."

Earnhardt also led six laps, the first time he's led any laps since that Talladega race. A key to Earnhardt's late charge was the decision to pit 42 laps from the finish, when he gave up the lead. It came during the final caution.

Earnhardt talked crew chief Lance McGrew into pitting so Earnhardt would have more time to make up the ground he would lose. Several cars followed him and he restarted 17th then charged through the field as many of the cars in front slowed to save fuel.

VICKERS FEELS FOR BUSCH: A day after Kyle Busch confronted Brian Vickers on pit road after the Natonwide race, Vickers was asked if that incident played a role in Sunday's Cup race. It didn't, he said, but then added a comment about Busch.

"You know," Vickers said, "there's some people that you meet in life that are just going to do stupid things. You just learn to accept it. You just don't let it bother you.

"In a lot of ways, I feel sorry for Kyle that he lives that angry about stuff, something so small. I hope that he can get past it."

DODGE RACING FORWARD: Dodge President and CEO Mike Accavitti reaffirmed his company's commitment to NASCAR.

"We intend to remain involved with the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future," said Accavitti, appointed to his position in June.

He did say that Dodge likely won't expand beyond the seven cars — with Penske Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports — it supports, noting that having more has not proven beneficial.

He said that Dodge "values" Richard Petty Motorsports but would not say if the team will remain with the manufacturer beyond this season.

MAYFIELD ENCOUNTER: Catawba County Police were called to Jeremy Mayfield's home Saturday night for a trespassing call, reports WCNC TV of Charlotte.

WCNC also reports that Mayfield and his wife confirm that the trespasser is Mayfield's former stepmother, Lisa Mayfield.

Lisa Mayfield provided NASCAR with an affidavit saying she saw Mayfield take methamphetamine numerous times. Jeremy Mayfield has denied the charge and challenged his former stepmother's reasoning for providing the affidavit. He also has said he would file a wrongful death lawsuit against her in connection to his father's death in 2007.

ENGINE INSPECTION: NASCAR took 11 engines from Sunday's race back to its research and development center in Concord to do an annual evaluation on how the different engine makes compare. NASCAR took the engines from the cars of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Sam Hornish Jr., and Elliott Sadler.

PIT STOPS: Points leader Tony Stewart clinched a spot in the Chase with his 17th-place finish. ... Roush Fenway Racing failed to win one of the two Michigan races for the first time since 2001. Carl Edwards (fourth) was the highest-finishing Roush driver. ... Sam Hornish Jr. finished fifth two weeks after placing a career-best fourth at Pocono. ... Ticket prices for every seat for next year at Michigan International Speedway will be lowered, track president Roger Curtis announced Sunday.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com