This weekend’s script reads like a blockbuster, and it’s not as far-fetched as some would think.

NASCAR’s most popular driver returns to his most prolific track, Talladega Superspeedway – a site at which a recent poll stated that a whopping 2/3rds of local fans ranked him as their favorite driver.

That driver – it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., of course – has a perfectly round winless drought: 100 races. That’s a career-long stretch for a driver with a hefty 18 career wins.

He owns the statistics that make him a favorite at the 2.66-mile track: five wins, a second-best Driver Rating of 92.7 and laps led in the last 10 races, and in 20 of 22 career starts overall.

The last 100 races have not been kind to Earnhardt, but 2011 has a different feel. Earnhardt has finished in the top 10 in two consecutive races, and four of the last six.

He is currently sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings, the highest he has been this late in the season since 2008. That season, he won his last race, and made his last Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Earnhardt’s Talladega runs have dipped in recent years. From 2001 until 2004, he posted eight consecutive top-10 finishes. Five of those were wins. Two others were runner-up finishes.

Since then, he has four DNFs and six finishes outside the top 20.

Coverage of the Aaron's 499 from Talladega begins at 12 pm ET on Sunday, April 17 (FOX, TSN2). For more, check out www.nascar.com

Dale Earnhardt Jr.- Wins By Track