BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. found the perfect cure for his struggling team’s ills: Winning.

Earnhardt broke out of a six-week slump Saturday night with a convincing victory in the Sharpie 500, giving him a weekend sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway that will certainly give him momentum for the upcoming championship chase.

Almost completely healed from burns he suffered last month in a non-NASCAR wreck, Earnhardt led 295 of the 500 laps for his first Nextel Cup win at Bristol. He’ll stick the trophy right next to the one he earned Friday night for winning his first Busch series race at the track.

He beat Ryan Newman to the finish line in a race that didn’t shake up the championship standings as much as had been predicted.

Newman, fighting to become eligible for NASCAR’s 10-race championship chase, moved into contention by jumping three spots to the cutoff position of 10th. It came at the expense of rookie Kasey Kahne, who finished 21st and fell to 11th in standings.

It was the only major change in the standings as drivers scramble to make it into the top 10 with just two races to go before the playoffs begin.

AP-ES-08-28-04 2255EDT