THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE; Dale Earnhardt Jr. sends a message for next year.(News)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Barring an extraordinary collapse in the season's final two races, Matt Kenseth will be crowned NASCAR's 2003 Winston Cup champion later this month. But the people's champion has long been decided. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took that honor the moment his father died in the Daytona 500 in 2001, and he is building on it as he grows into the role.

And the thing is, the mature way the sometimes silly Earnhardt has been driving of late, he might just hold both crowns next season.

Earnhardt dominated the Checker Auto Parts 500k at Phoenix International Raceway to grab his second race win of the season. He also solidified his second-place status in the pursuit of Kenseth and offered a strong message to the 8-car-crazed legions that roared with approval after he burned tire rubber on the front straightaway.

"If we don't win [the championship] this year,'' he said, "we're going to win it next year.''

This is Earnhardt's fourth full Winston Cup season, and he has won nine races. Sunday's win was only his second of the season, but that is proof he can chase a title with consistency and smarts. He is third in top-five finishes and second in top-10s. Yes, Earnhardt has an advantage in the restrictor-plate races, but he led 195 laps this season at Martinsville, the tightest course on the circuit, and 120 at New Hampshire, which like Phoenix is a mile in length. He led 87 of the 312 laps at Phoenix.

As the pressure to catch Kenseth has intensified late in the season, Earnhardt has stayed steady and strong, earning five top-10 finishes in the past six races.