Dale Earnhardt Jr. likes NASCAR's Chase format even as he's on the edge of elimination

A ball of fire shoots from the back of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s (88) car as his crew pushes him off pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Bank of America 500 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Chris Keane) (The Associated Press)

Dale Earnhardt Jr (88) leads Kevin Harvick (4) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Bank of America 500 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) (The Associated Press)

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. has no issues with NASCAR's championship format, even as he heads to Talladega Superspeedway on the brink of elimination.

A broken shifter at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night dropped Earnhardt to last in the 12-driver field, and he'll need a victory at Talladega to advance to the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

He called NASCAR's new elimination format "dramatic" and said Tuesday during a test session at Phoenix International Raceway the system has "served us well."