■ 17 September 2009 | 11:09 PM
The Curious Case of Dale Jr.
For the third time in six years, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won't be in the Chase.
No doubt there are various reasons for his lack of success this season -- which I go into in this story on him.
But how do you look at Dale Jr.? His 18 wins are more than Kasey Kahne (11), Greg Biffle (14), Kyle Busch (16) and Carl Edwards (16) -- although the argument can be made he's been in Cup longer than those guys. Even so, Dale Jr.'s 18 wins match what Matt Kenseth has, although Kenseth has a championship.
Or do you look at the Dale Jr. that has 1 win in his last 124 starts heading into this weekend at New Hampshire? Certainly there was a time during that stretch -- early last season -- he was the best car at Hendrick when Jimmie Johnson struggled early in the season, Jeff Gordon was trying to get comfortable with the COT and Casey Mears was struggling in his final year at Hendrick.
And do you agree with something Fox analyst Larry McReynolds told me about Dale Jr. in looking ahead to next season? McReynolds said: "Next year is a telltale year for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He's got to win some races, and he's got to become a contender. It will be his third year (at Hendrick). It's time to produce. I don't care how popular you are. It's time to produce.''
Or do you look back at the Dale Jr. of 2005 and '06. In 2005, Dale Jr. had one of his worst seasons with one win and 6 DNFs on the way to a 19th-place finish in the points. The next year? He finished fifth in the points with one win but 3 more top-5s than the year before and 4 more top-10s than the year before and three fewer DNFs.
What do you see out of Dale Jr.? And, do you see the 35-year-old getting back to the point of being a regular visitor in Victory Lane?
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Agrees
I agree with the author of the article and most of the previous comments.
My own opinion which isn't worth much is that Earnhardt Jr. did not quite inherit the fire or the knowledge his father had to win. He has certainly had some of the best equipment and knowledge available backing him.
Dale Jr
Jr suffers from the beatings he has received from the media. No driver in the last 57 years I've been involved with racing has received the kind of brutality he has. He is not a bully like his father. He has more respect for other drivers than they have for him. And as a result, he's the one who is bullied.
No other driver in Nascar gives back to the sport like he does. He operates a company for the sole purpose of giving young drivers a chance to make it in Nascar.
It's laughable to hear Larry McMouth talk about Jr. Mc has never driven a COT, never crew chiefed a COT and yet he calls himself an expert. He talks about Jr sounding like Sr (who apparently couldn't communicate either according to him). It's a darned shame Sr only won 7 championships with that communication. Of course Mc got fired from Sr's team....that could very well be why he takes out his venom on Jr. I listen to Jr's in-car audio every race. He tells Lance exactly what the car is doing, and Lance has said that Jr's skills in giving him feedback are excellent. Now Lance is no expert. He had never CCd a COT before Rick put him with Jr so he needs time to learn or he should be replaced with an ex
disappointing progeny
Let's consider Jr. But first let's consider Kyle Petty, Michael Andretti and Michael Waltrip. O.K. I'm done.
In the “case”?
As long as Earnhardt is bringin’ money to HMS he’ll be there. Performance doesn’t matter, souvenir sales do.
An answer to a question that’s off the board now.……
Takin’ a ratings spankin’ from AAA ball beats the heck out of takin’ a stompin’ from the big league. Ratings. Ratings have more than just a little bit to do with sponsors. Run ‘em under lights on Saturday. If a track doesn’t have lights – off the last ten schedule.
Coat tails . . . . . .
To reach the Cup series one has to be a great driver.[period] Junior just isn't as good as the rest. Take Mark Martin, 1st year with the team and he's won four races and is in the case. Nah, nah, nah, nahhhhhh, hey, hey good bye Junior!