Make the Call: Is Earnhardt Jr. Guilty?

Tens of thousands of race fans -- most of them likely decked out in green, blue, or maybe even red gear -- roared to life on lap 211 Sunday at Richmond International Raceway after their hero Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed to finally get some revenge.

And that unintentional (as Dale Jr. called it) revenge took the form of the No. 88 Chevrolet nudging Kyle Busch around in turn one as the two battled for the lead.

Sure, Earnhardt Jr. is the sport's most popular wheel man, and Busch has been the hottest driver for all of 2008, but the revenge factor had nothing to do with either of those. Come on, you remember back to Richmond in May, right?

That was when the roles were reversed late in the race and Busch decided to barrel into the side of Earnhardt Jr. in the closing laps. It was the type of move that some called just racing, but others, well, they craved pay back.

And so it happened on lap 211 Sunday during the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Earnhardt Jr. spun Busch. Busch hit the wall. Earnhardt Jr. called it unintentional. Busch was upset. The crowd cheered.

Whaddya think? Was it legitimately a mistake? Or was it that revenge thing?

In my book, Dale Earnhardt Jr. played off the move very well. He slid his tires (looks like a mistake), tried to arc car in higher (explains why he took a higher line to the corner), and didn't really apologize for the move (take THAT, Shrub!).

In other words, Earnhardt Jr. explained why he hit him but just said that it wasn't necessarily supposed to happen that way, though he acknowledged he got a little closer to Busch than cautious people would.

So was it intentional? Without a doubt.

Earnhardt Jr. showed just last week that he has a mind like a steel trap after he was asked whether or not he had any long-lost battles to pick in the racing world like Carl Edwards talked about after bumping Busch at Bristol. Earnhardt Jr. responded that Jason Keller apparently wrecked him in his Busch Series rookie season at Myrtle Beach.

Keller didn't remember the decade-old incident.

All of that tells me two things -- Earnhardt Jr. knew darn well what he was doing in taking Busch out in the final race before the Chase. He knew it wouldn't hurt Busch, and knew that he had to get even with the hot shoe.

And so he did, quietly, yet effectively with exacting precision. That kind of reminds you of that other guy named Earnhardt, doesn't it?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-08-2008 @ 10:55PM

JUDY CRUSE said...

YEAH JR; ABOUT TIME SOMEONE SPUN OUT THAT BUSH WACKER...HE RACES DIRTY..

9-08-2008 @ 10:50PM

petejayhawk said...

Hey remember when NASCAR wasn't a shiny happy corporate whore and bumping was a vital part of the race?

Yeah, those days were awesome. Now, NASCAR exists solely as a way to sell products to people.

9-09-2008 @ 1:27AM

Don Emerson said...

yeah Jr did it on purpose, but not for the reasons you think. It wasn't so much revenge on Jr's part as it was playing to his fans and what they expected him to do. Jr is a nice guy, but about as mean and aggressive as Johnson, or Gordon, and nothing to worry about in a fight. But then there's the nation and their idol worshipping of him that drives Jr's actions on the track So in the end, Jr got payback, the nation got their. orgasm, and all is well in fantasy land. Works for me.....

9-09-2008 @ 7:19AM

Maveness said...

Did Junior do it on purpose? Eh. Probably not. Because if it was intentional, it was dang subtle, and since when have pissed off NASCAR drivers ever been subtle in their revenge. They're not. They want you to know they're getting revenge. (And for hte record, if Senior had done that, Senior would have been dang obvious. That's how Senior rolled. Didn't like the man, never will, but he and his son are actually very, very different drivers.)

9-09-2008 @ 9:30AM

Enation said...

Yes, I do believe it was intentional and yes it was payback time.
Jr. and Sr. are different Sr. would let ya know for sure, But Jr. knew he had to cash that check on Busch. Its about time Jr. starts cashing those checks earlier....subtle?? yes...Smart...Yes?

9-09-2008 @ 9:46AM

Kim said...

I agree with Maveness. Although I didn't see the race, I have seen the replay of this incident. Like Maveness said, Jr. & Sr. were two completely different drivers and personalities. Jr. is a nice guy. Everyone seems to like him (except maybe Busch, LOL). That being said, I don't think it was intentional. Jr. has a lot to lose by wrecking himself at this stage in the season. He could have taken himself out of contention too, which would have been a devasting blow to his team. It sounds like he had a good race and finish and that his team is rebounding from a slump. I don't believe he would have jeopardized that just to get a little payback to baby Busch. Sounds to me like just a little "rubbin" and like we all know, "rubbin is racin!"

Kim

9-09-2008 @ 10:41AM

Barbara said...

Only Junior knows the answer to your question. My thoughts--if it had been intentional, Busch would not have been able to come back out on the field. Junior's explanation sounds good. Had he admitted to intentional, he could have been black flagged, parked, or penalized. Go figure!!

9-09-2008 @ 10:42AM

Jack Hall said...

Kim and Maveness, It's good to see posters on here with some good common sense. Common sense isn't very common on here for most part. Read post #3 for a good example of what I mean. This guy obviously knows a lot about "fantasy land" since he appears to live in one.

9-09-2008 @ 10:48AM

Zoltan600 said...

Hate to break it to you guys in the Jr nation but I had a bird's eye view at both incidents and without fail BOTH incidents were Jr's fault. In the June race, Jr knew Kyle was there and drove down on him. Kyle had position coming off two and Jr's spotter never said "Clear", which would have meant Jr could come down cleanly. Jr just drove down across the nose of Kyle's car and spun himself out. Could Kyle have lifted? Sure! Would you lift in the last 5 laps of a race if you had the line? Even if it was your hero you were passing? That's what I thought.

In the September race, Jr didn't even start the pass until both cars had started their entry into the corner. A cardinal rule of short track oval racing is you DO NOT INITIATE A PASS UPON CORNER ENTRY! This is not a road course where you can outbreak the other guy, it's a short track where the line is fairly well-defined. Nothing good comes from intiating a pass after both of you have started your entry into the corner. Jr knew this but had the run and went for it. Was revenge on his mind? Maybe. Was it his "fault"? Definitely!

In the end, I don't think malevolence was at the heart of either skirmish. It was the end result of good hard racing and two shining moments of why this sport beats the hell outta other forms of racing. It's the only time the Cup series approaches the brilliance of a local Saturday night racing show and if any of you newcomer fans are watching Cup and ignoring your local tracks, then shame on you. Google "Bowman Grey Stadium" and watch some video highlights. That's all I am saying.

Let's go racing

9-09-2008 @ 10:59AM

I could maybe give you September's incident based upon Junior not having position (since his front tire wasn't up to Kyle's rear tire), but sorry to say, May was not. Your view must have been obstructed, because Kyle's tires slid and he went up into Junior. It was hard racing for a win. It was the end of the race. Neither guy was going to give an inch. Now, they both *should* have been racing hard. I'm not crazy enough to think Kyle should have been racing nicer or something. Kyle just has problems with accepting when he caused a basic racing accident. (Junior causes plenty of basic racing accidents. The key is taking responsibility. Even if I know that Kyle is the resident bad boy and taking responsibility wouldn't mollify most fans - it would mollify me.)

But seriously, Kyle did not get off scot free on "fault" with the May one. The key is that "fault" doesn't mean "wrong". Racing accidents happen. Funny thing is, based on line and how good the cars were, if he hadn't slid into Junior and they'd just raced hard side by side for the remainder of the laps, he'd have finished like Jimmie and Tony did this past week. Junior would have won and Kyle would have finished second. Junior's car had the preferred line and Kyle's had more juice for a few laps (hence the fact he was trying so hard then - if the run had gone on, he knew Junior would get away).

9-09-2008 @ 10:51AM

I'd like to add something just as a sort of clarifier on where I stand on payback just so no one thinks I'm a fan who doesn't want to think my driver would do that.

I like payback (as long as it's not done on pit road, as long as it's not done in the Chase). I like smart payback. Payback is usually because someone did something to you first. (Every once in a while it's about a perceived slight, not an actual slight, but hey, then the other guy gets to get payback.)

My problems with Senior stem from him starting stuff. Especially to win a race. It's one thing to bump and run a guy. It's another thing to deliberately spin someone because they're between you and a win.

And hey, if you race aggressive, be ready to receive aggressive. People will be less careful around you because they know you're less careful around them. Especially if everyone and their brother touts your driving skill and ability to save a loose car.

So my conclusion that Junior probably didn't take out Kyle on purpose comes from not only the fact that Junior doesn't race like his father, but also from the fact that racers are seldom subtle about payback, and because Junior tends to be more cautious about those things (since heck, he takes himself out enough as it is, don't piss off others and have them wanting to take you out too), and mostly because...if Kyle races like a bat out of hell, all you really have to do is just race him like he races you and eventually it'll catch back up. Seriously. That's all it takes. Junior dove in at a different line? He just raced Kyle harder than he'd race others, because Kyle has no problem doing it too, and the side effect is that Kyle ends up in the wall? Not deliberate, but a direct result of Kyle's racing style.

10-01-2008 @ 1:57PM

Janet said...

Hey Maveness, Everyone has a right to his or her opinion. That's why we live in a democracy. However, I was raised watching NASCAR. My Grandfather was a racer in the "OLD" days. Stock car racing started out as a Southern sport. There was nothing NICE about it. It was tough and each man did what he had to do to win. Second place meant the first loser.
I'll tell you what, it isn't nearly as much fun to watch as it used to be.

9-09-2008 @ 12:03PM

Mike Snarky LeVan said...

Personally I have a hard time believing Jr did it on purpose. I tend to believe it may have been his fault for bad judgement and the loss of control of his car but I just cannot subscribe to the theory that Jr did this one on purpose. He had the better car, it was WAY too early in the race for a bump and run move to take the lead, and I do not think Jr is that stupid to risk a possible win and 10 points in the chase to get involved in some petty tit for tat with Kyle Busch.
I understand that 97% of the fans, that would be all the fans except Baby Busch's, liked seeing it. But it just happened to be a quirk of fate that Jr was trying to pass Kyle Busch when he lost control of his car. Well, that or it was Devine intervention.
MBL

9-09-2008 @ 9:00PM

DEBRA said...

HEY DON, SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO HAVE AN ORGASM! WORKS FOR ME!

9-09-2008 @ 11:12PM

anna seitter said...

IF THAT SMASH AND RUN WAS INTENTIONAL FROM DEJ,
than congrats to junior for being the best actor driver out there.
If he wasn't such a good driver to bring a mistery on these pages and not the obviously, than congrats to junior again.
If a mediocre or poor driver would bumped KYLE, there would be no discussion on these pages or anywhere else because everybody would agreed it was intentional SO AGAIN, CONGRATS TO JUNIOR. What a good action actor.
If any poster did not get the drift yet , my opinion is NO, IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. Junior had too much to loose at richmond, he even could won the race.

9-09-2008 @ 11:24PM

HI MR JACK HALL,
I would like to give you a friendly advice about a condition of yours(cannot specefy because would give the store away,but i'm sure you will catch my drift). The advice is: You have begun to slip too obviously now, so you may need to repair.
GET IT MR HALL? THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK, just a friendly suggestion and i waited few weeks until you slipped before warning you.Have a great day.

9-10-2008 @ 10:47PM

DIANE said...

I THINK KYLE IS A BIG BABY, HE HAS SUCH A BIG HEAD AND CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER, WHEN HE RACES HARD AND BUMPS THE OTHERS AROUND ITS JUST RACING BUT WHEN A DRIVER HITS HIM HE WANTS TO CRY ABOUT IT, LIKE WHEN CARL EDWARDS KICKED HIS BUTT , IF IT IS OK FOR HIM TO TAP SOMEONE OUT OF HIS WAY TO MAKE THEM MOVE OVER WHY GET MAD WHEN SOMEONE DOES IT TO HIM, HE MAKES A BIG STINK ABOUT IT, WHAT HE DID TO CARL EDWARDS WAS WRONG AFTER CARL HAD WON THE RACE . THAT WAS DOWN RIGHT MEAN , SOMEONE LIKE KYLE BUSH DOSN'T NEED TO BE ON A RACE TRACK HE HAS NO STYLE OR CLASS. YES THE 88 IS MY CAR, BUT IF HE CANT WIN I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CARL OR JEFF GORDEN TAKE THE WIN. AND I DO THINK THE BUMP BY 88 WAS NOT ON PURPOSE BUT I WAS HOPING HE WOULD PAY KYLE BUSH BACK HE COSTED DALE JR THAT RACE. I FEEL THAT KYLE IS GETTING AWAY WITH MORE THAN HE SHOULD BE .I DONT EVEN LIKE TO SEE HIS FACE EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS MOUTH I WOULD LIKE TO PUT TAPE OVER IT, KYLE BUSH MAKES ME SICK THE WAY HE ACTS LIKE A BIG BABY WHEN THE RACE DOES'NT GO HIS WAY HE WANTS TO START A FIGHT OR USE HIS CAR TO BUMP AND GRIND WHO HE IS MAD AT LIKE HE DID CARL EDWARDS THAY ARE RIGHT IN MY HOME KYLE IS THE MOST HATED DRIVER THAT HAS EVER BEEN IN NASCAR.

9-11-2008 @ 9:12PM

Thanks for the advice anna dear for whatever advice you think you're giving me for whatever you think I need it for. You're a saint.

9-15-2008 @ 5:05AM

A SAINT MR HALL ? NNNOOOOOTTTTTT, CAME ON MISTER, you been here long enough to know i never was a saint. Are ya caring me?
You know ? i just thought the game would not be interesting anymore if it became too easy and there would be no challenge to it . That's all. FOR IT i thought you should know it too. No challenge, no fun, easy as that.
Have a nice journey dear.