Wheel2Wheel: Dale Jr., 2009 Duds

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s performance -- or lack thereof -- in 2009 has become a contentious debate, last weekend's Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway lacked the pizazz we're used to at Bristol and a few drivers have struggled to put forth results that'll leave you scratching your head.

What, you ask yourself, does FanHouse's Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller have to say on these issues?

Find out as FH's Wheel2Wheel takes a look at NASCAR's current stories and issues. Read on to see what we've got to say, and when you're done, tell us exactly how we're wrong. It'll be more fun than sneaking your family sedan on to Daytona's high banks for a late night joyride.

Well, almost.

Has the Car of Tomorrow made the short track races worse or more competitive?

Holly Cain: It depends on your definition of competitive. When one car dominates a race, as Kyle Busch's No. 18 Toyota did Sunday at Bristol, Tenn., it makes the race appear uncompetitive. There was no bump-and-pass, because no one could catch Busch. But ask the guys fighting for all the other positions and they'll tell you the race is just as competitive with today's COT as it was 10 years ago. In fact, they're working harder for each position.

What Bristol lacked was the in-your-face excitement that has been more typical of short track races. It's early in the season and everyone's been on their best behavior so that's limited the grudge-racing sideshow that spices up the short track season. Bottom line: Competition good, drama low

Geoffrey Miller: Amazingly, I think you could argue that NASCAR's new car -- the COT -- has made races more competitive for the driver but yet worse for the fans, especially when one looks at the recent action at Bristol Motor Speedway. The drivers have raved about how nice the new surface is that allows them to race two-wide with ease. Such ease leads to less contact and less helmet-throwing or shoves from Jeff Gordon.

Conveniently, the new car rolled out just one race before that new concrete, so its tough to say which has caused a downturn in Bristol drama, a.k.a. crashes and finger pointing. The cars are a little tougher than the predecessor, which makes them a little more suited for the close quarters of a short track. Bottom Line: Tough to say

Who's the biggest disappointment of the season so far?

GM: It's easy to jump on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s horse about not getting things done early in '09, but when looking at his performance compared with teammates Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson one has to realize that team really isn't that far off.

I'd say David Ragan's or Casey Mears' performance has been the most disappointing of any driver. Ragan just simply hasn't had any bit of consistency to start the season after rounding out 2008 on a high note and Mears is failing to impress anyone in his new Richard Childress Racing ride. They sit 25th and 26th in the current standings, respectively. Bottom Line: David Ragan, Casey Mears

HC: The rookie class. With the testing ban this group of drivers has had the hardest transition to Sprint Cup in years. But I really expected Joey Logano and Scott Speed to be more competitive than they've been. Both are with well- financed teams and in Logano's case, he's with a two-time championship crew. Yet they've only had one top-20 finish between them. Good job to Australian Marcos Ambrose, he's the least-hyped, best-performing of the first-year drivers and doing it with a new team. I'm not expecting the rookies to win right out of the box -- just give us a little glimpse of that special talent we've heard so much about. Bottom Line: It's the pedal on the right, rookies

Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. being unfairly taken to task?

HC: Junior has been unfairly taken to task since he climbed behind the wheel of a race car with the name Earnhardt painted above the window. Unfair, because the expectations and standard he's always been held to are those of the greatest stock car driver in history - his late father. No one can relate to the kind of pressure Junior's had. And that short learning curve coupled with massive expectation is unrealistic. He's gotten more criticism than he deserves - and more hype than he deserves.

Having said that, Earnhardt has always graciously accepted the exceptional opportunity. And it's not as if he hasn't proven himself as a driver. He's won two Nationwide championships, the 2004 Daytona 500, five Talladega races and events at every kind of track except a road course. So people should get off his back over a disappointing five-race run to start the season. He's with the best team in NASCAR, run competitively and incidentally has won more recently than his teammate, some guy named Jeff Gordon. Now isn't the time to issue a verdict on the season. Bottom Line: Who judges a season after 5 races?

GM: Yes and no. He's driving for what has been the best organization in NASCAR for three straight years, and with that and his name come a heavy dose of expectations to run up front. I mean come on -- this team has to put up for all the media coverage he got for his switch to Hendrick, right? So that part is fair.

What isn't fair, though, is that people 1) think 5 races determine a season and 2) Tony Eury Jr. doesn't have the tools to get it done. Minus mistakes, Earnhardt Jr. could have won Daytona and an engine failure at California didn't help anything. Rick Hendrick may love Dale Jr. like a son, but the man is smart enough to know that huge contract for that No. 88 has to put up numbers, and if Tony Eury Jr. wasn't the man for the job he sure as heck wouldn't be there. Bottom Line: Some ways yes, some ways no

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

3-25-2009 @ 5:52PM

Brad said...

Thank you Thank you Thank you HC and GM, now if you could just get some bloggers to understand what you've written they might lay off Jr. a bit......ooooops I did say understand didn't I ! ! !

3-25-2009 @ 6:29PM

illsell4u said...

OMG!!!!!!!! I think HC forgot about some guy named RICHARD that has 2 1/2 times the wins as Dale Sr when she said greatest driver in history.
I agree with Geoffrey on the Tony Eury Jr/Dale Jr issue. Rick Hendrick spent alot of money fertilizing that money tree he brought to his shop. If it does not start producing fruit, it may not matter that Dale Jr likes his cousin. I am sure Rick would like to show it was all worth it.
Easy Brad, what did you expect from TGOM Jr? LOL. I think I must have pinched a nerve in one of the other posts.
MBL
Kim, did you get that inside joke?

3-25-2009 @ 7:34PM

James said...

Consider that Mark Martin and Jr. took over rides in the weak sisters of the Hendrick organization. There seem to be structural problems with the organization that go far beyond the driver/crew chief figureheads.

Let's face it, it appears that the only person who could stop Kyle Busch (besides Kyle Busch) was Rick Hendrick!

3-25-2009 @ 7:37PM

gmatclr said...

Stop me if you have heard this one befor-- " All dale jr needs is a good ride with a top notch owner"----- Well?

3-25-2009 @ 7:50PM

The title is correct though. The words "dale jr" and "duds" just seem to go together.

3-26-2009 @ 2:40AM

Timothy said...

I still think that the biggest reason Jr. has made so many mistakes this season is because he has spread himself too thin. It also wouldn't hurt him to race in the Nationwide series more.

3-26-2009 @ 8:27AM

hilryshaves said...

You'd think with all jr's money, he'd finally get into something he enjoys. He got into racing to please his Diddy, and when he didn't measure up, Diddy turned his back on him. Give it up jr, racing isn't your thing..

3-26-2009 @ 8:40AM

Ron said...

Who judges a season after 5 races? Thats easy to answer. Jr gets crucified more than any driver simply because the crucifiers think he gets too much ink, too many fans, and the crucifiers think their drivers don't get enough. Whats the easiest retaliation? Go after the driver with any little petty thing they can think of. The ironic thing is, the more they crucify him the more ink he gets. LOL Ya gotta love that!

3-26-2009 @ 8:54AM

Too true, Ron.

3-26-2009 @ 9:40AM

Kim said...

Yes, Mike...I got the "inside joke." Many others should, too. In one week, there have been FOUR articles written about or including Dale Jr. For what? Did he win a race and I just missed it? Did he finish in the top five and I missed it? Nope to both! Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch are the only two drivers dominating the season thus far, (yes, only five races in) yet there have only been four articles written about them combined in the past three weeks. Jeff Gordon is on a role and having a HUGE comeback from last year, currently first in points. How many articles have been written about him? One that I can recall. Unfair, you betcha!

Who's unfair to Jr.? It isn't his team, not his crewchief, not his owner, not his family...it's the media and frankly most of his die hard fans!

From where I am sitting, I am not judging Jr. on only five races into the beginning of one season, I am judging him based on his entire Sprint Cup career. I am tired of the excuses given by HIS FANS and the press. Like someone above me wrote, "If only Dale Jr. had a better ride and a better team." Okay, that happened? He's got the best ride and he is with the best team. How many wins has he produced? One! How many top fives? I am not sure, but if it were a large amount, I would probably remember. How many times has he made the top ten in chase standings since moving to the new team? NONE! Yet both our Fanhouse writers have produced yet another excuse above. He is being judged unfairly and critisized. Enough with the excuses! Either he produces or he doesn't! It's up to him and his team and no one else.

As far as Mark Martin & Dale Jr. getting the "short end of the stick" at Hendrick? Give me a break! Just another piss poor excuse as to why Jr. isn't running well, again! Jimmie Johnson only had his first top five last weekend. Does he suddenly have crappy equipment, too? NO! Mark Martin (although I love him) had too high of expectations in his first year with a new team. They can't all be Kyle Busch's. It will be at least two years before he is truly competetive after only running part-time for the past two seasons.

On the rookie class, I will agree. Dissapointment indeed, except for Marcus Ambrose. Now how about a story or two on him? I know I for one would appreciate a break from Dale Jr. and be interested in learning more about a new up-comer who IS showing potential!

Kim

3-26-2009 @ 9:50AM

You must be talking about this year Kim. Last year his driving rating was forth. If you don't know what that is go to nascar.com and do some research.

3-26-2009 @ 10:13AM

Kimi, Getting the most ink comes with the territory of being the most popular driver. Most of the readers are Jr fans for whatever reason so of course the media is going to talk about him the most. When Bill Elliot was the most popular driver most of the ink and the talk went to him. If reading about Jr upsets you that much why don't you just quit reading it.

3-26-2009 @ 10:26AM

Hey Ron!

I was referring to where Jr. ended up in the point standings last year. That was 12th. As far as his driver rating....isn't that based on how many times you lead a lap and various other variables, too including fan base? Look, I don't get into too many stats. I look at how often a driver wins, how often they place in the top ten, how often they have a comeback from a bad situation, so on.

I don't mind the occasional article on Jr. I am only pointing out that once again, four articles in one week have been written about one driver. I don't care who that driver is, that's ridiculous! There are 42 other drivers out there. Let's talk about them. In fact you bring up Bill Elliot. I would love to read an article about his past endeavors and his new ones.

I know Jr. is the most popular driver in NASCAR. My question is: why?

I am sure I will be "attacked" by all his fans now, because I am not entitled to simply not be a fan of his. People seem to be unable to be imparcial when it comes to Jr. If it were any other driver, would there be so many excuses all the time?

With Jimmie Johnson (we all know, he's my favorite)...I am the first to criticize and agree with others when things aren't going well for the number 48 team. Last Sunday was his first top five finish thus far this season. It's hard to watch a dominating team who has won the last three titles struggle so. However, they have proven time and time again that they will overcome their hurdles. Will Jr.?

Kim

3-26-2009 @ 11:07AM

obamaizadope said...

Jr is pillow soft. They'll never know how good he can be until he is separated at the hip from the Eury's. He needs someone like Chad Knaus, or Ray Evernham to kick him in the ass and challenge him. If Rick saw that potential in him, he'd have made a move by now, but he knows Jr is a slacker, and not worth the effort. You can't want for someone more than they want for themself..

3-26-2009 @ 11:51AM

Kim....Maybe you should review the chase and find out why he ended up where he did. As did kyle Bush. Driver ratings reveals a drivers performance over the entire year and has nothing to do with fans. Sour grapes is obvious sweetie.

3-26-2009 @ 12:17PM

Kim, the actual point total for Jr last year put him in 7th I think. I do not still have the data I had collected for all the chasers but I think he was 4th after 26 races (not the stupid chase ranking using the 10 point rule) and ened 7th in total points. I was bored and totaled it out for the chasers at the end of the season. I think JJ is the only one that has won the cup in the new format that can now boast he won it no matter which way you add it up last year.
I am not sure what the rating system is based on but it is not based on where you finish the race. It is probably based on average running position, maybe laps led, and maybe on passing under green. But it has little to do with where you stand in points and are you going to make the chase.
If a guy has bad luck and gets wrecked near the end, an engine blows up, misses his pit box, speeds thru pit row, or simply cannot hang at the end for whatever reason, he will have a higher rating than his points show.
MBL

3-26-2009 @ 4:23PM

Sour Grapes for what? His massive amount of wins? Again Ron, I am not arguing that Jr. isn't popular, I am arguing that he isn't in the same league as some of the other drivers and doesn't deserve the constant media attention he receives for only having won one race in the past several years.

Look at all the other racers who have won one race in the past few years (Michael Waltrip) for one. Do they get constant media attention? Nope. So because Jr. is supposedly the most popular driver in NASCAR based on his fan base, not his numbers, then he deserves to be written about four times in four different articles in one week?

Kim

3-26-2009 @ 7:55PM

This is getting riciculous. Then go bitch to the media pete's sake. Putting Jr down just because people write about him is little petty don't you think? The more you Jr bashers whine about Jr the more ink he gets, so you're fueling your own fire.

3-27-2009 @ 12:53AM

Amen, I'm with ya on that one Ron but what really kills me is the FACT that to often the article is not about Jr. and the bashers drag him into the blogs for no other reason than to bash him anyway.

3-27-2009 @ 6:39AM

I thought I was "bitching" to the media. I stated four artilcles in one week about Jr. was ridiculous. All four of those articles are on Fanhouse. Holly & Geoffrey wrote this article & the others, so I am assuming, will read the comments, too.

This Jr. "hater" crap is getting ridiculous. Just because someone isn't a fan, doesn't mean they "hate" someone. I've said so many times, so won't repeat myself again.