Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Discussion in 'Sports' started by MaconVol, Jan 30, 2012.

  1. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    Any chance Junebug gets that elusive first victory in what seems like eons this year?

    I personally think so. I think they had a lot of positive last year.
     
  2. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    After watching him in the Busch series dominate I could have never imagined his career turning out like this.
     
  3. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    I thought that he would go on to have a 2-3 championship career after the way he raced in 2004. Wonder why he has fallen off so bad?
     
  4. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    He was probably a little over-rated to start. The short answer is most of the drivers are better than him. His step-momma didn't do him any favors either.
     
  5. The Dooz

    The Dooz Super Moderator

    really? i thought it was pretty obvious that after the 04 season, it just wasn't going to happen for him. he became to concerned with his celebrity and not with his job. i don't care how much he denies that. i'm still amazed at just how good those plate cars at DEI were.

    as to if he can win, the longer it goes the less likely i see it being.
     
  6. The Dooz

    The Dooz Super Moderator

    i don't see how she held him back. he has a ride on the best team in NASCAR because of her. i know a lot of people blame her, but she was under zero obligation to give the team to him.
     
  7. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    I had been of the thinking that he had to many other things going on and was not able to fully focus on racing like a Jimmie Johnson does. One has to wonder though, with Rick hendrick's resources, and his proposed "all in" approach on Jr., it does make you wonder if he is just simply an average driver who will never be able to win championships.
     
  8. tidwell

    tidwell Chieftain

    Anyone can win a Cup race in a flukey fashion, and I see that as his only real shot.

    Last year was a lot like his first year at HMS. Started out decent, fell off the map in June. Because of that, I think '12 will look a lot like '09. (Read: not good)

    And I'm a fan. But it's just not happening.
     
  9. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    He's got money and women. He doesn't really care about much else.
     
  10. JayVols

    JayVols Walleye Catchin' Moderator

    I think JR's problems are a combination of things.

    1. He is overrated some as a driver simply because of his name.
    2. He lost his dad racing. That has had an impact on the way he drives. He is no where near as aggressive as he was early in his career.
    3. He had the benefit of consulting one of the best drivers of all time before 2001. He doesn't have that anymore.
    4. He is the most popular driver in the sport yet values privacy greatly. There's a lot of pressure there.
    5. He's too concerned with being known as a good clean racing guy in the garage unlike his dad. Nice guys don't win Championships 99% of the time. See Mark Martin. I think he over compensates in this area. He didn't have the greatest relationship with his dad most of his life, and goes out of his way to prove that he is different from Sr.


    Jr has many lofty standards to uphold and many ghosts that haunt him. Very few people could thrive under those conditions. No excuses though. As bad as Dale Sr fans want Jr to be a surrogate hero, Jr simply is not as talented as Sr and lacks the single minded ambition to win at all costs that his dad possessed. Bluntly and unfortunately after years of hoping to see the light come on, Jr is just not that good of a driver when compared to his competition.
     
  11. rbroyles

    rbroyles Chieftain

    I have to say this is about spot on, especially number two. Not often given as a reason, but is probably more of a factor than most would think. I also believe his mindset became one of "I've proved I can win, I don't have to win to make an insane amount of money, I can screw more women than than I have time to do so, why push it?"
     
  12. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    Solid post Jay
     
  13. Tenacious D

    Tenacious D The law is of supreme importance, or no importance

    Dooz will (laughingly) attest that I am a Jr. fan, and have been for some time. Secondly, both he and Broyles would testify that I know just slightly less than "jack shit" about racing, in general, and notably including NASCAR.

    As much as I'd like to see him win one - or hell, even a raw would be nice - I can finally admit that it's more likely than not that he won't.

    For all of the reasons that Jay expertly proposed, but particularly those which pointed to his "want to". To me, he just seems to be perfectly content with running laps for the most part, and that only changes on the rare occassons when he essentially has a perfect car that week and has a chance to win - something which few drivers ever have.

    If he doesn't have the "perfect" car, he doesn't seem capable of doing little more than making circles, whereas the good / great ones seem to be able to overcome just about anything to get up front, or who at the very least have every damned intent on doing so.

    It's too much to say he doesn't care...because I think he would love to win one....but I don't think that he feels the need do so. And truth be told, he doesn't really need to - Sr.'s untimely and tragic passing guarantee that he'll always have a ride, and will be the single most popular driver out there on any given week, and likely, by a 5 to 1 margin over anyone else, whether well-deserved or not.

    I don't resent him for his seeming nonchalance, hell I might be the same, but I hate that he doesn't have that inner fire to get to the front and stay there. I think it's both wasteful of his talents (I believe he is an above-average driver), and that which falls well-short of being a worthy caretaker of what his daddy made the Earnhardt name represent.

    That doesn't make him mean, bad, stupid or evil - by any means - but possibly lazily apathetic at worst and near-sighted at best.

    He should have long ago had someone to kick him squarely in the ass and demanded more from him, but the only guy who could likely pull that off was Senior. I can't imagine that anyone else has even made an earnst attempt to do so. And I certainly don't think that has been either Lance Mcgrew or Rick Hendrick, nor will it ever be.

    One other thing I've wondered - and just to add to Jay's already excellent list - is how the fiery crash from several years ago (Corvette something or other?) might have also impacted his driving skills, and how it might have possibly and also further curbed his aggressiveness, too. Didn't he have like third degree burns or something? Just a thought.

    And despite all of this - I remain hopeful for what he might do this season, and am excited to see the new year get underway.
     
  14. JayVols

    JayVols Walleye Catchin' Moderator

    Good point. I forgot about that one.
     
  15. rbroyles

    rbroyles Chieftain

    I don't think the Corvette crash affected him any appreciable amount. Different type of racing, different cars without as stringent of anti-crash rules and devices.
     
  16. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Jay covered it pretty well.

    I hope he does well and gets on the board this year.

    I have been to 3 cup races (2 Bristol, 1 Talladega), and 2 "Busch" races (Both Bristol). Jr won 3 of the 5. Maybe I should go to more.
     
  17. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    Solid race for Little E last night.
     
  18. Tenacious D

    Tenacious D The law is of supreme importance, or no importance

    Hard to argue with a second-place run, for sure.

    But let's see how he does away from plate placing, and amidst the grind of the season, where his attention seems to wane and as he encounters tracks which might be more challenging to him.

    I hope he wins them all - or finishes second, if failing that - but I guess that I've become too jaded over the last few years to put much stock in his early season performance.
     
  19. rbroyles

    rbroyles Chieftain

    Your reluctance to get overly excited over a second place at Daytona is solid thinking. It's the non-restrictor plate races that most determine the drivers making the Chase, and Junior's competitiveness seems to be limited mostly to the plate tracks. I look for him to win at least one plate race, a less likely chance to win elsewhere.
     
  20. MaconVol

    MaconVol Chieftain

    Solidly agree with you Tenny D.
     

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