My fandom of JFK is borderline obsessive, and is wide and well known. For years, I've slighted his two adult children - Caroline, and the late John Jr. - for always seeming to consistently fall so well-short of his notably high standard, and both personally and professionally. Their inability to capitalize and build off of JFK's legacy was a source of persistent irritation, and so much so that I'd often remark, "They've got too much Bouvier (Jackie's maiden name), and not enough Kennedy.". But a few months ago, it hit me like a ton of bricks - maybe they're so little like their dad, because their dad was killed, and they were robbed of the enormous benefit of having him around through their formative and adult lives. It's a pretty simple truth, but one which completely escaped me, and for years. My question is whether the same applies, in some regard, to Dale Jr., too. I'm not trying to get back into excuse-making for Jr., at all, and blaming any short-comings on the loss of his Dad, alone. I'm not even trying to make him a sympathetic figure, and to quell much of the criticism he regularly faces, deserved or not - such is the "plight" of any athlete, in any sport. Because Jr. is no different than anyone else, and must ultimately stand and be judged on his own merits, at the end of the day. And recall, I wasn't a Sr. fan at all, and really loathed him. So, for those who know more than I, I'd ask how you think that Sr.'s death affected Jr., both in the immediate aftermath and since, possibly even throughout his career, or if even at all. Would Jr.'s career have turned out markedly different had Sr. lived, and in what tangible ways?
I think Sr was an all time great and his son is just a pretty good driver. I think that's all there really is to it.
This seems more likely true than not, but could Jr. have become great, or even markedly better, had his dad lived? If so, how much likely better? Would it have been the difference between winning a championship or not? If nothing else, I think Sr.'s death took the entire hopes of his fan base, and in many respects most of NASCAR itself, and dumped on his shoulders. I'm not sure what even that type of immediate and overwhelming responsibility could have done. But then, even typing this out, I get a sense that saying this smarts of so much excuse-making, and speaks to the truth of your post. To go another direction- Had Sr. lived, isn't it almost certain that DEI is still around, and that Jr. would have never left it....and would have never gone to Hendricks and enjoyed anything comparable to it's sort of built-in advantages?
Possibly on the Hendrick/DEI deal. What I see more likely given the multi-team alliance era is that good chance Hendrick/DEI formed a competitive alliance like Hendrick did with Stewart/Haas in previous years. As to your original post, I think you're on to something. Dooz posted a great article on Jr in the racing thread. I feel it contains great info on helping to answer some of your questions. Jr wanted to have time with his dad & for him to be proud of him. I think most of us wanted that growing up. Problem was, being who he was, Sr was all about racing. Period. He had little time for family. The article does a great job highlighting how Jr sought out his dad's attention, most of it not good ways. When he started racing, he finally got that time he desired only to have it ripped from him. It's a tough deal. As to expecting kids of great people to be great also, I've come to the conclusion that is not fair to the kids. We aren't just clones of our parents. Our experiences shape us into who we are. What JFK and Sr experienced to make them who they were was vastly different than what their kids experienced. So, even though they share DNA of their famous father's, it's impossible to expect them to BE their fathers. I am guilty of putting those expectations on Jr because Sr's death effected me greatly. I now realize that was not fair to me or Jr. I can't imagine the pressure to be JFK's or Sr's kid. The pressure is unbelievable, I'm sure. Just think about waking up every day with the weight of a great fatger's legacy on your shoulders knowing everyone is watching. Greatness is not just passed along through one's DNA. JFK & Sr were great not from just DNA. Their experiences shaped who they became. Given that, I think both sets of kids have done ok. Take away their father's legacy and look at their accomplishments alone. As a dad, I think I would be pretty proud if my kids accomplished the same things.
Dad probably would have kept him from partying his ass off, but when he was partying his ass off, he won quite a bit. Sr probably keeps Teresa in check and keeps Jr racing there, but the Hendrick team is about the best around. Everyone expected him to be his father, even if Sr had lived. He was on the way to retiring, in my opinion, so there would have been a void there anyways. And regarding championships, what Jimmie Johnson has done is remarkable. I don't really know anyone who beats him in his prime with the cars being what they were at the time. The guy was Tom Brady running a well oiled machine so to speak.
I'm a huge Jr. fan, but he just isn't as talented as his dad was. He's a pretty good driver in great equipment.
I actually believe Junior has accomplished more due to Dale, Sr's death than he would have if it had not occurred.
Interesting. Would like to hear more, because I think DEI would still be around had Senior lived on. Though I can't say for sure whether Junior would be there or not. My guess would be yes.
No thoughts on Dale Jr. and how he might've been different with his father around. But did have a lap dance once from an entertainer named Epiphany, and reckon things might've turned out different for her with a father in the picture.
26 wins in Monster Energy Nextel Sprint Winston Cup is pretty good. Good enough to not call him Kyle Petty 2.0 but he was never going to be on dad's level.
I certainly agree on the last two, not aware of how much credit Kraft can claim vs the average NFL team owner. Hendrick is a contributing owner to JJ's success. Not disagreeing just not informed enough.
Hate to be that guy, but how many of those wins are wins that NASCAR basically mandated? There's been more than one occasion when I cared more when I watched him do things at Daytona you should not do.
His dad did a lot of those same things, especially on plate tracks. It's a family thing. Races aren't rigged for a certain winner. They may "do" things to create late race drama, but they aren't fixing races.
