12:32 AM
JD
I never have understood why people so fervently hate Dale Earnhardt Jr. I know he has a ton of fans that can, admittedly, become obnoxious at times. I know he has had a ton of coverage and will continue to do so. But just what is it that makes their blood boil?
I am sure a large part of the anger is the TV, print, and internet coverage he gets. Let’s admit it: programs get more views, articles get more reads, and blogs get more clicks when the name Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes into play. But do the Jr. haters think their driver deserves more attention? Perhaps! However, when asked, most of them will not tell you who their favorite driver is. Odd.
One of the main things Jr. haters throw out is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t getting any younger. I have even seen this little thought grace the lines on ESPN, NASCAR.com, and many other blogs. So just how hold is he and is he past his prime, which the Jr. hater would say never came?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was born October 10, 1974. Entering the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season he will be a ripe old 37. He has no Sprint Cup Championships and 18 Sprint Cup wins to show for 12 years of full time Sprint Cup racing. Will he amass a huge sum of wins? Can he win a championship or more than one? Or is he just a few years away from climbing from the car, grabbing hold to his walker, and hobbling off into the sunset?
Well, let’s compare Dale Jr. to some great racers from the past. I know most people, especially Jr. haters, will compare him to his father. Comparing someone to the best is interesting, but not always sensible. Let’s see how Dale Earnhardt Jr. compares to some other drivers, such as Dale Jarrett and Cale Yarborough.
I know that many fans would not consider Jarrett one of the greatest, but he is a past champion and had 32 Cup wins. Earnhardt Jr. is entering his 13th year in Cup and has 18 wins and 0 championships. Entering his 13th season, Jarrett also had 18 wins and 0 championships. No, Dale Jarrett was not 37. Indeed, he was 42.
So just how did Jarrett fare in the 5 years after? Well, he had 13 wins and 1 championship, with an average season finish of 9th.
Cale Yarborough is widely thought of as one of the toughest NASCAR drivers ever. It is often said that he could manhandle any car in any situation. It is no shock then that he was able to have success in his later years. Yarborough raced in 284 races winning 31 times over a 18 year period before winning his first championship at the age of 37. Yarborough went on to win 40 times, 3 consecutive championships, and had an average points finish of 2nd over the next 5 years.
No, don’t blast me yet. I am not saying that Earnhardt Jr. is on the edge of a run like Yarborough had. Nor do I think he is as tough. But the simple fact is that 37 is not entirely that old in NASCAR.
Yes, there have been huge gains by young drivers over the past 15 years or so. But handfuls of wins aside, Sprint Cup Championships don’t tend to be won by the “Young Guns”. For example, there has not been a Champion younger than 25 since Jeff Gordon did it at 23 in 1995. On top of that, it has only been done that one time since Bill Rexford did it at 23 in NASCAR’s second year, 1950 (which was, by the way, more impressive since he did not race in 2 of the 19 races.) There have only been 11 champions under the age of 30 since NASCAR’s inception 63 seasons ago, most recently Kurt Busch in 2004.
One other number: the average age of the Sprint Cup Champion over the last 10 years is 32.
No, Earnhardt Jr is not too old to win. No, he is not too old to win the championship. Debate his skills. Hate the attention he gets. Say he is the worst driver in the garage (stretching it quite a bit). But he is not too old. Let me know when he starts growing the beard solely to produce hair plugs, or his prostate will only allow him to run 200 mile races. Then we can talk.
Posted in: Dale Earnhardt,Dale Earnhardt Jr,Dale Jr Crew Chief,Daytona,Jeff Gordon,Kurt Busch,Nascar,Nascar Blog,nascar news,NASCAR Race Results,Race,Racing,racing blog,Sprint Cup
7 comments:
Another delusional article about this overra88ted and over-hyped driver with average at best talent and a famous last name.
Yet another anonymous comment from someone who is ashamed of their favorite. Just where, mr anonymous, would you rate Earnhardt Jr?
He may not be the greatest but he is a good driver You don't win 18 races by accident.
Did Jr Ever say he was the best?... I Don't recall hearing it....But the people who hate are so emotion filled they rarely let the facts get in the way of their story...& Nascar sure needed Jr when Earnhardt left us & he was a champ about it just ask Helton. Like Wilkonson said you don't win 18 races by fluke...& Most of that was with a slightly inferior team. No he's not his dad (nobody is) But how many wins did Kyle Petty get in his career? (sorry Kyle)
Jr won two hard fought Busch Championships against Matt Kenseth, a NASCAR champ, Jr could still win a championship, he's has the equipment to get it done, him and Stevie had a good first season together, I look forward to seeing how they do in season two together...
Personally, I think what Dale Jr. needs is a season off, or even a partial schedule for a year. It worked for Mark Martin the first time around, and he's much older than Jr.
I've liked Jr since he was a busch driver. Yes he sure did alot better in his younger years. BUT did we forget alot has happened in his life since then. Besides what happened in 2001 at daytona, how about the corvette race that he crashed and he didn't know how he survived. Anyone that doesn't like jr should do some research before you run your lips.... FYI look at the drivers that have no fear, they never had any close calls. Put yourself in his shoes...... Keep up the good work Jr we still love what you do.
Post a Comment