When you have the second fastest car in qualifying, and lead a heap of laps at the beginning of a race, you sure as heck don't expect to end up in 36th position.But as you likely already know, such was the fate of Dale Earnhardt Jr's sojourn in Kansas City.
The weekend didn't start out so dire. Friday afternoon, in fact, it seemed that the winds of change had finally blown Junior's way (quite literally) when he laid down one of his quickest qualifying laps of the season.
But the great expectations and grinning exuberance were shattered by an uncanny combination of race day frustrations. An ill-placed lugnut. A fateful caution. An equipment malfunction. An early exit.
Clearly, there must be some great cosmic joke afoot. Or perhaps a higher power is trying to teach Junior and The Nation a deeper universal truth. Surely there's a meaning behind the madness, because you just can't script a season of disappointments like this. Not that you'd want to.
Try as they may, the #88 team just can't shake the dark cloud that's been hanging over their garage since that regrettable race in Daytona. And though there's been sure signs of improvement of late--like the proverbial light in the distance--fortune's wheel hasn't spun Junior's way quite yet. The stars have not aligned.
Though still loyal, Junior Nation is not happy. And adjusting pre-season expectations for their favorite driver hasn't been pleasant. But Junior Nation now admittedly and necessarily harbors more modest hopes for their #88. Namely, that he wins at least one race before the season ends.
Yet, as I recently heard on a political talk show of some ilk or other, hope is not a strategy. And, in Junior's case at least, it would seem that it's going to take more than hope for his fans' goal to be realized.
It may take nothing short of help from on high.
I think Dale Jr. is the most overrated sports figure. The man has never even contended for a championship, and once again he didnt even make the chase. He is covered solely on the basis of who his father is.
ReplyDeleteJr supporters like to point out his 2 BGN Championships and his (mostly) superspeedway wins (same stuff Mikey Waltrip won in) but I've never been impressed with his talent. He's certainly not in the top-10 in Cup talent but I don't dislike the guy. I just think he's a distant 4th on the Hendrick totem pole in terms of ability.
ReplyDeleteHe was never a championship contender, will never be a championship contender...and he’s not even a race win contender. So WHY are so many articles written about someone so perpetually inept??????
ReplyDeleteThe embarrassment of the famed Hendrick motorsports; he really does not belong.....
You don't think that he was a contender last year? He has won races on other tracks and not just on the super speedway's
ReplyDeleteArticles are written about him so idiots like you can make silly comments!
ReplyDeleteabove comments must have been written by a Gordon fan
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people have the meaning of being popular and being overrated mixed up
ReplyDeleteDale Jr. is 10 place for wins of active drivers. That means there are 33 active drivers with less wins. His dad did not give him those wins. I think a lot of you are confused between being popular or being rated. I just think most negative comments are from jealous people
ReplyDeleteI really feel sorry for people who see only bad things about a person. Dale JR. was contending for a championship in 2004. Did we all forget what a great season he had? He went in to the chase strong accidentaly slipped out the s==t word on T.V they took a bunch of points from him and there was one more race he did really great in and they took more points. Dale Jr. has and will always be a great racer.
ReplyDeletehe will not survive at hendrick motor sports, for his 5 yr contract. rick h will let him go probably sometime in 2011. i do not see anyone picking him up, the economy is way down, and sponsors want WINS ?????
ReplyDeleteJR's is my DRIVER win or lose.I will always be a fan. AT my house it's always GO JR!!
ReplyDeleteRETIRE JR! PLAIN AND SIMPLE. No one wants you, including the team and pit crew. Do the fans and the family members a BIG favorite, leave us all. Change your name to MUD, and sell the jr team and the bar, and never show you face around again. You have stolen money from Hendrick and the fans give it all back, you committed fraud and that is a CRIME!
ReplyDeleteHEY YOU ANONYMOUS IGNORANT S.O.B. HOW DARE YOU HE DIDNT ASK FOR THIS RUN OF BAD LUCK IF I KNEW WHO YOU WERE I WOULD PUNCH YOU IN THE SNOOT DONT YOU EVER! EVER! TALK ABOUT JUNIOR LIKE HE IS GARBAGE I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHY DONT YOU GO BACK UNDER YOUR ROCK WITH KYLE BUSCH AND DISAPPEAR HOW DARE YOU IGNORANT #$@!!!!** i WILL FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE AND I WILL HAVE YOU BANNED FROM BLOGGING ANYWHERE PERIOD
ReplyDeleteDALESBABY88
This is just ridiculous...Let's just drop the fact that he is not famous because of his father. He's famous for his personality. He may not be winning, but at least he's not giving up. I'll never dislike him because he doesn't win. There's something that isn't clicking between the team. He can race, it's silly little mistakes by the crew that cost him, I mean don't get me wrong he has had his share of mistakes, but when you can't get the car fixed, he can't help that he's loose or tight...there is something they need to be closely looking at. And being popular isn't that what happens, everyone wants to talk about him, wants to be his friend, or wants him to be perfect and he's not...and yes 2004 was his best year went on to win the Daytona 500 and 5 other races that year...and he has had many accomplishments that his father never did...such as winning the Winston 500 his rookie year...winning at Texas, where his father never won. He has a lot of accomplishments and something will eventually get worked out and he will be a contender again...the media just needs to have a positive attitude about...
ReplyDeleteDale jr is a great talent, when Lance took over performance did improve big time. It just showed how far the 88 team was off under Tony jr. Do you think that can be fixed in 15 races? No way. Look how far off RCR is right now. They have been down in years past then figured it out. Its a changing sport, every year is different. What worked last year wont work this year and so on. Rick and Lance will fix this for next year. Look for 88 to be back in top 10 in 2010. Not tearing up the track but consistantly running and finishing good. Go Jr!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOMG you JR bashers need to get a life. Let's see when was the last time Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, um, Mat Kenseth - NOT IN THE CHASE - Kyle Busch the greatest driver to ever race - NOT IN THE CHASE and by the way he is NOT the greatest driver to ever race but the media idiots put it out there that Kyle was the greatest, blah blah, NOT in the chase.
ReplyDeleteJR is having a bad year, HELLO Dale Sr. had a bad year, 2 or more bad years but came back and won championships which is what JR WILL DO and all you JR bashers, well you know where you can go.
You know it kills me to read the comments from people saying how "under rated" Jr. is. Have you guys been watching the sport for longer than a year or two? If he didn't have talent then he wouldn't be racing no matter what his name is or what his father did.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rick H releasing him from his contract - that will never happen. Rick H. is laughing all the way to the bank. Jr. makes more money than any of his drivers - including Jimmy Johnson!!! He is a gold mine for Hendricks and that is without him winning championships. Can you immagine how much he will make when they get their act together and he actually wins a championship?
I believe it was Jeff Gordon who said when Jr. wins a championship it is game over for the rest of us.
AMEN BROTHER!!!