While I was involved in about 20 separate conversations today on Twitter, all about Danica Patrick and all at the same time, this post idea came to me. The topic of Danica moving to NASCAR has picked up speed over the last few weeks, and everyone is throwing their two cents in (we wrote about it in April). While discussing this with some people, the inevitable comparisons to Dale Jr. popped up.
It seems that a lot of people think of these two (Danica and Jr.) as being very similar. They are both race drivers, they both have a big following, and they both are highly visible and highly marketable. But to me, that is where the comparison ends.
Danica is popular because she is a novelty in American motorsports. She is one of only a handful of current female drivers that are able to hang with the boys on race day. And she has been able to parlay that popularity into getting paid big bucks to hock everything from cell phones to domain names. She is not popular because of her on track performance. I don’t care if she does have a win and finished third at the Indy 500. Point to those things as examples, and I will point out her single win in five years in the IRL and the fact that she’s only led 84 of the 11,153 laps she’s completed (including zero laps led this season).
Dale Jr. currently sits atop the NASCAR world as the most popular driver because of his pedigree AND his performance. He has been able to take those two assets and in turn make some fat cash. You certainly don’t see him peddling energy drinks and car insurance because he looks good in a bikini.
So before I move on, let’s make sure everyone understands this. Danica is a celebrity because of her novelty. Dale Jr. has a name and a resume to back his popularity.
Everyone clear? Good, moving on…
One of the biggest story lines of this season up to now has been the struggles of Dale Jr. and the #88 team. It just so happens that while I was working out some of the ideas for this post the announcement came out about Jr.’s cousin, Tony Eury Jr., being replaced as his crew chief. Great timing, right?
Because of his struggles, everyone from the main players in the NASCAR media, to the smallest fan blogger has offered up their commentary and thoughts about what is wrong, who is to blame, and how they should fix it. But no matter where you stand on Jr., there is one thing that is unequivocally undeniable:
Dale Jr. can flat drive a race car.
Don’t believe me? Then let’s explore this.
I’m going to start this off by saying that before you jump on me about the Earnhardt name, the advantages he was given, and his recent struggles, let me stop you.
Eh, no! I said stop…
Yes, the guy is big because he inherited a great deal of his father’s followers after that fateful day in 2001. But just because his last name is Earnhardt doesn’t mean he has an easier path to success. You don’t have four top ten Cup Series points finishes, 18 Cup wins, two Busch Series championships, and 22 Busch wins unless you can freakin’ drive. And let’s not forget he did make the Chase just one season ago.
So while things may not look so good for him right now, rest assured that it won’t stay that way for long. He has one of the best owners in the business in his corner, and everyone knows that Mr. H wants nothing more then to see Jr. succeed in his equipment. And the boss will do whatever he feels is necessary to get there. We saw that today.
Are times tough in Jr.’s world right now? Hell yeah they are. You try having the Earnhardt name and finish 40th at the home track. But guess what? He is racing in the most competitive racing series, top to bottom, on this planet. And sometimes even the best of drivers goes into a slump. Ask Jeff Gordon. Or Matt Kenseth. Or Kurt Busch. Or Carl Edwards.
But tomorrow is a new day. And this crew chief change could be just what the doctor ordered. Don’t be surprised if, in a couple of weeks, Dale Jr. isn’t back in the top 10 and possibly competing for wins. He’s done it before, he can certainly do it again.
On a quick sidenote, this happens to be the 400th post on TNI. I can’t believe we’ve written that many, and I also can’t believe that within the last week we reached and then went over 2,000 reader comments. Thank you so much for that, and here’s to 400 and 2,000 more! – T.C.
Related posts:
- Dale Jr. And The Top-35: Notes From Bristol
- Why In The World Would Hendrick Let Dale Jr. Go?
- The Insiders Face Off: Driver/Media Interaction
- Who’s To Blame For The Plight of JR Motorsports’ Other Driver?
- Sometimes You’ve Got It. Sometimes You Don’t.
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on May 29th, 2009 at 12:57 am
great post! i seem to agree with your guys’ opinions like 95% of the time. this time you really hit the nail on the head. i always thought jr.’s brand name status and his endless followers made him comparable to danica, but again that’s where i thought it ended.
i hope danica doesn’t jump to nascar right away… i think she should ride out her popularity in indycar (which, as long as she sticks with it, she’ll be a top 5 or 6 driver her whole career because she’ll get good equipment), she’ll make a lot of money and continue to be a valuable brand name. once she jumps to nascar, that stock goes way down, and she can’t expect to maintain her earning power in the extremely competitive stock car world. i would suggest she make a slow transition unlike most other open wheelers. however, i think she should jump straight to cup later in her career (like her mid to late 30′s at the earliest) that way she is guaranteed like 4-5 years in at least semi-competitive equipment. if she proves her worth and can really run well, then great, she’ll make more money. worst case, she was probably going to retire before she got into her 40′s or so anyway, so she doesn’t lose much and still earns more money for a few years.
on May 29th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Hope the change works out well for both Jr’s.
on May 29th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Congrats to the400th post
Love your site
Comparing Danica and Junior is like comparing an apple to an orange.
Hope the crewcheif change works
Ron
on May 29th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Interesting. Bash one competitor to glorify another. There’s some writing for you. I think Jr. may even be offended on how you came to make your point.
on May 29th, 2009 at 8:22 am
This was bound to happen & comes as no surprise. I am surprised how patient Rick Hendrick was with the situation though & I thought it would happen sooner. Especially since Mark Martin nixed the proposed crew chief swap by winning at Phoenix.
Jr. obviously is in a slump & when any athlete goes into a slump it can be difficult to pinpoint why. Is it mental? Is it physical? Is it bad luck? Is it a combination of things? Everyone has their theory of what happened to Jr. but no one can know for sure. I’ll bet Jr. doesn’t know.
One thing I do know is that if the pressure on Jr. to perform wasn’t bad enough before, it’s got to be incredible now. It will definitely be interesting to listen to the scanner chatter between Lance & Jr. if things don’t improve because it ain’t family anymore that Jr.’s hollering at.
on May 29th, 2009 at 8:31 am
I am a fan of Dale Jr., he’s not my favorite driver, but I like him. I do stick up for him when others say he has no talent. There was a stretch of time when Jr. won 17 races and the only other drivers to equal the win count in that same amount of time were Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.
I would not want to be Dale Jr. not for any amount of money. The day his father died by default became the biggest day of his career. Millions of fans switched to him overnight and expected the world.
We all knew the crew chief change was coming and I will have Jr. on my fantasy team at Pocono. How many times have we seen a crew chief change and them the team goes on a roll immediately? It may not happen here, but I predict a great improvement very quickly.
on May 29th, 2009 at 9:21 am
TC-I am onboard w/ 99%. While JR and DP both have cult followings, at least JR has a pretty solid resume to justify some of it. I do think JR’s meteoric rise and always good equipment in the climb has hurt his ability to dissect what the car needs and wants. Perhaps, however, not properly preparing him for changing conditions. JRs always been a roll off the truck good = race good driver. With 18 Cup wins and 22 Nationwide (still Busch to me) wins, consider these stats and you decide if JR has adapted to tracks and cars (COT).
(5) that’s a hefty 28% of (18) Cup wins came at Talladega, last being in ’04 pre-COT. Add Daytona’s (2) wins and 39% of his Cup wins were on restrictor plate tracks where DEI cars were virtually untouchable back in the day. Heck, even Mikey won (2) 500’s in DEI restrictor rocket ships. Pepper in (3) Richmond, (2) Phoenix, and singles at Dover, Michigan (’08 COT), Chicago, Texas, Atlanta and Bristol. That’s very limited success in COT, while JJ/Knaus learned early on the COT tricks and JG/LaTarte are getting better after struggling.
My point as an outsider is…JR “can” drive a race car. JR has trouble communicating how to set up a car for range of adjustability for changing race conditions and then systematically giving feedback for the entire 500 mile race “process”. IMHO if JR and Lance will work open and honestly with each other, JR can learn to adapt and compete effectively.
Congrats on 400th post!
on May 29th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Indycarwest: So because I wrote a post sticking up for Dale Jr., that includes calling Danica what she is, I’m glorifying and bashing?
I don’t believe I said one thing about Danica that isn’t true. Her performance just isn’t there, and she is popular because of the fact that she’s a female competing in racing. If you can dispute either of those things, then we can discuss whether I was “bashing” her.
And pointing out Dale Jr.’s statistics and discussing his troubles a little bit doesn’t appear to me to be glorification. Glorifying Dale Jr. would be like if I called him “the greatest driver to ever live!” I don’t believe I did that…
on May 29th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Tc, first you did not bash Danica or Glorify Jr in any way. Second while I think that Tony Jr has some blame as to why Dale’s setups were off, I think that alot of outcry over Tony Jr is not fully deserved. He is a good crew chief and a very smart man ( look what he did for Mikey at DEI a few years ago ) I do agree with Neon that Dale needs to learn to communicate better what the car is doing. I have heard his in car chatter and sometimes he complains about the car, but doesn’t really tell them what it’s doing or what he needs. I am a Jr fan and I hope this change is just the thing he needs to get better on track performance.
Congrads on the 400 and 2000!!! You guys ROCK!
on May 29th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Dale can drive he just needs the right team people and to get his head in the game.And for Danica I hope she stays where she is I just have no respect for her she needs to keep her clothes on and show she can drive .We do not need more Eye candy.If no one wants her in indy she will come to na$car.I hope they keep her in the trucks or lower till she proves herself.And last This is a great site and a must read and many many more great posts GOOD LUCK GUYS
on May 29th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
What if the two of them hooked up you know she could drive his NW car. I agree with your post. Just wish they pulled the plug 2 weeks ago. I can’t wait to listen to his in car Sunday.
on May 29th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
NASCAR is certainly a very interesting body, one where its fans flat out expect much more than any other body of supporters in any other sport. Who knows why Jr and Jr did not work out. Who knows why they are both in a slump. The good news here is that they are both supporting an incredibly intelligent man, their team owner, Rick Hendrick. I believe this change will generate a good deal of positive direction for the 88 bunch and hopefully see Dale Jr. resume his winning ways. It has been written that the 5 & 88 teams do not work as cohesively as the 24 & 48..well, just imagine the intrigue of having a duo like Jr and Jr invading your space. This was the most hyped up move in NASCARs history and could well have gone a long way to making it difficult for Eurey and others to settle in with any kind of soft landing at Hendrick. Tony is a very intelligent and talented man who should be a huge asset to the Hendrick organization. And as for Junior, I am tired of reading that he is a talented driver, but not as talented as his father. His Dad won 7 Championships in very different times. How would any of us like to face that challenge EVERY day in your life? Dale Jr. is racing in a very fast changing environment, one where his entire race team and world went completely upside down just as he was coming into his own in February 2001.He did not ask for the fan base from his father. He likewise did not state that he would drive like his father…indeed if you look at his driving style in those early years when Sr was on the track, it was clear that they drove in two completely different styles. I am the bigggest Sr. fan out there, however with the vanilla flavour of the sport these days, he would spend more time in the penalty box than on the track.It is sad, but true. Sr and Jr are two different individuals living in two differrent times. I is flat out simply not fair or correct to compare. I am a fan of NASCAR and will always be. I am not happy that Toyota has been welcomed into this hallowed American sport, however that is a topic for another discussion and I am still a fan of NASCAR! In short, support Tony Jr. Support Dale JR and Support NASCAR….Obviously we all like it more than many of you say, otherwise, why are so many writing in to air their problems with the Sport?
on May 29th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Thanks TJ for telling the bashers that Dale Junior is a good driver. I think it is a high compliment coming from someone in the sport that sees how hard he drives every week.
on May 29th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
While I’m all for diversity in Nascar, with today’s economy I don’t think timing is right for Danica. As for JR, he has been my driver since he started in the “Busch” series and will be as long as I live. He’s a GR88 race car driver who has had to endure more hardships than most of us. Does anyone remember who had to stand up for his daddy in 1981..JR; just think about his age at the time (26?) and he’s the spokesman for Dale Sr.’s family, DEI, etc. But, it didn’t end there. He shouldered that burden for YEARS while TE hid from everyone. Was that fair; no, but he felt a responsibility to his father, Taylor and DEI. Best thing he EVER did was leave DEI and go where he is welcome, has a real boss in Mr. H and he’ll be just fine. He just needs a break so he can work with the new company structure without the negative media and so-called fans.
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
LMAO @ ” He DID make the Chase last year”
Wow, like that was a great feat driving for the best team in NASCAR.
He is darn well expected to make the Chase.
Junior is good, but thats all, good. He is in the Harvick, Hamlin, Biffle etc tier, not the Johnson, Gordon,Edwards, Busch etc one.
If Junior fans would accept his true level, then they would
a) be less disappointed each week
b) More palatable to non-Junior fans!
Nice guy, but waaaay Over88ted for sure!