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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is greeted by soldiers (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Remember when it was supposedly cool to hate on Jeff Gordon? Fans Against Gordon T-shirts were the trend, and some even went as far as to creating web sites that promoted their hatred towards Gordon and the Rainbow Warriors.
It used to be cool to be a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. Fans, male and female, fervently supported their driver on race day by sporting red Budweiser garb and number 8 hats. It appears that things are changing for Earnhardt Jr., at least it is on the message boards. It is not that Junior Nation is necessarily dwindling, but it seems that the number of Junior haters are coming out of the woodwork. And it is not just the fans, but several in the media have also joined in on the Dale-Jr.-bashing epidemic. The Junior haters are out and about and ready to make their point. My question is, where were these Junior haters three or four years ago? They were few and far between. Were they just hesitant to express their feelings regarding Dale Jr.? What about Junior Nation? You guys were never hesitant to defend your driver when he was verbally attacked. It seems as if his recent lack of winning has deterred your argumentative spirit. As a writer, it is sometimes difficult to make a point regarding Earnhardt Jr. Some readers miss the point due to bias, or only focus on a few sentences in the article and form their own interpretation of the article. In my experience, if I am remotely critical of him, I am a Junior hater and cannot stand him because he is popular; and if I praise him, or write a positive article regarding him, I am "another writer" on the Junior bandwagon because he is popular, and I am trying to appease Junior Nation. My opinion of Earnhardt Jr. …he has never bothered me, nor has his popularity. The fans, whether they are bandwagon fans or not, have the right to choose who they root for. I feel as if his alleged "lack of talent" is greatly exaggerated. Sure, he may not possess skills comparable to Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart, or his late father. However, he is talented, or he would not be in the position he is in. I know this point has been beaten into the ground so often over the years, but his talent does not measure up to his popularity and exposure. How can it? Sure, his first ride was with his father’s company. But as most parents do, they give their children the opportunity. It is up to the child to take advantage of the opportunity. If Earnhardt Jr. lacked talent or drive, he would never have lasted at DEI when his father was still alive. Why is he struggling so badly in Hendrick Motorsports equipment? It has nothing to do with HMS equipment. If you remember, Earnhardt Jr. was competitive in the early 2000's in the previous car, and under different aero packages. Several of his wins were at restrictor plate tracks, but he was competitive at intermediates as well as the short tracks. For some reason, he is inconsistent in the Car of Tomorrow. He does not have a handle on it, and neither does his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. Drivers such as Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch have flourished in the COT. They just simply know how to drive it better than others. Earnhardt Jr. is not the only driver with this issue. Ryan Newman won his share of races in the old car, but he has not enjoyed as much success in the COT. The same can be said for Kevin Harvick, who has yet to win a race in the COT. Newman and Harvick are rarely crucified for "lack of talent." In fact, many consider Newman and Harvick as extremely gifted drivers. The only way to hush the critics is to win multiple championships and refuse to appear in commercials so his exposure will decrease. That will even out his popularity-to-talent ratio. Oh, yeah -- he needs a smaller fan base. The point is, the criticism is here to stay. He will win some races, but a championship? Well, he is not a championship-caliber driver as of now. He may in the future emerge as a championship threat. Even if he wins races, the criticism will not go away unless he wins championships. In 2004, he won six races, and was still considered by some as overrated.If he wins just one championship, he will still fall short, because his father won seven, and his teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have won four and three respectively. Therefore, the criticism is not going to stop, ever. So if I were him, I would just embrace the detractors, similar to how Kyle Busch has, and just race your heart out. He needs to race with something to prove, and basically, become obsessed with winning. That is when we can truly say that he is like his father. So fans, what am I today -- a Junior hater, or am I on the Junior bandwagon?
Comments
You like him
Kyle Bush’s talent is over rated and Jar’s talent is underrated. Before you go WHAT, let me explain. First, NASCAR (at least in the FOX broadcasting days) has always pushed drives on us fans. Ole DW tried to push Reed Sorenson and Kasey Kahne on us before Kyle Bush. Don’t get me wrong Kyle has a ton of talent but he is not the most talented guy out there, there are other guys just as talented. Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Jimmy Johnson, Greg Biffle and Robby Gordon (just to name a few). What makes Kyle so good is a Talent + a great team + he gives awesome feedback to his crew chief. That is why he is winning so much. Did he just learn how to drive when he switched to Joe Gibbs? No, but didn’t win this much when he was with Hendrick (probably lack of chemistry). Now for Jr. He can drive it as sideways as anyone out there, and if you ever watch him race in person he is very aggressive and sideways a lot. His problem is, he and his crew chief don’t communicate they argue. Let’s not forget he got a bush car back in 1998 that up until that time (outside of what his dad did in it) had 3 wins in three years. He took that car and in two years won thirteen races and two championships. When he first got to Cup he was winning on a regular basis with a team that was new to cup. You need to compare his stats from his time at DEI to the other DEI drives. It is not even close. JR, in the same equipment as Truex, Waltrip, Park and others , out performed everyone else hands down. That is until Tony Eury Sr stepped down. Jr. needs a crew chief and the media needs to stop telling Kyle he is so much better then everyone else, because it is going to his head.
Thank you for your column. My husband and I have this discussion constantly. He has always been a Junior man..I a Tony fan. He says because I don't root for Junior I am a hater. It drives me nuts. I just don't think Junior is the driver his father was..and to me that's fine..but to put him on a pedastal drives me nuts..and it's all due to his father. I think that is where the line is drawn..alot of fans root for a driver and diss on the rest of the field..but when you do it to "the chosen one" Junior you are labeled a hater..which is the silliest thing. I follow all the drivers and my opinion of them is based on ability not pedigree..Junior is an average driver..and when you say that outloud at Talladega you are mobbed and labeled a hater. Guess there are the Junior lovers..the Junior haters..and the "Junior haters..haters"..if you can figure that out! I say just let the man drive what's wrong with being average? Ohhh..guess that makes me a "hater"!!
I think hate is a strong word to use in this case, i do not hate anyone except those who want to destroy my country.
I dislike Jr. and always have, I just do not like him as a person. He really needs to dump his much over rated crew chief and some of the crew, to many stupid mistakes by all of them !
Maybe then he can drive the COT....
I don't think people hate Jr so much as we like it when he is not successful. That is because of the idol worship of others. The American Idol mentality has taken over. I have liked Kyle Busch since the beginning because so many other hated him.
I haven't liked him since 1998 and haven't been afraid to say so. I think too many people were afraid of the backlash from speaking their minds until lately. As opposed to the claims by so many that Gordon "was given everything by his rich parents," which is quite untrue, the same can't be said about Earnhardt, Jr. He was given top equipment at DEI and unlimited testing in the Busch Series, which accounts for a lot of his wins and two championships. He was given the cars with areo advantage at DEI for many years and that accounts for all his so-called "dominance" at restrictorplate tracks. Many of the other wins were just convenient circumstances, i.e., getting the Lucky Dog at Atlanta, a long green run while he was leading at Bristol, etc. He is over rated and always has been. He takes no responsibility for his part in helping the crew chief adjust his car and he's the biggest whiner on the scanner that I've ever heard.
I agree with Darrell in that JR needs to do some growing up and make some major changes in his team. Maybe the wins will come when he isn't arguing with the pit boss.
As far as dislike, or hate. I can't hate someone unless they have done some real harm to me or my family but I can dislike someone for poor decisions. One for JR. is on his uniform. The red logo above DRIVE and Goodyear. It's the Delphi logo. It is also the major logo on the 88 Nationwide car. I emailed him (surely it was thrown out) about how this company took the healthcare benefits from their older retirees in just 30 days this year and are willing to pay for sponsorship instead. Maybe I should hate him, this is harming my family, my costs went up 1,245%, but I believe he doesn't know. I tried to tell him but..... My hatred would be towards his management, after all, on either side, the ones that took my healthcare to the ones that TOOK the sponsorship money, it's all about the money.
To answer your question: you're a good writer.
I like Jr because he is honest and a decent human being. At any race, ANY driver has a chance through luck or just being at the right place at the right time to win. Of course, if you have good equipment you increase your chance of winning.It is frustrating to see your driver not do well, but there is always next week. As far as talent, you don't win two Busch championships and 18 cup races if you are not talented. If his name were NOT Earnhardt, most people would look at his stats and say he is an A- or B+ driver, easily capable of winning a championship. I blame most of the problems he is having this year on his team owner because he is the one paying the bills. If he really thinks JR is capable of winning a championship he would sit him down and tell him the facts of life. You need to get in shape, you need to concentrate of racing, you need to get delegate responsibility for your outside interests and you need to see to see a professional to find out if the fiery wreck is messing with your head. And yes, I as the owner of HMS am splitting up the JR/JR team. Will any of this happen; who knows, but if Rick Hendricks believes in Jr as anything other than a cash cow, he better and do it soon.
Most overrated driver EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most overrated driver EVER
In response to NWilkes96, I have been a race fan for over 20 years. First Gordon was given everything by rich parents. In fact he was the pro type for the new age – rich parents bought my ride generation. Dale Jr had the same equipment and testing opportunities the both Jeff Green and Steve Park had back in 1998 and he out performed them. In fact if you read up on Earnhardt history, before Jr got to the bush series full time he built his own cars and was racing junk (don’t believe please look it up). Jeff Gordon is the most over rated driver in the series. It is well documented that HMS was the first team to maximize new-age technology like engineers and 7 post shakers and telemetry during testing. When Gordon was winning all those races (and read anything by or about Ray Evernham to back up the following statement) HMS was years ahead of the competition. Now Jeff is good; you don’t win eighty something races by equipment alone, but everyone is good at that level. My point is you could have put almost anybody in the 24 in the 90’s and you would have had the same result.
Why all the hate? JR. is slowly, and painfully to JR. Nation fans being exposed as an average at best driver. After years of being put on a pedestal because of his name, people are just fed up with it. Do you really think there would even be a discussion like this if JR. would go by his first name - RALPH? Do you really think "Ralph" would have as much pressure on him today, as Dale JR. does? Add to the fact that JR. quickly became over-hyped and overrated due to wins on restictor plate tracks during a time when DEI had an Aero and HUGE HORSEPOWER advantage. There were times the DEI cars toyed with the field. Want proof? When did Mikey Waltrip win his only races and who'd he drive for? Mikey Waltrip pre and post DEI hasn't done anything. Without the DEI advantage, JR.'s avg. plate finish 2005 thru 2008 - 19.9 Without the DEI advantage in 2001-2003,I highly doubt Jr. would have but 1, maybe even no plate track wins. JR.'s plate track wins have always masked the fact that he is only an average at best driver who IS capable of occasionally winning a race. Also add the fact that Teressa had him pegged right, ROCKSTAR or DRIVER? Being a DALE EARNHARDT SR. fan from DAY 1 and ALWAYS FOREVER, I took a wait and see attitide with JR. Really questioned the over-hyping and overrating that began in 2002, and continues to today.
I dont get this, how can anyone hate or dislike someone because they drive a racecar, I have been a nascar fan for decades and I can honestly say I do not hate or even dislike any driver, damm you people dont know Dale Jr. or Kyle Busch, it seems to me that alot of people in this country especially Nascar fans need to get a damm life, what is wrong with you people cant you just watch a damm race and say after it is over that was a good race or the race sucked or whatever instead of jumping up and down and hating a driver, if this is the future of this country then we are DOOMED!
I was a Jr. fan until he went to Hendricks. Watched the sport for over 40 years and I've never rooted for a Hendricks team and I wasn't about to start now. Jr. is probably one of the nicest guys in the sports. He wants everyone to like him and doesn't want anyone mad at him, but after his dad died, he lost the fire to race. Jr. has said many times that he got into racing to get his dads attention and respect. He knew if he didn't perform, Dale would yank his rear end out of the car. When he lost Dale, he lost his focus. Maybe he thought Hendricks would fill that void, but Hendricks isn't his dad and doesn't even have the same personality or temperament that Dale had. If I am a "hater" of anyone, it would be THE NATION. Over the last few years I've gotten really tired of them throwing out these lame excuses why it's everyones fault EXCEPT Jrs. DEI, Teresa, Tony Jr, equipment. Even when HE was the one that made the mistake on the track. He misses his pits, it has to be the sign or the sign holders fault. I now root for Kyle, Tony and Carl and when they do something stupid or screw up, I own it. I've heard some of the nation say that JR. just doesn't seem to be happy or having fun with it anymore. After the good Dega finish for Brad and him, it was the first time I had heard him sound like the old Jr. He'll probably be the most popular driver for years to come, but I don't see a championship in his future. Kyle has been in cup a lot less years than Jr. but he's moving in and ready to pass him in number of cup wins. Jr. the fans and NASCAR would all be a lot different today if we still had Dale with us.
Here's an idea, STOP writing about him! Every week it's the same garbage in the media...he's gonna do this or that and hey let's all feel sorry for JUNIOR! Hate him? No! Overrated? Yes!
I AM Junior Nation! I have been a fan of June Bug's since his Busch Series (in which he dominated) and I still am a huge devoted fan of Junior! I have the 8 tattooed on my body, I spend outrageous money on cars, clothes, pins, hats, if it has Dale on it I buy it! My husband is completely jealous of Junior that's how devoted I am to this driver and I am the first one to tell you HE NEEDS TO START DRIVING! The man is with the best team, with the best equipment you can have in the business and all he does is bitch at Tony about how the car isn't perfect! He is the best driver out there...NOT KYLE! He needs to remember where he comes from and the man who taught him what he knows about that car and start driving the damn wheels off the 88! As for Tony Jr. He is a great Crew Chief...Junior's only win last year was Tony's strategy on pit road and fuel! Not Junior racing to the victory..so, please stay off Tony Jr. He has the problem of everyone expecting much more out of him because of his name, the Legacy he is to carry on. Mark Martin who hasn't been a big name in nascar has been dominating alot of these races lately! Way to go Martin..My point being, if we don't expect too much maybe we wouldn't be so damn disappointed!
There's nothing wrong with criticism of a driver. This stuff happens in other sports all the time. Any time an athlete starts going in a slump he takes heat from the fans and media. Anytime an athlete chokes under pressure he takes heat. Why should NASCAR be any different? Why should Dale Jr. be immune to criticism?
In other sports, the best of the best are the ones that get the most exposure. Tiger Woods in golf, Peyton Manning in the NFL, LeBron James in the NBA. But in NASCAR it's not the best that gets the most exposure but the most popular. Jr.'s not even a top 10 driver right now and yet he's still by far the most popular and thus the one with the most exposure. I think that Jr. haters just want to see the drivers that have earned their exposure get their due.
I'm not a Jimmie Johnson fan but I do feel for him. He's the 3 time defending champ and hardly anyone ever talks about him. Instead it's Jr. this and Jr. that every single week. The only thing that is comparable to this, at least in my mind, is all of the attention that the Yankees get no matter what their record is, but at least they have 27 championships to warrant that type of exposure. But other than that, I don't know of any other example of an average player or team getting so much more attention than the top players and teams, specifically the defending champ. I think that's why there is so much Jr. hate. He just hasn't earned all of the attention that he gets, while other drivers that have earned it aren't getting it.
I am glad that people are starting to see what I have seen for the past few years. Jr. just does not have the balls to drive like a winner.At DEI it was always "the car" now at Hendricks, whats the problem? It's not the cars as the rest of Hendricks Motor Sports Cars do so well. I don't know, could it be the driver and not the car?
What do the people want? Did people think he could drink a can of amp and become liguid jr.intimadator. get real people . Jr. is a very talented driver, more kicked back than his dad however, His time will come and hopefully win it does you will sorry you became a kyle busch fan.
I'm new to NASCAR ... I just started watching last season ... but, right from the beginning, it was easy to see that Junior was overrated ... I don't hate him ... I don't know him, for heaven's sake ... but I don't think he has the talent people *want* him to have ... and, I don't see any passion for the sport from him ... Kyle Busch, tho', now, he has the passion ... he's great to watch because he is so into the sport ... he *wants* to win ... like I said, I'm new to NASCAR, and I guess I just don't get the whole Junior obsession ... but, my guy did buy a couple pairs of Wranglers recently ... pretty nice jeans ... :D
I've always laughed at, made fun of, felt sorry for, rolled my eyes at, etc... people who put so much time and energy into hating Dale Jr.
Why do that? Simply because of who he is? Who his Dad was? Because of circumstances that I bet he wishes would of never happened, gained him alot of instant fans? I don't get that mentality, seems very childish and petty.
His conduct on the track or off, has never given anyone reason to dislike him-and that is what should be judged, not who his parents are, or how much money he makes, or how many commercials he made last year.
Dale's Dad was MY driver. When he passed who was I, and thousands of other Dale fans left to root for? It was a natural thing to start pulling for our driver's son, and for me if Junior hadn't been running, Nascar would of been a former interest of mine.
So you all can keep hating and carrying on, to most people it just shows who you are-and it isn't something to be proud of.
The article is a good one. To all Jr. haters. I am glad to know you all know him personally and he did you wrong. to hate anyone without reason is just strange. shows what our country has become over the last few decades.
Unbelievable, Makes me proud to be a Nascar Fan. Dunn, you are so full of Dung your breath stinks! I suppose you will get a big pat on the back for a lot of people reading your trash article. Jr is as big a talent as any driver out there and the #'s are there to prove it. Don't you watch the race? He is struggling, there is no dought about it. I'm glad the Jr fans that were never really a fan have left. They weren't worth talking about to begin with. You bashers are all experts I'm sure, and in my opinion you are the problem in Nascar. If it wasn't for this trash article you wouldn't have anything to do. Disgusting for Nascar and you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The same question can be asked about why some people hate Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, or any other driver? All the drivers have their fans and detractors. Jr. is the same way. Why should it be different for him?
Reading Jr.'s quotes all season he doesn't seem to have a huge problem not being a top driver. He says he just wants to have fun out there. He doesn't want to switch out his buddy Eury Jr. It's more of a problem of his fans expecting him to be a top driver winning championships. A lot of people like Jr. for his personality. I think a lot of the fans that he is losing are mostly bandwagon fans that hopped on because of his last name or because he's "most popular". Fans of his that like him because of his personality and who he is as a person will continue to cheer for him and don't need their driver to be one of the best out there to cheer for him.
Maybe Jr. will decide that winning a championship is more important to him at some point and grab the reins and make some changes. But he has to be the one to do that. Hendrick can't do it for him and his fans can't do it for him.
Jr. Nation is alive and strong. We don't need to defend ourselves. As my Daddy said, "Don't fight with pigs, you get dirty and they like it".
Im a Jr fan since the myrtle Beach Days and I for one, am fed up. Tony, Kyle, Jimmy and Jeff, even Harvick are guys willing to do whatever it takes to win. Jr seems to be sitting back just thinkin one day he will wake up and start winning. He owes it to his fans to do whatever it takes to win(New CC for one thing). After all, we are the ones spending our hard earned money on hats and shirts. Ill always like Jr, but Im ashamed to wear my Jr gear right now. If the nation quits buying and Hes not winning, he's gonna be in the way at hendrick. Jr, grow up, youve got a job to do, just like us fans have jobs, we cant slack on the job, why should you? MAKE THE CHANGES AND WIN!
Mike Thiltgen, what's your email address. Let's take this discussion private.
Jeremy, thank you for your article. You've made some excellent points.
As a member of Jr. Nation, I don't care if you are a Jr. hater or on the "bandwagon". I care about what you write about him. You had a reason for writing the article, I had a reason to read it. Will your article be read by more people because it is about Dale Jr.? Most likely. Will it cause some readers to reply negatively because it's about Dale Jr? Probably. So be it. Everyone who reads your article has an opinion of what they think of Dale Jr. and many are willing to share it.
I didn't become a member of Jr. Nation because of how well he drives race cars or what other people have to say about him. I became a fan because I was impressed with the person he is - an open, honest, caring individual who is trying to be successful doing what he loves to do - race cars. He didn't ask for my admiration, devotion or loyalty, I freely gave it to him and I am fortunate he is willing to accept it. Yes, I am disappointed and get upset when he doesn't get the results he wants, but that doesn't give me the right to criticize his performance or that of his team. I believe a lot of work is being done not only by Dale, but by the whole Hendrick organization to solve the performance issues, but until they are resolved, and if I can't accept the bad with the good than I don't deserve to identify myself as a member of Jr. Nation.
Jr biggest problem is he is not a driver like his dad and never will be. I'm a Jeff Gordon Fan now, since the King Richard Petty retired. I always thought Dale Sr. was one of the best.
My God what the heck kind of VULTURES are out in this world, people just sitting on the side waiting to pounce Bashers and neysers there to tear junior apart just because He isnt like his daddy, well Hello i dont want him to be his father,I want him to be himself. and to me he is doing just fine in my eyes. he is giving kind, down to earth loving to good to be bashed and tore apart by ANIMALS I cant and wont TOLERATE IT.
THANK YOU DALESLADY
szia lencsi vagyok junior szeretlek te szeretsz? 17-éves vagyok te hány éves vagy? szeretlek imádlak tiszta szívem böl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!imádlak szeretlek de nagyon nagyon imádlak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!nagyon nagyon nagyon nagyon és nagyon szeretlek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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