I have touched on this topic in the past. It seems as if every time a driver displays an assertive, sometimes antagonistic side to their driving and personality, the media and some fans instantly compare the driver to the late Dale Earnhardt.
Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and more recently, Kyle Busch, have drawn comparisons to ‘the Intimidator’.
It goes to show you how much the media and fans long for and miss the presence of Dale Earnhardt.
Can you blame them?
Regardless of who your favorite driver was, you always wondered where Earnhardt was on the track.
For instance, if you were in the stands at
Darlington, and you were, let’s say a Rusty Wallace fan, you would obviously look for the black and gold Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac first.
If you were a Bill Elliott fan, you would pull out your binoculars and search for the red Ford T-Bird.
Once you found your favorite driver, you would then look to see where Mr. Earnhardt was on the track.
No other driver was really worth your time.
Few drivers have that effect on fans.
We all want a driver such as that in the Sprint Cup series, especially at a time when TV ratings and attendance is down, and fans are tuning away due to a remarkable and unstoppable, and to some, a tiring dynasty.
Unfortunately, Tony Stewart is not Dale Earnhardt, neither is Harvick nor the Busch brothers.
Within the past week, I have read where Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya are now Earnhardts in the making.
Keselowski is bold and aggressive, and he doggedly maintains his position on the track, and sometimes forces himself into a position on the track, and if you happen to get turned, you just get turned.
Like Earnhardt, he shows little remorse when he wrecks another driver, almost grinning when talking about it afterwards.
Montoya has more to lose than Keselowski because he is racing for the championship.
In fact, in the races leading up to the Chase for the Championship, he resembled Mark Martin or Terry Labonte more so than Earnhardt.
He was patient and vigilant.
However, ever since the Chase began, Montoya has reverted to his aggressive ways that he displayed in throughout his first two years in Sprint Cup.
The only difference is, he is more experienced, much faster, and a little smarter than before, which makes him a serious threat to his competitors.
Montoya let every driver in front of him at
Martinsville know that the red Target Chevy was behind him, just ask Jeff Gordon.
Does the aggressive tactics of Montoya and Keselowski warrant a comparison to Earnhardt?
Not in my opinion.
A respected journalist recently equated Montoya to Earnhardt and it got me thinking, ‘why can’t these drivers just be the first Keselowski or first Montoya instead of the next Earnhardt?’
It is similar to analysts in the NBA always searching for the next Michael Jordan.
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have had to work hard to form their own identity while carrying the label as the ‘next Michael Jordan’.
It is natural to compare current and upcoming drivers to past legends.
These past drivers set the standard for today’s drivers, and it is interesting to talk about which driver reminds you of Earnhardt or Richard Petty.
Nevertheless, it would be nice to allow these young drivers a chance to become a ‘first’ instead of a ‘next’.
Comments
Don't speak for all of us. When I watched my favorite driver, Bill Elliott, the only other drivers on the track I generally watched were the ones directly in front of or behind him. However, when Mark Martin foolishly gave Jeff Gordon his lap back at Daytona in 1997, during a race where Bill seemed to have the best car among the lead lap cars, all I did from that moment on was watch Gordon's inexorable march to the front. Of course, Gordon won with a lot of help from his teammates. But Mark was NOT one of his teammates then, and I have never forgiven him for playing Mr. Nice Guy at the wrong time. Where was Earnhardt that day? I have no freakin' idea - and I don't care!
P.S. I do think Brat Kesolowski is the driver out there today most similar to Earnhardt - not in driving ability, but in being the biggest jerk. But we'll see how the fans like his brand of jerk-ittude when he is driving for Penske. I am quite sure those cheers last Saturday in the Nationwide race were as much for the beloved 88 car as they were for the idiot who drives it.
hey rach get off brad hes a good driver and a hell of a nice guy i should know we raced together in mich.
It will be interesting to see how or if Keselowski changes his driving style once he's in his full time ride. Right now he doesn't have as much to lose. As a fan I do appreciate the agressiveness. But I also realize you can't race every lap of all 36 races like its the last 10 laps of the All Star race.
I am curious....how come nobody compares people to Richard Petty, like...ever? How did Petty drive now, I wonder? Was he door-to-door or did he just tend to dominate?
I am curious....how come nobody compares people to Richard Petty, like...ever? How did Petty drive now, I wonder? Was he door-to-door or did he just tend to dominate?
There never will be another Dale Earnhardt or Richard Petty. These drivers drove in different times and conditions with different rules and regulations. It would be like comparing apples to oranges.
Rachael seems to have a problem with the 88. His driving style is great as he does not back down to the prima donna invading the nationwide series. Love it.
Richard Petty was an aggressive driver to some degree but he had the best stuff to race with and they ran 50 to 60 races a year in his day.Dale Earnhardt was an aggressive driver but had to be to race with the drivers and teams of his time. Jimmie Johnson is going to be the next driver to watch as he is the best driver on the track today.He is breaking records with his driving skills and his team is by far the best out there today.Whoever gets Steve Addington will also go far as a driver and a team.I would like to see Dale Jr pick him up.
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