When Dale Earnhardt Jr. came into prominence on the NASCAR scene in the late 1990’s he seemed to be in his father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s, shadow.
After his father’s tragic death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. became the adopted son of millions of Earnhardt fans. Earnhardt Jr. though spent considerable effort to emerge from that shadow.
Few would ever argue that Earnhardt Jr. ever tried to hang on his father’s coattails and as his popularity grew the son become more and more his own person.
Now Earnhardt Jr. is arguably the most popular driver In NASCAR and most would agree that he claimed his fame without relying on his legendry father.
While his on track performance hasn’t come close to the record set by his father, Earnhardt Jr., has begun to show one trait that his father was known for..jpg)
There was a time when Dale Earnhardt Sr. spoke NASCAR listened. Many competitors depended on Earnhardt Sr.’s leadership and there was more than one occasion when Earnhardt was known for speaking his mind on matters he felt the NASCAR leadership needed to look at.
This past week and again this weekend Earnhardt Jr. began to voice some complaints of his own.
During a media event at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week, Earnhardt Jr. sounded off on NASCAR’s Car Of Tomorrow. The new generation racecar has been the fulltime machine on the circuit for a couple of years now and while Earnhardt said he’s grateful for all the safety innovations, he said he felt there were things NASCAR could do to improve the car.
“I feel like we can take this race car and make it provide [exciting] races,” he said. “If I can be honest, I feel like NASCAR has seemingly been reluctant to let this car evolve more freely.”
One problem, according to Earnhardt is the lack of creativity allowed on the car. With the old style racecars, engineers and fabricators had the freedom to make changes to the bodies and chassis, but with the new car very little can done and so far NASCR officials have been very strict in allowing any type of modifications.
“They don’t seem as willing, even themselves, to produce a better race car that will put on the type of races that we all wish to see,” he said. “I feel like in a way we are holding ourselves back. We’re short-changing ourselves.
“We have the technology and the people to build a car that will make for exciting racing — dramatic, side-by-side racing — that will sell tickets, excite fans and thrill people, but we have yet to pursue and try to obtain that.”
Friday prior to practice at Michigan International Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. again made his views known. He said that there has been less excitement in the sport in recent times.
"We're not really where we want to be, I don't think, as a sport," Earnhardt said. "We need to do things to excite corporate America, excite the fans. And we need to be proactive immediately, because we haven't."
"NASCAR could be a little more urgent in improving our product," he added. "The ultimate result is to create exciting racing that the fans will enjoy, that the drivers will enjoy so everybody's happy. And that should be our quest — even when things are good, you know?"
Earnhardt said a large part of that problem is the COT.
"I feel like, especially right now, we need to really, really try to turn over every stone,” Earnhardt said. “And that includes where we are with this COT and where we feel like its development is and where we feel like its future goes."
For its part NASCAR said in part that Earnhardt’s comment might have been out of frustration. Earnhardt hasn’t won a race since June of last year and although he did have a good run Sunday at Michigan finishing third, he still sits 23rd in the drivers standings.
"There's a frustration there that I think attributes to his comments and I think people see those,'' NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "When he landed on the car itself being more specific about that, it's more like his dad would comment when he was having a bad stretch.
"He'd say, 'Man, I'd like to change something different right now because I'd like to change my own performance.' I think that is what he was talking about.''
Helton later added though that some minor changes might be in line for the COT mainly having to do with weight distribution, but he insisted that’s something all the teams have complained about.
He may have spent year trying to emerge from his legendry father’s shadow and he may never come close to repeating his father’s success on the track, but perhaps Earnhardt Jr. is starting to show that maybe the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree after all.
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Comments
Yea right! Everyone loves a trash talking 20th-someplace driver. Jr should just SHUT UP drive. Jr. could win if he had better equipment, well he does, and still can't. Just another one of the 8,088,whatever million excuses for JR.
finally a decent finish and all at once he is like his dad????/ if his last name was long or mayfield he would be back racing on saturday nites..18 for 350 wouldnt keep you in the bigs for long no matter what your last name is.....
Of course Nascar has to say Jr is upset with his performance. They are to stupid to see their own screw ups. They gave the racers a box or rocks to race with and haven't the sense to get out of the racers way. Only way to fix the cars is to let the racers figure it out. To many rules. No inovation. Nascar has become boring. Thats why they have falling interest.
You Jr haters have no clue. It is a lot easier to drive a race car from up there in the stands than down there in the car.
I am an avid Jr. fan, so when he says the COT needs some work, I of course wonder "is that why racing has become so dull?" Of course I want Jr. to win, but I also enjoy seeing Tony Stewart drive to victory circle, and Brain K. is a joy to watch, but racing is still boring.... I have been a fan since the early seventies, my husband is a close friend of Red Farmer and was a regular on the teams that Clifford Allison drove for, so I have been around a while and seen some great races-- but not lately. Maybe Mike Helton should not be so thin skinned and seriously consider that perhaps the COT does need something more than a few minor tweeks.
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