He Said, She Said: Sigala States the Facts

August 7, 10:29 PMDale Earnhardt Jr. ExaminerLindsey Marks

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Dale Jr. before practice at Watkins Glen (AP Photo/ Russ Hamilton) 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/231781-dale-earnhardt-jr-my-accomplishments-speak-for-themselves

Dale Earnhardt Jr: “My accomplishments Speak for Themselves” by Sal Sigala Jr., Bleacher Report

He Said: In his article, Mr. Sigala not only defends Dale Jr., he uses facts to prove that Junior’s career is not ruined as many people have been saying. Mr. Sigala breaks down the entry list from this year’s All-Star Race. Only drivers who have won in the past year and previous winners of that race are allowed to run in the event so those who are eligible are certainly the best-of-the best. He breaks down the list according to six different driver accomplishments including: past All-Star race winners, Nationwide Series past-champions, Nationwide Series wins, Sprint Cup Series wins, Daytona 500 winners and Sprint Cup Series champions. Dale Jr. is absent from only one of those lists since he has not yet won a Sprint Cup Series championship. Sigala also addresses several other issues to back up the facts.

She Said: It is so refreshing to see an article like this! For months all anyone has been talking about is how Dale Jr. can’t drive and he should just get out of the car. I have been feeling quite alone in my attempts to convince others that Junior is far from washed up. So, when I found Mr. Sigala’s article I was pleasantly surprised.

His idea to break down the All-Star race is pure genius. Even though people know that Junior has 18 career wins and numerous other accomplishments, they always seem to ignore those facts. By breaking down such a prestigious event it proves that Junior’s accomplishments put him amongst the best in the business.

Also, Mr. Sigala pointed out that Junior is one of the rare drivers who did his time in the Nationwide Series before moving up. Today there are very few drivers who take the time to adjust to this level of racing; they are thrown into the Sprint Cup Series straight from ARCA and if they don’t make it then they seemingly vanish into thin air, dropped straight back to their local short track. Dale Jr. understood how important that experience was and even after one championship he knew he wasn’t ready for the big time so he spent another year in Nationwide and got another championship before making the switch.

Mr. Sigala also mentions Junior’s successful rookie year with a win at Texas and another in that year’s All-Star event. And he addresses the issue that Junior-bashers never let go of… the idea that Dale Jr. is only where he is because of his father. Considering Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500, the first race of Junior’s sophomore year in Sprint Cup, it is obvious that Dale Jr. has gone the rest of the way on his own. He even left his father’s organization for a ride with Hendrick Motorsports.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has proven that he can drive and he’s proven that he can win. Every driver has ups and downs in their career, even Jeff Gordon has had some rough patches. It is only natural and he will rebound.

When Dale Jr. gets to Victory Lane again, which he will, people like Mr. Sigala and I could say “I told you so” to all of the bashers, but we’re better than that. I can’t guarantee we won’t be thinking it though.