With the career of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming to a close, I thought I'd look back at his career and everything he has done for the sport over the years. Whether you like him or not, you can't argue that NASCAR wouldn't be the same without him in it. Throughout the years, Earnhardt racked up twenty-six victories in NASCAR’s top series. Most notably, ten superspeedway wins, six at Talladega and four at Daytona. His most successful year was 2004, where he won six races, including the crown jewel race - The Daytona 500. Seventeen wins came with his family-owned team, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) from, whom he raced for from 1999 until 2007. 2008 was a radical shift for Earnhardt because he moved teams to go to the dominant Hendrick Motorsports, where he was anything but dominant.
The offspring of the seven-time champion won just nine races in ten seasons, zero championships, and watched as his teammates went on to success. Jimmie Johnson, in the same equipment, won forty-nine races and five championships in that time. Jeff Gordon won twelve races, Mark Martin won five, and Kasey Kahne, arguably, Hendrick’s most underperforming driver, also won five. Earnhardt has the same equipment that has won all of these races, so why is he not performing as well as his teammates?
Some will say that it is because he has suffered recent injuries that have impaired his ability to drive at his peak potential. In 2012, for instance, he suffered a concussion that sidelined him for two races. After that, and most notably, in 2016 he sat out of eighteen races (half the season) to recover from another concussion. These injuries appear to be the type of thing that would make it so Earnhardt was not winning races, however, he was mired in mediocrity even before 2012. From 2008 until the injury he won only once at Michigan, in kind of a fluke scenario where the race was called due to a spin by Scott Riggs. So if it wasn’t the injuries, what is it that makes Dale Jr seemingly unable to be as competitive as his teammates?
Personally, I believe that Jr has become overrated in recent years. Yes, he was a force to be reckoned with in the early part of his career with DEI, however as time went on, he aged and lost some of his competitive edge. This led to his lack of success since 2008. However, many people don’t agree with this. NASCAR grandstands are crammed full of people wearing Dale Jr gear who worship him like he is their god. I was once at a race in where he took the lead, and, NASCAR race cars themselves are very loud, however, that was nothing compared to the roar of the crowd once Jr. took the lead. Lap after lap the crowd around me went crazy as their hero drove past. As usual with Jr, he was unable to seal the deal and the race was won by Jimmie Johnson. I will miss Jr. He has been one of the most polarizing figures since he burst on to the scene in the late nineties. Even though his driving resume may be lacking a championship and his win count may be a bit lower than those who he is compared to, he is a vital part of NASCAR and will be sorely missed once the season is over.
