On the Right Track
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Gluck
Dale Earnhardt Jr. long shot to make 2010 Chase
LAS VEGAS -- With apologies to Elvis impersonators, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the building.
Then, just like that, he left.
Earnhardt Jr. commuted to Vegas for a single day to pick up his seventh consecutive most popular driver award, then left town without enjoying a night out with his buddies.
Anyway, while Earnhardt Jr. was here, he let everyone know that his Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team had made some personnel changes, specifically in the engineering department.
He tried to downplay them as much as possible, saying that he didn't want them to get blown out of proportion - as is the case so often even when Earnhardt Jr. sneezes.
But he and his fans can only hope they pay off immediately.
If I were a Vegas oddsmaker, I'd say Earnhardt Jr. is a decided underdog to make the Chase For The Sprint Cup in 2010. He simply didn't show enough at the end of the season - besides increased optimism - that next year could be a big rebound.
Here's hoping I'm wrong (for the sake of the sport, if nothing else), but Earnhardt Jr. and his team need to come out of the box strong at the outset of the season to give themselves a shot.
That would give him the confidence he needs to feel things are turned around, and it would increase Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of sticking around Vegas for more than just a day next year.
Jeff Gluck
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Jeff Gluck has covered NASCAR since 2004. He has worked for NASCAR Scene as an associate editor since 2007.
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Comments
13 responses to "Dale Earnhardt Jr. long shot to make 2010 Chase". Post a Comment.
vermontcritter-1 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 9:43 AMI can't wait to read some of the comments soon to be posted by Jr. fans on this topic. I'm sure you are thinking the same thoughts most Hendrick fans do, that if you can't succeed with Rick's boys you must not be a good driver. Junior has the same talent that most successful drivers have out there, he just needs to find the right chemistry between himself and his team. I have a feeling that Rick will be working his butt of this winter to get Junior back in Victory Lane.
galvan18244 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 3:18 PMummmm all jr fans will come up with some reasons why jr hasnt done too well in cup. long story short, jr is as good as hes gonna get, its not the team, its not crew chief, its him!! leave him alone, hes not that good of a driver, he will be driving for front row motorsports soon enough,that team fits him better!
48addict said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 3:45 PMWhat I can't figure out is why he is the most popular driver every year. I like him a lot but he is not exactly Mr. Personality. What am I missing?
mary4jr88 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 3:59 PMWell, look at the stats, in 2009 Dale Jr. had 3 engine failures. JJ had none. Dale Jr. had two separate brake/brake line failures. JJ, MM, and Jeff none. Add in at least about 3 transmission failures, sway bar adjusters installed incorrectly more then once, the media crucifying him at every chance, and being wrecked by Reutimann & Newman more then once when heading to a good finish.
Take away the stuff that happened to Dale Jr. in 2009 (and a lot was the teams fault), and he may have had a decent season.
Even with all of that bad luck, Dale Jr. was gracious, humble, and worked harder then ever. He is my favorite driver, and all I can do is wish him the best of luck in 2010. Good luck that is. :)
yankeegranny said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 4:48 PMMary4jr88, add to that the crew that couldn't shoot straight gave him a car that had an oil leak from lap 1 for the Homestead race. I am amazed that he ended up 25th, with all the bad luck and junk cars that they gave him to drive he could have easily ended up with having to qualify on time for the first races of '10. I really don't think that convicted felon he races for really gave him equipment that was equal to the other three cars. Wonder if he sometimes thinks he made a mistake signing with Hendricks in the first place?
osbornk said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 4:56 PMI think Jr.'s problem is in his head. He has two things going on up there. First, he has so much stuff going on in his life beyond racing he cannot concentrate on the track. Secondly, he has lost confidence in himself and his team.
Hammer said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 6:23 PMFace it; Juniors not going to get any better unless Junior wants too. He is out of excuses.
He has the talent, but I believe he is scared. He races next to the wall so he won't hit it head on, and consequently he won't win races.
What a shame; I guarantee that if Dale Sr. was alive Jr. would be a contender, or he would be gone.
gwen_susie388 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 10:59 PMThis article is not worth making a comment on, but I just wanted to come on here and say that! We have read it and heard it all before and heard the non-Jr fans say the same things over and over, so as far as I am concerned......you non Jr. fans can have this one! Enjoy talking to each other! :-) Different article, same thing. Jeff... I wondered what you guys did in the off season, now I see it's just re-writes of articles we have already commented on.
e_rock43 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 11:22 PMthe end is near for jr!! i heard some of jr's sponsors are on rick h back!!! i heard they want a new fresh face in the 88 car! a nationwide driver! jr needs to be a owner, he cannot survive being a driver!!!!!
bb6451 said:
Dec 7, 2009 at 11:48 PMEngine failures, sway bar issues, brake lines, transmission issues...yeah it's all in Junior's head.
That may be the biggest issue...that there's this 'what's gonna go wrong now' thought in the back of his head.
Hope the changes Rick makes help the entire 88 team do well next year.
Besides next year is an even year and Junior has made the Chase in the even years.
lonestarNjimmyFan said:
Dec 8, 2009 at 3:13 PMUnfortunately, he probably won't make the Chase, but it's not for a lack of talent, as I'm sure some people will say. The 88 team (formerly #25) has never received the best equipment HMS has to offer, although I'm sure no one will ever admit that. Junior is not a great driver, but he does have considerably more talent than a lot of others out there, and given the right equipment, he could definitely be competitive.
dewiz88 said:
Dec 10, 2009 at 12:37 PMAre you board Jeff? Normally, you are right there for Jr. obviously you know this will get everyone stirred up. I'm not even going to give this article a serious thought, I just wanted to ask you, what are you thinking? What are the odds of Harvick or Jeff Burton making it into the chase? Don't get me wrong fans, I like those two. Or even Kyle Bush? Here we go again because Jr. is the most popular. This song has worn itself out, find something else, better yet, someone else to write about.
CrazyClyde said:
Dec 12, 2009 at 4:20 PMYep Always the other guys fault.