Bob Pockrass: Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans take heart
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. has endured a rough 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
Related articles: Dale Earnhardt Jr. admits frustration with season; is willing to wait on crew chief decision
COMMENTARY
CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. sounded a little deflated and a lot defeated on Friday afternoon.
Message to Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans: Don’t let that deflate you; don’t let that defeat you.
If there’s one thing the people who spend their weekends watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. know, it’s that Earnhardt Jr. can be a little moody, be a little a pessimistic if the clouds are dark above him and a little playful if the sun is overhead.
Just as he was excited and sounded upbeat after qualifying so well at Kansas a couple of weeks ago, Earnhardt Jr. sounded just the opposite after a horrid qualifying day Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The fact that he’d been good in practice Thursday and somehow the car got away from him and his team was even more depressing. He'll start 39th tonight.
So the next morning, with a media availability designed to talk about his father’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as well as to appease what some would call his hometown media considering he grew up in the Charlotte vicinity, Earnhardt Jr. sounded like a guy with no hope, a guy who in some ways wanted the season to be over tomorrow.
The main thing people should take from Earnhardt Jr.’s comments is to be thankful. Thankful? Yes, thankful. Because his comments showed he cared. Showed it really does bother him when he doesn’t run well. Yes, it might be fun to go racing in general, but running like junk actually bothered Earnhardt Jr.
For a guy often criticized for not having focus or not caring, it’s important to see that losing bothers him, especially when he doesn’t meet his expectations. Plus, he didn’t really blame anyone and he seemed more perplexed than anything.
And let’s face it. It’s got to bother him he’s not in the Chase. Not only that, he’s the only Hendrick driver not in the Chase. He’s probably a little bit embarrassed, a little bit angry and a little bit incredulous. How did this happen to him, considering making the Chase and competing for championships is why he went to Hendrick? And why can’t he – the guy who seemed to take to NASCAR’s new car so well when it was first introduced full time a year ago – seem to get any sort of grip on it now?
Maybe what’s bothering Earnhardt Jr. the most is that he would like to see some momentum build for 2010. Qualifying 39th is not the way to build momentum and it could mean for a long night tonight in Charlotte, a place where Earnhardt Jr. wants to perform well.
His father being selected to the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame might have impacted his mood as well. While Earnhardt Jr. certainly is proud, Earnhardt Jr. also has been a guy who, while knowing he can’t fulfill everyone’s expectations, thinks of himself as possibly being a hall of fame driver. Will 18 wins (tied for 37th on the all-time list) be enough? One of the largest validations of Earnhardt Jr.’s impact on the sport and of his ability would be if he got selected into the same hall of fame as his father.
Of course, something like that is way down the road and Earnhardt Jr. has more immediate concerns. Like today’s race. Earnhardt Jr. fans, don’t expect much from it. But don’t think the season is over or your driver has given up just because he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
