Mike Hembree: Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t the only driver needing a boost
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 22nd in Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway. // Tim Parks, NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
DOVER, Del. – The heat at Dover International Speedway today will fall squarely on the shoulders of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In case you missed the news in all the other excitement surrounding the Autism Speaks 400, he has a new crew chief.
You also might have missed the announcement that Earnhardt Jr. isn’t having a good season. His critical statistics look like this: 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s. Not fun.
What Earnhardt Jr. needs today here on the East Coast of these United States is for everyone to leave him alone, not pay attention to what goes on and give the new team some room to breathe. Of course, chances of that happening are about as remote as Oprah sliding into a new bikini.
Earnhardt Jr. will be lucky to be able to take a prerace “necessary” break without some camera guy following him through the door.
As Junior battles distress, however, it’s worth pointing out that, believe it or not, there are other guys having less-than-stellar seasons. Generally, they don’t sit in the harsh light of criticism that Junior endures almost weekly.
Denny Hamlin is winless, a fact that is even more of a burden when one notices that his teammate, Kyle Busch, has three.
Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing’s reliable veteran, is winless.
Carl Edwards, a victory lane visitor nine times last season, is winless this year and has only two top-fives in 12 races.
Kasey Kahne is winless, bouncing along outside the Chase 12 and still looking for that elusive thing called consistency.
Clint Bowyer is 17th in points and winless. He turned 30 years old Saturday and needs a post-birthday boost.
Martin Truex Jr. is 18th in points, winless and wondering about his future.
Kevin Harvick is 23rd in points and winless. In fact, he’s winless since the 2007 Daytona 500. Very unlike the typical Harvick.
So, Junior has some company in the Things Could Be Better Dept.
A win today by any of these guys would be a major plus for seasons that haven’t gone quite as planned.
Hamlin, Burton and Edwards are currently in the Chase 12 despite searching for that first seasonal win. The definition of “success” has changed since the arrival of the Chase. Now a driver who makes the Chase list almost automatically has a “good” season, but it is troubling nevertheless for drivers of the Hamlin-Burton-Edwards caliber to be this far into a season and be without a win, a fact they’ll admit.
So bleed a little for Junior today as race preparations begin. But spread the sympathy. There are others still looking.
