Jeff Owens: Dale Jr. attention all part of being NASCAR's most popular driver
By Jeff Owens - Executive Editor
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains winless this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
By now, many NASCAR fans are probably sick and tired of hearing and reading about Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his new crew chief.
Junior is dominating the headlines everywhere – in newspapers, on Web sites, on talk radio and on TV news and sports shows. On Sunday, he will no doubt be one of the most talked about drivers during Fox’s broadcast of the race at Dover, regardless of where he is running.
Fans who are not part of Junior Nation are probably already asking themselves, why all the fuss?
Why is it such a big deal that one driver – one, currently, mediocre driver – just got a new crew chief?
This is a driver who hasn’t won a race in nearly a year. A driver who has just three victories in the past four seasons. And a driver who is
currently 19th in points.
Still, the fact that Hendrick Motorsports is making a big change to his team and assigning him a new crew is one of the biggest stories to
develop this season.
Why?
Why is everything that Dale Earnhardt Jr. does, or everything that involves him, such a big deal?
Because he is Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he is NASCAR’s most popular driver.
And he is not NASCAR’s most popular driver in title only – though he has won the official award several years in a row. He has the fan base to back it up.
Because of his name and heritage and personality, no driver today has a larger fan base than Earnhardt Jr. He sells more souvenirs, he attracts more sponsors, he sells more tickets.
Earnhardt Jr. is not only NASCAR’s most popular driver, he is arguably its most important driver.
No driver gets a bigger reaction when he is introduced before races, and no driver gets a louder response when he takes the lead.
Like his father before him, when he falls out of a race, people leave. Or turn off the TV.
No driver has the marketing and fan clout that Earnhardt Jr., including three-time champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time
champion Jeff Gordon.
As a result, nearly everything he does is news. Web sites routinely post anything they can get on Earnhardt Jr. Why? Because visitors want to read it.
He is so popular that his dog, Killer, has his own souvenir line and attracted a crowd at Charlotte so fans could get Killer pawgraphs.
Like it or not, people want to know what Earnhardt Jr. is doing, good and bad.
NASCAR’s TV ratings have declined significantly this year, continuing a three-year decline. Earnhardt Jr.’s struggles during that time have certainly had an impact on that.
If Earnhardt Jr. is winning races and in contention every week – and has a legitimate shot at the championship – then more of his large fan base is going to tune in each week, perhaps sparking a spike in TV ratings.
Asked about declining attendance and TV ratings a year ago, NASCAR Chairman Brian France quipped that the sport didn’t have any problems that a few Earnhardt Jr. victories couldn’t fix.
He was only half joking.
Like him or not, Earnhardt Jr. has an enormous following that drives interest in the sport. If he wins and is a threat each week, it could do wonders for a sport that needs a boost.
That is why his story will continue to dominate the headlines – the good, the bad and the ugly.
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Comments
21 responses to "Jeff Owens: Dale Jr. attention all part of being NASCAR's most popular driver". Post a Comment.
SS396Chevelle said:
May 30, 2009 at 8:01 AMFrance wasn't joking. Dale Jr is the most popular person in all of sports. If anyone thinks Kyle Busch is the answer then take a good look at TV ratings and attendance. I'm a Jeff Gordon fan, but going to the races and not seeing Jr out front or near the lead is like going to a funeral.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmotorsportsphotography said:
May 30, 2009 at 8:12 AMAnd that is the downside of being Dale. If he wasn't the MPD and he didn't have the pressure every week, he could go to the track and not worry about being asked by every tom dick or harry are you going to win this week or when are you going to win again. He didn't ask for this and never wanted it. Even Jeff and Jimmie have said they wouldn't want to be in his shoes and they are right. And another problem is that most of his fans don't even understand racing, that's why everyone jumped on the bandwagon to fire Tony even though Tony was maybe just half the problem.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgwen_susie388 said:
May 30, 2009 at 11:53 AMWhat you say is true whether people like it or not. NASCAR does need Dale, Jr. and I think ratings would improve if Jr. was doing a lot better! I hate all the pressure that is on him right now! Dale, Jr. can handle it though! He is a tough man!! The races are not fun to watch when Jr. struggles!! I never one time said to fire Tony, Jr. or put the blame on him, but I as an Earnhardt fan was smart enough to know something needed to be done, but I always said I didn't know what it was! We will see and as usual I will continue to pull for my favorite Dr. GO DALE EARNHARDT. JR.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportCrazyClyde said:
May 30, 2009 at 1:12 PManother boost jr could probably use is some kind of therapy like stewart and kb. those two have had great attitude improvements. jr gets too frustrated too easy anymore.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
May 30, 2009 at 1:30 PM#1...Jr is not the most popular person in sports...NASCAR yes...but overall no...i'll bet he'd trade in all his MPD awards for 1 Championship...
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrgabovitz said:
May 30, 2009 at 2:38 PMI have been a Dale Sr fan since day 1 and have migrated thru to years to get to know Dale Jr grow and mature. There are very few individuals who could withstand the daily pressure cooker that Dale Jr lives in. It's frightening just thinking about it.
Report as AbuseSince the media is running crazy with what Kyle Busch has to say about Dale Jr. Just for comparision purposes, I would love to see Kyle Busch live in the daily Dale Jr Pressure Cooker for a few months just to see how he handles it. I don't believe it would take but a few weeks, if that and Busch would disintegrate into little bitty M&M's just rolling uncontrolably all over the garage floor. Who cares what Busch has to say anyway. GO DALE JR.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportparadisflcanuck said:
May 30, 2009 at 3:14 PM#6 You are absolutely right. All these arm chair drivers keep shooting off their mouth's but really need to let up. The pressure Jr is under on a daily basis is enormous and none of them would last ten minutes so they need to put their mouth's where their butts are and keep quiet until they experiance some of that pressure. Ok so Ive had my say, now go jr and show them all
Report as AbuseHave a great race at Pocono
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» Confirm Abuse Reportblazer190596 said:
May 30, 2009 at 3:22 PMKelly and her team have spent the past 10 years carefully crafting "The Dale Jr." brand!! This has grown his net worth into the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. His earning power is off the scale, compared only to Tiger Woods!
Report as AbuseWeather he wins or is in comtention really does not matter to all of those behind the scene! Jr. is an eating, breathing, walking money making machine!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgoing2heaven said:
May 30, 2009 at 3:29 PMWhy fret about those who leave the track or turn off the tv because their one and only driver (whoever that may be) isn't doing well? They are not NASCAR fans - they are merely driver groupies. And by childishly leaving/ turning off the tv in a snit because their idol isn't performing well shows they are only fair-weather groupies at that. A true NASCAR fan loves the sport itself in addition to having a favorite driver/drivers.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportraceshopjen said:
May 30, 2009 at 5:42 PMYour right #8 there are a lot of suckers out there who buy his junk and don't care if he ever wins!
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» Confirm Abuse Reporthwe said:
May 30, 2009 at 8:18 PMHe will always be an Earnhardt and the media would still ask their questions,whether we vote for him or not. I buy his stuff and I would love for Jr to win. Not caring if he wins and not deserting him,if he doesn't is a different thing.Why do any of you care if we vote for Jr. and why should you worry about how we spend our money. I want to say good driving to Brad K. ,in the right place to win today after that little incident and also to the winner of the truck race.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTurning_Left said:
May 30, 2009 at 9:39 PMThank you Howard for posting a neutral blog regarding Dale Jr. It's refreshing.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrgabovitz said:
May 30, 2009 at 11:35 PMHey RACESHOPJEN; whose junk are you suckered in to buying. Every drivers merchandise must be junk since it's all make by the same companies. You just can't stand someone living the American Dream.................
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKenL88 said:
May 31, 2009 at 1:54 AM#11 good comment. Dale will always be under the microscope. As a fan I stick with him win or not he is a great person and a great driver which was guoted today more than once on speed from Jeff Hommond on down.And the media.If people can't get that. It is on them Jr. Nation doesn't care he will be again this year MPD. We will make sure of it.I know one that isn't on the list that is why he is so arrogent and storms off when things don't go his way. He got paid back today for his smart a--comment Brad and JRM won the race was very happy for Brad his team and Dale.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSS396Chevelle said:
May 31, 2009 at 8:46 AMWerner who is the most popular person in sports if it's not JR?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale said:
May 31, 2009 at 10:02 AMHello rgabovitz, I find it interesting that you say you do not care what Kyle Busch says, yet you are on here condemmning him. Shooting the messenger instead of listening to the message.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale said:
May 31, 2009 at 10:08 AMHey going2heaven, I guess you haven't read too many posts as it is the Jr. lemmings that are the ones that say they leave the track or turn the TV off if Jr. isn't doing well. (that explains all the garbage many of them spew about races they haven't seen this year - after all if they claim to turn the TV off, then come back and complain about something that happens later in the race, they obviously couldn't have watch it!).
Report as AbuseTo SS396Chevelle, umm.. the world is a lot bigger than just the US. You might want to take a geography class sometime.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdale said:
May 31, 2009 at 10:12 AMHi Gwen, so since Dale Jr. is "So Important" when can we expect to see him demand ownership of NASCAR? After all, it is that level of ego that lead him to demand ownership of a company where he was just an employee. Then leaving DEI to go to Hendrick where he hasn't (so far) lived up to the hype. It will be interesting to see what (if any) improvements over the next few weeks with the crew chief change.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportsibbi173 said:
May 31, 2009 at 10:37 AMI'm sure we're all proud of the kind of man Dale Jr. turned out to be. And we'd all be thrilled to pieces to see him win...... go Jr!!!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgwen_susie388 said:
May 31, 2009 at 11:11 AMGood Morning to you #18 Dale, To answer your question of when can we (who ever you think we maybe) expect to see him Dale,Jr) demand ownership of NASCAR? My answer is never. I don't remember bringing DEI into this so I'll let you just have your own opinion on that one. I agree with you 200%, it will be interesting to see what improvements over the next few weeks this new crew chief change makes. Since you didn't direct the above questions to me I will let the other's fend for theirselves. I will tell you that I watch all the races and never turn the TV off. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed? Maybe you should ask Jeff Owens, he is the one who said that Dale Earnhardt is Nascar's most IMPORTANT driver and I just happen to agree! Don't shoot the messenger....listen to the message!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
May 31, 2009 at 2:44 PMSS396Chevelle...from 2007...Tiger woods [golf], Ronaldinho [football], D. Beckham [football], Kobe bryant [basketball], Roger federer [tennis], Cristiano ronaldo [football], A Rod [baseball], Ronaldo[football], Kaka [football], Michael schumacher [formula one], Shaq O'neill [basketball], Therry henry [football], Lebron James [basketball] Serena and venus williams [female tennis], Louis hamilton [formula one]. .....thru out history...Micheal jordan [basketball], Muhammad ali [boxing], Pele [football], Maradona [football], Aryton senna [formula one], Jack nicklaus [golf].
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