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A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens

Junior now 0-2 against chief rivals

May 30
Entering this season, there were two drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. was going to be constantly compared to and sized up against.

Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne.

Busch because he is the driver Earnhardt Jr. replaced at Hendrick Motorsports.

Kahne because he is the driver who replaced Earnhardt Jr. in the bright red Budweiser colors Junior made famous.

Fans were anxious to see if Earnhardt Jr. could do better than Busch at Hendrick, and if Busch could succeed with another team.

They were also anxious to see if Kahne could win with the lucrative sponsorship that powered Junior for so many years. 

So far, Junior is 0-for-2 against his chief rivals.

Busch has three Cup wins, leads the points standings and has about a gazillion wins in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series.

Kahne now has a Cup points victory and a win in the prestigious Sprint All-Star Race.

For the sake of argument, Junior did win the season-opening Budweiser Shootout, but it was also a non-points event and pales in comparison to the all-star race.

Earnhardt Jr. is having a nice season, climbing to third in the points standings. Clearly, he is much better with Hendrick than he was at DEI.

But he needs to win a Cup points race soon. Otherwise, he will continue to lag behind the two drivers most closely tied to him after last year’s big shake-up.

Average Rating: 3.0

Comments

11 responses to "Junior now 0-2 against chief rivals"
  1. 1
    Valeri Leist said:
    May 30, 2008 at 11:23 AM

    Jr. is NOT rivals with these two! You people in the press makes so much out of NOTHING!!!!! This story is so idiotic it is laughable!! The ONLY people who seem to care about this NONSENSE is the people in the press! Jr. is having the best start of his career and is happier than ever-but I guess that doesn't make a good story, does it?

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  2. 2
    Mark O'Brien said:
    May 30, 2008 at 12:02 PM

    I think the story told the truth and most Jr. Fans ofcourse would disagree with it. I would not say he has had a good year- He has had a lucky year. The real number instead of 0 for 2 is 0 for 76. You can't tell me that it not burning Jr. Nation that KB has won 3 cup and 4 Nationwide races. If this is not true then why do JR nation kick it up 3 notches on the boo meter each week and if you look at the sale KB is gain this year too. He probably will not get to the Dale Jr. number but Jr Nation would buy toliet paper with 88's on it. I will finsh this article Jr is over rated and deserve none of any of his success that goes to his father. I know that is true i was a huge Dale sr. fan but this constant whine for Jr. i have lost all respect for him.

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  3. 3
    Scott Seagraves said:
    May 30, 2008 at 4:13 PM

    Mark, you can rub the 0 for 76 in all that you want. However, don't even try to start the argument that Jr has been lucky this year. In the last three points races, he has been wrecked out of the lead and blew a tire while in the lead. Yeah, he is real lucky. Jr has led a good amount and is always at, or near, the front this season. Oh, one more thing. You can say that he is overrated until you are blue in the face, but you can't take away 17 wins and two Busch Chamionships. Only Gordon, Johnson, and Stewart have visited victory lane more than Jr since he started at the cup level.

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  4. 4
    S Beau said:
    May 30, 2008 at 5:22 PM

    Wow, first it was apparently Jr vs. Busch....now Kahne is in the fold? Whose it gonna be next week Jeff? My money is on the pilot of the goodyear blimp.

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  5. 5
    Phil Mc Ardle said:
    Jun 2, 2008 at 11:56 AM

    Jr. couldn't win at DEI last year so he swtched to Hendrick. If he can't win this year maybe he can switch to Gibbs next year.

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  6. 6
    Bill Rogers said:
    Jun 3, 2008 at 8:15 AM

    Jeff- for the record, Junior IS doing better than Kyle did at Hendrick....he hasn't won yet, but Kyle wasn't as consistent.

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  7. 7
    emily bagwell said:
    Jun 3, 2008 at 7:34 PM

    Mark O'Brien, No one gives a rat's tail about whether you like or respect Junior or not. Why don't you go read articles on Kyle Busch and shut the h@#* up!

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  8. 8
    Pearl Roll said:
    Jun 4, 2008 at 10:37 PM

    My oh my is the Jr. nation a little upset. Someone is speaking the truth about Jr. and they can't handle it. Well to bad jr. fans -you are all so jealous of KB it is showing big time. KB will be a champ before Jr. so better get used to it. Quit making excuses and blaming other drivers for jr's inability to win a race.

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  9. 9
    Laura Tidwell said:
    Jun 5, 2008 at 1:17 PM

    Some of you need to get a grip on reality. You speak of Kyle Busch and Dale Jr as if they're criminals or something. Sure, Kyle can be immature sometimes.. and Junior hasn't won since forever, but that is no reason to spew such hatred towards them. I just don't get it... it's not like they're serial killers. So for goodness sake, get over it.

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  10. 10
    Richard Hicks jr said:
    Jun 5, 2008 at 2:46 PM

    Do you thin Dale jr wiil Drive For Hendrick or jr

    Report as Abuse
  11. 11
    emily bagwell said:
    Jun 5, 2008 at 9:47 PM

    pearl, why don't you learn to make a remark that doesn't include the word jealous if your vocabulary will permit it. Watching a race and pu;;ing for a driver involves more than winning. Fans followed Dale, Sr. for quite some time without a win, but you wouldn't know that because I can tell you are one of these fair weather fans that jumps on the band wagon of who ever is winning. You're a good representative for KB.

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