February 21, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
“You don’t know what it is like to be the family superstar.”
That line from this week’s Gary Unmarried on CBS could also describe what Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have been thinking after this week’s Daytona 500.
The blogs and columnists have been buzzing this week with discussion of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s performance in the rain-shortened race. Dale Jr. was apparently trying to be the first car that was one lap down. Junior was in that position in the race because of two earlier mistakes on pit road.
Unfortunately for Junior, Brian Vickers was in that position and Vickers didn’t politely just move out of Earnhardt’s way.
Earnhardt used his car to remove Vickers from the position that both Vickers and Junior wanted. But there was collateral damage from his bump of Vickers that can hardly be called ‘friendly fire’.
The actions of Earnhardt may be caused by the enormous pressure on him to achieve. This pressure is a byproduct of Junior’s lineage and not of his driving ability. Earnhardt has consistently been NASCAR’s most popular driver. His loyal followers are legendary. You can hear the ‘Junior Nation’ come to life at any race when Junior makes a strategic move or leads a lap.
Dale Jr. is under intense pressure to perform, not because he had shown especially great promise as a driver but because of who is father is. The racing world was left with a hole in its collective heart when Dale Earnhardt Senior was tragically killed in the 2001 Daytona 500. Since that time his racing fans seem to be seeking to replace their hero with Dale Jr.
Junior fans were especially hopeful last year when Dale Jr. switched from the team his father owned, Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendricks Motorsports. Hendricks is currently the most successful team in NASCAR. There were hopes for Junior that the excellent equipment Hendricks would provide would be the boost Dale needed to take his performance to the next level. It did not happen last year and Dale Jr’s emotional response during races hampered his success. It seemed to prove what many people have long felt-that Dale Jr. is a good driver but he is not great. The pressure he is under now caused him to make poor decisions on Sunday.
There does not seem to be an easy solution to the problem for Earnhardt Junior. His personal success is tied to his success on the racetrack. However, Junior is not his father. That is not a bad thing. How many of us are our parents? Consider living a life with expectations that dictate every step of your life.
So the very thing that indicates Dale Jr’s success, the popularity with the fans-may well be the thing that is hindering his success in the Sprint Cup. I do not want Junior fans to think that I am putting down their driver. No, I see a man who is trying to fulfill the expectations of others. These expectations are increased because of the loss of his father-both in the hearts of his fans and in his own heart as well.
Dale Earnhardt Junior needs to step up to the plate and accept responsibility. It would be a good start if he took responsibility for Sunday’s mishap. Secondly, he needs to find a focus for his enormous influence with the fans. Junior could take his father’s legacy and move beyond it with the good he could do.
It’s time for fans to be realistic and let Junior be Junior. And it is time for Junior to find his unique self in this world.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
