May 6, 2009
By Chuck Abrams
Today I am going to stir the hornet’s nest a bit.
After a most disappointing finish at Richmond this past weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits 18th in points. That is 87 points behind 12th place Matt Kenseth.
On one hand you could say, whew, 87 points back is not bad for how uneven a season the 88 team has had so far and you would be correct.
But look at how the team is performing. They don’t seem to be able to get a handle on any track they go to. Richmond is a track that Dale Jr. likes and should excel at, and they finish 27th? Talladega is a racetrack where he used to dominate at until Hendrick cars started to dominate there. But wait, isn’t he at Hendrick now?
In his second year at Hendrick, Dale Jr. should be doing much better. This is THE uber team of the past 5 years and we are saying how great it is that he is so close to TWELFTH place? That is ridiculous.
Either things are horribly wrong with Hendrick or horribly wrong with the 88 team.
For some reason, crew chief and driver cannot get on the same page. The 88 may start a race well but they don’t seem capable of staying with a track and adjusting it thus ending up outside the top more often than not.
I know Earnhardt is fiercely loyal to his cousin, but let’s look at the facts – Earnhardt won two Busch titles before Eury Jr. came in to the picture and got 16 of his 18 Cup wins with Eury Sr. – not Eury Jr.
I am not saying that neither crew chief nor driver is over rated. I think both are championship caliber. But the fact of the matter is they are not winning, nor are they performing at expected levels. Many fans wrote last year off as a new beginning and pointed to 2009.
Well it is 2009 and they are not looking much better. And if you believe stats, 80 percent of the drivers that leave Richmond in the Chase positions are there when they leave Richmond at race 26.
Earnhardt might be close, but close is only good for horseshoes and hand grenades.
Swap crew chiefs? Who would you swap with – Mark Martin? No way will Knaus go to the 88 nor will Letarte. Plus, internal crew chief swaps have not been all that successful in NASCAR. While no one at Hendrick may be talking about an RCR type of crew chief swap, something has to happen to get the 88 team back on track or Eury Jr. should not be sitting on the pit box for the 88 team next year if the 88 is to get back to it’s winning ways.
I believe more in Dale Jr. than I do Eury Jr. Some may say that is not saying a lot but I disagree. Earnhardt is an old school driver and can seriously compete for a championship. He has not forgotten how to drive or how to win. But for some reason, there is a communications breakdown between he and his cousin. That needs to be fixed before he will ever win a title.
Well, that’s all for now. Let me know your thoughts.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.
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