October 24, 2011
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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There is no question that both Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are extremely talented racecar drivers with a proven winning record. Yet for some reason, to this point of their careers, neither has been able to put together a championship winning season at the Cup level.
Kyle Busch began amazing everyone as soon as he debuted in NASCAR's premier division. He's won 23 times in the Cup Series and has had success in the Nationwide Series and in the Truck Series. He can drive anything with wheels on it. His skill in the car is unquestioned. However, since his debut in 2005 when he received the Rookie of the Year award, he's managed to win some races but not a championship.
He regularly qualifies for The Chase, but always seems to fall apart during it. Going into the Chase, he's been top-seeded in the points twice. He can win the regular season but folds when the pressure is on. Perhaps he could take some pointers from Jimmie Johnson.
He recently cut back the amount of races he runs in the Nationwide Series and some are wondering if that's helped him in this year's Chase. He's still in position to compete for the Championship but hasn't exactly been spectacular.
"Does it help me or not? It's a point to argue at particular tracks," Busch was quoted as saying in a press conference at Talladega. "It doesn't matter at Daytona or Talladega and stuff like that. Indy -- I've never run well at Indy before."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't done much in a while either. He has 18 career wins, with just one of those coming since he made the transition to what many consider the best team in the NASCAR garage, Hendrick Motorsports.
He's already on his third crew chief during his tenure at Hendrick and so far, hasn't really improved his performance. After the crew chief shuffle during the off-season at Hendrick, Earnhardt was paired with Steve Letarte. The No. 88 team started the season off strong and managed to qualify for the Chase for only the second time during his four years at Hendrick.
He's already fallen out of contention for this year's Championship unless something drastic happens to the drivers ahead of him. At a press conference at Talladega, Earnhardt seemed more focused on just winning a race before the end of the season than competing for the Championship.
"I hope we can run well and win any of these races and I think we are good enough to do that," Earnhardt said. "I am looking forward to all of them.”
Busch and Earnhardt have different driving styles. Busch is much more aggressive. He seems to go all out every race and either brings home the checkered flag or winds up wrecked.
Earnhardt, on the other hand, is much more relaxed and courteous behind the wheel. He tends to race other drivers clean and is less likely to move another car out of the way to achieve victory, seeming content to get the best finish that he can.
Both styles have their pros and cons. However, just one bad race during the post-season can severely cripple a championship run. The way the point system is structured, Earnhardt's style is most likely to pay off sooner.
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