October 6, 2007
By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't make this year's Chase for the Championship, but that doesn't mean he's faded from the limelight.

Far from it.

For one thing, Junior is currently in sole possession of 13th place - the highest possible finishing position for the a driver not competing for this year's title.

Not surprisingly, Earnhardt Jr. is also on his way to winning his fifth straight Most Popular Driver award, a ceremonial honor based on fan voting.

But those achievements fade in comparison to Earnhardt Jr.'s really big accomplishment this year, one which set the NASCAR world on its ear: Leaving Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the company his father founded and intended as a legacy for his children, and signing with the team that many Earnhardt fans have long considered the enemy - Hendrick Motor Sports - home to Earnhardt antithesis Jeff Gordon.

Earnhardt Jr. left DEI in order to extricate himself from the oppressive thumb of his stepmother, company CEO Teresa Earnhardt, with whom Junior has always had an oppositional relationship.

In signing with HMS, Dale aligns himself with Rick Hendrick, a man who will serve multiple roles including car owner, business associate, father figure and mentor.

While the move to Hendrick eliminates one of the major stressors in Dale Jr.'s life - working for his stepmother - it also creates a greater sense of urgency for him to answer the critics who allege that he is an average racecar driver at best, not in the same league as the other superstars of the sport, and that he will never win a championship at the Nextel Cup level.

I disagree.

As far as his ability to wheel a racecar, Earnhardt Jr. has the talent and skill needed to win races and, yes, even a championship.

But don't take my word for it. Let's look at some numbers.

Back in the year 2000, Earnhardt Jr.'s rookie season, he tied Davey Allison as the fastest driver in the modern era to win his second race, reaching that mark in just 16 Cup starts. It took Tony Stewart 32 races, Dale Earnhardt Sr. 41 races, Jeff Gordon 50 races, Darrell Waltrip 65 races, and Bobby Labonte 77 races to win their second race (source: Jayski.com).

Looking at Earnhardt Jr'.s freshman class, there were seven drivers in 2000 competing with Earnhardt Jr. for Rookie of the Year honors: Matt Kenseth, Dave Blaney, Scott Pruett, Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss, and Ed Berrier.

Kenseth won the ROTY title and he and Earnhardt Jr. are the most successful drivers to come out their rookie year.

Very few people would argue that Matt Kenseth is one of the best drivers in NASCAR today. But comparing his statistics to Earnhardt Jr.'s yields some very interesting results:

              Top-5s   Top-10s   Poles   Wins     Laps Led   Titles

Earnhardt Jr.    76       121       7       17       5420       0
Kenseth          74       137       3       15       4447       1

Of course, that difference between having a championship and not having one is critical. Earnhardt Jr. will never be satisfied until he has accomplished that feat. But the lack of a title at this point in his career does not tell the whole story about his skill and talent as a driver.

If anything, Earnhardt Jr.'s continued success at the Nextel Cup level is pretty remarkable when you consider the burden he bears every day as the namesake of NASCAR's greatest legend, whose shocking death six years ago still impacts the sport and its fans - not to mention his son - in immeasurable ways.

Junior may have suffered from a lack of focus over the past few years, but who can blame him?

If distracted driving is the main issue that's hurt Junior's ability to win a championship , the move to Hendrick Motorsports is just what the doctor ordered.

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.