September 18, 2007

By Brian Watkins

Brian Watkins

So, tomorrow will tell if the rumors are true and Dale Jr. becomes the second DJ in three seasons to pilot the #88 in NASCAR’s premier Series. What is interesting about the choice (which will conveniently require hardcore Dale Jr. fans to simply add a second 8 to their tattoos) is -- that it is, or was, owned by Robert Yates Racing (RYR), who earlier declined an offer from Hendrick Motor Sports (HMS) to purchase the rights to the number 38, a far ‘cooler’ number for Junior in my opinion. Why the value of 38 is greater to RYR than 88 is unclear as they both have been in driver flux over the past two seasons, but if tomorrow's press conference confirms the number and sponsors (Mountain Dew and AMP energy drink) the next to last chapter in the Dale Jr., unhitching himself from the DEI saga, will be closed. The last chapter will hopefully span many seasons as we see what Junior can do with the best of the best behind him.

The latest developments in the Dale Jr. story this season, the “leak” of Junior's new number, underscores a pattern of leaks all season long and makes me wonder if it would be at all possible for either NASCAR or any of the teams to actually keep anything a secret until the actual press conference. It’s gotten to the point that one has to wonder why they even bother having press conferences anymore.

For example, if I Google “Earnhardt, #88, Dew” I get 133,000 listings. After the second page they start being less and less relevant, but the first two pages are filled with the news; one racing site even touting the number announcement as “OFFICIAL”. The sites sharing the ‘secret’ range from the main page of this website and ESPN.com to blogs and social networking sites of all shapes, sizes and levels of credibility. I’m not knocking any of the sites for carrying the news- I’m simply wondering how and why the news keeps coming out early.

The same thing was true when days prior to the press conference announcing the move of Joe Gibbs Racing from Chevrolet to Toyota, Kyle Bush took it upon himself to make the announcement to reporters. By the time the press conference rolled around I think there were only about 13 people in the world that hadn’t already heard the news.

It was a similar turn of events prior to Junior's departure from DEI, his split with Budweiser and his establishment of a Busch Series team. When it comes to NASCAR lately, it is less a case of “who let the cat out of the bag?” as it is “who forgot to put the cat in the bag in the first place?”.

I guess there’s no real harm in finding out early, although it would be much more suspenseful and dramatic if HMS had kept mum on the whole issue until Daytona next year, when the following scene could have unfolded:

The haulers pull in prior to qualifying and practice, and Junior’s is simply painted white with “Dale Earnhardt, Jr.” painted in black block lettering on the trailer. The car is unloaded from the hauler with a rain cover hiding any hint of a number or paint scheme and is pushed to the garage where tight security keeps the eyes of all but officials and crew far away from the car. When the first practice rolls around, the car is pushed, still covered, to the pit stall. By now the stands are packed and the TV’s are all tuned in. Junior climbs in the car, starts the engine and pulls away from the stall for practice laps, leaving the cover in a pile behind him. The number, sponsor and paint scheme are reveled all at once in a dramatic and highly suspenseful fashion. As Junior turns practice laps, the souvenir trailer opens up revealing all the new Dale Jr. gear that will most likely sell out in the first 20 minutes.

Those unable to see practice and qualifying will tune into the race, and the Dale Jr. Nation will spend more during Daytona race week than all the other driver’s fans combined. NASCAR wins ($$$) Junior wins ($$$) Hendrick wins ($$$) and the fans get a little extra excitement.

Okay, so maybe my idea is a little over the top, but it sure is more interesting than finding out about it on someone’s Myspace blog.

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.