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Let Junior Be Junior
2/13/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
Why is it that we always have to compare someone to their famous kin or great champions? When Matt Kenseth burst on to the NASCAR scene winning a championship many pundits said, "He is the new Silver Fox." This is not limited to NASCAR either. Listen to any sports talk show and you will hear the hosts debate whether Tom Brady is the next "Joe Montana." Maybe this is just inevitable but when your Daddy is seven-time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt you are forever cursed to live in that shadow. Come on race fans…just let Junior be Junior!
Following a Legend
Only one other driver knows what the pressure is like following a seven-time champion in this sport! Kyle Petty might have never lived up to his Dad's racing expertise but the sport has changed so much it would have been like comparing apples to oranges anyway. But Kyle has handled this role with as much class and professionalism as Dale Earnhardt Jr has over the years. Junior might finally have the tools available to win a championship though unlike Kyle who was never in top equipment in his career. Following a legend with class takes a special human being.
Better Than Daddy at Some Things
If we must compare their records Junior might come out on top in one analysis. While Dale Earnhardt the Elder claimed to see air, Junior has applied his Daddy's lessons and done him one better! Junior can't match his Daddy's winning percentage yet but the last few years Dale Earnhardt Incorporated cars were no longer at the top of the NASCAR pecking order at restrictor plate tracks. His seven wins from 2001-2005 were as impressive as his Daddy's best period. Now that he is at Hendrick Motorsports look for Junior to quickly blow by his Daddy's eleven total restrictor plate wins.
Out of the Shadow
Listen to Dale Earnhardt Jr talk about racing and you can hear just how proud he is of his Daddy's records and the team he built. But somewhere along the way DEI changed in a direction that Dale Earnhardt Jr was not happy with at all. All Junior wants to do is win races! Winning a championship wouldn't make him feel like he was a better racer, just fulfill some sort of expectations that his Daddy's fans have had for the young man. Is it any wonder he didn't stay at DEI or go to race at Richard Childress Racing? Junior had to become his own man and go to race at Hendrick Motorsports. "I've always raced and worked and lived with pressure," said Dale Earnhardt Jr after the win at the Budweiser Shootout. "Before we got to this level life wasn't easy and it wasn't no golden road or easy to travel. But we've always delivered." Enjoy your season Dale as hopefully we all decide to let Junior be Junior.
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