An unasked question
Between my first (and only) post on the Junior situation, the only thing hotter than Jeff Gordon has been the where's-Junior-going speculation. If you're late to the party, Lars Anderson has a pretty good Q&A with himself on the whys and wherefores from last week.
He and everyone else keeps repeating the Junior party line: He's leaving DEI so he can win races and championships.
The question someone needs to ask is this: Can Junior even win a race? More after the jump. ...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring a lot with him to a new team: Him, for one, and probably a lot of his fans. He'll probably bring Budweiser, one of the biggest-spending sponsors in all of U.S. sports. The problem, though, is that Junior's not bringing much in the way of results with him. Look at his career record: 17 Cup wins, 2 Busch Series championships, a Daytona 500 trophy, and a spot in two of the three Chases.
Dig a bit deeper and you'll see that his best season finish (third) was in 2003 and his most victorious season (6 wins) was in 2004. He hasn't won a pole since 2002, and he has two wins in the last 83 races. His last trip to victory lane was a year ago at Richmond. He has one top 5 finish this season, and he's already 621 points back of standings leader Jeff Gordon.
So is the problem DEI or Junior? Jason Leffler was awful in the Gibbs No. 11, the same team that Denny Hamlin has done so well with. Roush's No. 6 was a great ride - for Mark Martin, but not so much for whoever they got to replace him. Ganassi's No. 42 wasn't going anywhere with Jamie McMurray behind the wheel, but J.P. Montoya is a threat to win most weeks. McMurray, meanwhile, has found new life in the No. 26 in his second season there. And Junior? He has been both great and terrible in the same car for the same team since 2000.
So where is the problem with the 8 - is it driver or team? Will Junior start winning again when he joins a new team? Will Junior's lack of recent success on the track stop teams from throwing a lot of money at him?
Comments (3)
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Montoya a threat to win most weeks? Not so fast. He is about where Mears was last year in the points. Don't get me wrong JPM will win and win often, but not yet. Leffler just isn't a good driver and Hamlin is proving he is. As for Dale Jr., he isn't an elite driver. He needs great equipment to be successful, as shown in his seasons in 2003 and 2004. DEI hasn't been the same since then, and neither has he. But, the answer is no - it won't stop teams from throwing money at a guy that brings more than almost anyone to the table without even getting behind the wheel.
Posted on May 14, 2007 3:04 PM
Gosh John, how long are you going to use poor Jason Leffler for a punching bag?
Posted on May 14, 2007 6:19 PM
"Will Junior start winning again when he joins a new team?"
Yes, Jr., in his Hendrick ride, will will plenty of races next year.
Posted on May 19, 2007 9:19 PM