He Said She Said: Did Junior
Sell His Soul to the Devil?
The Devil Went Down
To Mooresville Looking For a Soul to Steal…
June 18, 2007
Everett Mugg and
Debbi Willis - SCR
He Said: Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans and Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) haters alike are in a state of shock, as they
are thinking that Junior sold his soul to the devil by signing with Rick Hendrick. It is very popular for Jr. fans to hate
(with a great deal of passion may one add) Hendrick Motorsports and anyone connected with them. To be fair though one has
to lump Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Kevin Harvick fans in that group as well. In my opinion, this all started when
Jeff Gordon came on the scene and started whipping Dale Earnhardt’s butt on the race track. NO ONE could beat God, I
mean Dale Earnhardt, in a fair race, so they just had to be cheating. Yep, Gordon has cheated his way to four (4) Cup Championships
and 79 wins in NASCAR’s top series, two USAC Championships and both Busch and Cup ROTY honors as well. The “kid”
(Jeff Gordon) certainly lacks talent (HaHa). Things got even worse when Jimmie Johnson came along after Jr. was in Cup and
has not only won a Cup Championship but has out performed Jr. every season they have competed against each other. Those Hendrick
drivers are just cheaters, it is the only thing that ‘splains it and Rick Hendrick is the devil.
She Said: I hate what HMS represents! The bottom line always
comes down to the money; no matter how many times all the people in his organization talk about the “people”.
All they’re doing is what they are paid to do. See the irony here? Money is power, not talent. The difference
is that mediocre talent will look great in big money operations with great equipment, while real talent always makes something
out of anything they drive, regardless of the equipment. Money is the great tempter, and as I recall, the “root of all
evil.” Maybe the devil DID go down to Mooresville…
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And, let’s be really
“fair,” all of this begins on a lie right from the start! Richard Childress talks to Jr. right out of the
gate and gives him the security of knowing he has a home to go to in a press conference announcement the next day. Meanwhile,
Slick Rick Hendrick is quoted as saying, there’s “no room at the inn” for Jr.! Talk about “god”-like
attitudes about anyone! I think it’s safe to say Jr. sold his soul to Hendrick and it all started with a lie. How apropos!
He Said: Started with a lie? Oh give me a break. Hendrick was negotiating contracts with one of his drivers. He
can only have four and he does. He did not air the details of that failed negotiation anymore than he did the Junior talks.
Businesses always keep the attempted acquisition of big assets under wraps. Does your boss go tell his competition what he
or she is trying to acquire, of course not? As for Childress “giving security and a home”? (It is hard to type
and laugh at the same time) Jr. could have gone to any team he wanted. Only Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) was so arrogant as to
not desire the services of the most popular driver in the sport.
I am also tired of that
“big money makes a bad driver good” junk. I could drive a Hendrick car with traction control and jet boosters
and still not even finish a race much less win. I would have that puppy in the wall probably on the warm up laps. Erin Crocker,
with the full might of Evernham Motorsports (EMS) behind her, failed to win in ARCA against teams building cars on shoestring
budgets in backyard garages. How many times has Ryan Newman driven the fastest car to the back of the field, if not into a
wall? Bad drivers can not win in great cars and great drivers can not win in slow cars.
She Said: So the argument flies both ways which lays it on the individual. Personally,
I’m tired of the notion that money makes the person. I prefer to adhere to the old adage that “what is right is
not always popular; what is popular is not always right!”
Out Of the Pan and Into
the Fire?
He Said: Jr. is certainly on the hot seat. With six Cup Championships in 11 years, HMS has proven they are the
team to beat and certainly builds good cars. If Junior fails to win at HMS it will not be because of the equipment he drives.
I am one of the few who is not a die hard, card carrying, fan of Jr., (and Harvick as well) who thinks the driver has not
had the equipment equal to his talent. I will be proven right or wrong starting next season as far as Jr. is concerned. Hendrick
cars win races and Hendrick drivers win Championships.
She said: I think he’s jumped into the fire and it’s going
to be a challenge for HMS to get Jr. a championship. All HMS has proven in the past 11 years is that they can focus and HMS
will win at any cost. When the rest of the world was reeling in shock in 2001, Jeff Gordon and HMS are focused.
Bravo! (Gag!) Already the Car of Tomorrow (COT) domination is proven by the fact that HMS has taken on constant testing
to get a handle on the car and I‘ll commend them on that, but at what cost? An entire series of other tires similar
but not exactly because NASCAR prohibits testing on Goodyear’s and at tracks similar but not actually because NASCAR
prohibits testing except as they allow. Granted it’s what wins, and it’s lame to criticize this but I have to
wonder where it stops? While NASCAR created the COT for “cost effectiveness,” they effectively created a vehicle
that if all the resources are poured into it then domination occurs! How cost effective is that now? What good is that for
the sport? Why don’t they just pick the champion every year and let us know whom they choose? But, alas, I digress,
back to Jr.…
Dale Jr.’s statistics
are miserable and if he had any personal integrity he’d know they weren’t because of his equipment and DEI.
But when you’re Dale Jr. and your expected to succeed like your father, the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr., then you’ve
got to blame someone. Who better than the “evil” stepmother?” No one’s here to defend her now.
By blaming someone else, Jr.’s incredible PR entourage around him has an excellent, heart-tugging, fan-manipulation
strategy to market by the “rising son” of NASCAR.
He Said: Jr.’s stats are miserable? His 17 wins ranks him 39th on the all-time win list (why 39th I do not
know as 40th, and 41st, also have 17 wins), as well as ninth among active drivers. He is fifth among active drivers in winning
percentage. Not too many people would call these miserable statistics.
She Said: Yes, I will reiterate that Jr.’s stats are MISERABLE.
Sure, overall his rank looks good but his average finish this year is 17th while his career average finish overall is 16.7!
Nothing spectacular about those stats and it’s been a while since he’s been to victory lane. To me it doesn’t
look like consistency is part of his performance and that’s not what wins championships. Neither does popularity and
good looks!
Why Not Childress?
He Said: A better question would be WHY Childress? RCR has never won a Championship without a driver named Dale
Earnhardt (RCR won six with him) while Hendrick has won six in the last eleven years alone with three different drivers. Jr.
stated he left DEI because he wanted to WIN. HMS wins, races and Championships, on a consistent basis with multiple drivers
and RCR does not. Jr. has driven long enough with a team without the desire to win; he does not need to drive for one without
the means to do so. HMS has proven they have both the means and desire.
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She said: Richard Childress only had one driver for most of the twenty
years Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove for him. Childress added a 2nd team in 1996 and a 3rd team in 2001. But, I say Jr. should have
gone to RCR because Childress and integrity DO belong in the same sentence. I believe Jr. would have grown more under Childress
than he will at HMS, though at HMS he’ll definitely stay the “limelight superstar.” Unfortunately, Dale
Jr. thinks he’s bigger than he is because he carries his daddy’s name. Well, that’s ALL he carries! His
statistics in Cups are lousy and his ability to compensate in the face of adversity is worst. He’s not even loyal to
Anheuser-Busch or the Eury’s with this deal. At this point, he’s a free bird caught by Rick Hendrick.
I’m sure Kyle Busch heard
everything Jr. has heard now from Rick Hendrick, when he signed on with HMS. Busch may be laughing to himself as he
thinks how Jr. may feel in his shoes when Jr. doesn’t “perform” as expected. That possibility strongly exists.
History isn’t very positive about sons of great drivers being superstars in their own right. Jr. will have to work hard
for a championship even though I believe everyone from the top of NASCAR down will try their best to make it come true for
him now. Like a spoiled child, Jr. gets what he wants doesn’t he? I guess only time will tell.
He Said: What Kyle Busch is doing is trying to find a way to kick lady luck in the butt. He was in the catbird
seat until Jr. became a free agent. Up until that point HE was the hottest thing in the market. He could (and from reports
was) command top dollar. He still can. Unfortunately for him given the choice of paying him top dollar or Jr. top dollar,
anyone with any business savvy is going to pay it to Jr. That is a no brainer. As soon as the first hint that Kyle Busch was
available came out team reps where beating down his door. I would bet that Toyota has not given him a moment of peace. As far as NOT “performing
as expected”? He finished in the top 10 his second year and has won every season he has raced Cup. He is currently in
the top 10. Busch has certainly lived up to expectations.
She Said: I fully expect Kyle to do very well wherever he
lands next year. Of the two Busch’s, I believe he’s got more raw talent. I just think he must find it hard
to be thrown aside and kicked out of the big “family” so quickly. Jr.’s happy now. I’ll watch
to see how long that lasts.
2006 StockCar Review.
