What If? … If Junior Had It To Do All Over Again
No, I’m not kicking Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he’s down.
Honestly and sincerely, I feel bad for him. I really do.
Heck, if he ever wants to talk and needs a shoulder to lean on and a friendly ear to listen to him, he knows how to get in touch with me.
But given how disappointing and frustrating his nearly two-year tenure with Hendrick Motorsports has been, particularly this season – which will likely go down in NASCAR history as his worst ever in the Cup series – I have to wonder if Junior has ever sat back at any point in the last two years, particularly the last few weeks, and thought to himself, “What if?”
I raise this subject because that very thing just happened to be the final question of my upcoming book, “Trading Paint! 101 of NASCAR’s Greatest Debates”, due out next July. As I was wrapping up final editing on the book last week, another debate needed to be replaced, so I wound up posing this question to my book’s future readers:
“What If Dale Earnhardt Jr. Never Left DEI (otherwise known as, ‘Would He Have Been Better Off Now Than He Is?’)?”
Granted, it’s one of those intangible questions that really can’t be answered. But the hypothesizing and prognostication aspect is something that Junior fans and non-fans alike can spend hours debating.
Junior went from a struggling organization to one that was the best in the business. Yet at the same time, he went from No. 1 at DEI to, essentially, No. 3 at best or No. 4 at worst at Hendrick Motorsports.
He went from an organization that placed his teammate, Martin Truex Jr., in the Chase in 2007 (while Junior muddled through another non-Chase qualifying season), yet had no participants in 2008, only to bounce back (thanks to a merger with Chip Ganassi Racing in the off-season) and have an outstanding season this year with Juan Pablo Montoya. Admittedly, Truex has had the worst season that he’s ever had at DEI. As a result, it’s not surprising that he’s leaving for Michael Waltrip Racing at season’s end.
And then there’s Junior tenure at HMS. He made the Chase last season, only to finish a dismal last of the 12-driver field. This year, he parted ways with longtime crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who was replaced by Lance McGrew. While expectations were high, results haven’t even been close. And let’s not forget the biggest thing of all: his three HMS teammates have been the most dominant organization in the Chase, while Junior seemingly drifts along aimlessly, sitting in an embarrassing 24th place in this week’s Sprint Cup standings.
It’s no wonder an obviously frustrated Earnhardt said last week at Charlotte that he was, to quote him, “about at the end of my rope.”
He has everything money can buy at HMS, the best cars, best motors, best personnel. Still, Junior can’t seem to buy a decent finish. If it isn’t one mishap or malady, it’s another.
Really, truly, I feel very, very bad for him. I can empathize, especially how much of this year has gone for me both personally and professionally, as well.
So, let me post the question again in a slightly different way: Given everything he’s gone through the last two seasons, should Junior have stayed at DEI? Should he have forgotten his ill-fated attempt to wrestle control of DEI away from his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, simply put his tail between his legs and soldiered on?
While DEI (now Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) is no HMS, I’m convinced Junior would have done far better there this year than at his current place of employment. I think he could have fed off Montoya – and vice-versa – much better than he feeds off current teammates Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and reigning three-time (soon to be four-time) Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson.
Heck, I’ll go so far as to say Junior doesn’t feed off his three teammates at all. How can he, given how good they’ve been and how bad he’s been? Is he getting hand-me-down equipment? Is there no one who can do a better job as crew chief than either Eury or McGrew (and I’m not saying Lance is a bad crew chief, but the results Junior has had definitely speak for themselves)?
Or maybe, just maybe, Junior has become what no one in the world would have expected: a bad fit at HMS. It’s hard to think that, but like I said, the results speak for themselves.
Last week, we heard rumors about Junior maybe heading to Richard Childress Racing after the 2010 season and possibly bringing his father’s old No. 3 black Chevy out from storage as a tribute to the 10th anniversary of Dale Sr.‘s tragic death at Daytona in 2011.
We’ve also heard rumors that Junior is so fed up with the way things have not turned out in his favor at HMS that he may even start his own Sprint Cup team in the near future, rather than remain at HMS.
All of those things are possible. Maybe not entirely likely, but still certainly possible. And then again, maybe he may burst out of the gate in 2010 and become the most dominating driver in NASCAR.
Again, maybe not entirely likely, but it sure sounds good, doesn’t it?
Then again, if his troubles continue next year, maybe Junior should simply tell himself it was a good try, he gave it a good run, and be left with just one thing to do: pick up the phone and say, “Hello, Teresa, hey, it’s me, Dale Junior. Do you think I could maybe have my old job back?”
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