Question: Just wanted to know when are people going to realize that Dale Jr. is just an average driver. There is a new excuse every week for sup-par finishes( although you ruffles feathers when you said that about concentration, and working out, and he has missed his pit box twice). I will probably get hate mail for this but, Does he seem alot like Kyle Petty? Wins alot early, but can’t seem to do anything later in his career. Hell he was lucky to win last year, he won thanks to a caution?
Ed Hinton: I learned a long time ago from NFL players that the tougher a coach is on conditioning, the better his players think in the final minutes of a game. I can’t see why it would be any different for a race driver.
Question: Do you believe Dale Jr. will be picking it up soon and start winning championships
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Ed Hinton: We shall see, if he’s as serious about his conditioning as Rick Hendrick told me he is. If he’s as fit as, say, Johnson, and still doesn’t win with that solid team behind him, well, AntiJuniorNation is going to have a lot of ammo.
Question: Hey Ed, do you see the 88 ultimately finishing better in the points standings than the 5?
Ed Hinton: Probably. Hendrick pointed out to me the other day that the 88 was his best team for 70 percent of last season. Then JJ-Chad kicked in.
Question: haha very true Ed, but even though it was a road course. In my book, Montoya 1 and JR 1 in Sprint cup victories the past two years. Show JPM some love and tell me how you think he will continue this year. Any chance he wins on an oval this year?
Ed Hinton: I think Montoya’s biggest problem is his team, which just isn’t very good. If he were with Hendrick or Roush, he’d have won on an oval by now.
Question: Huge Jr. fan…The thing I don’t understand is that Jr. doesn’t ask to be this popular, obviously a lot of it has to do with his Dad but the dude is just out there trying to do his best so I am not sure how all the haters can blame him for the attention he gets….
Ed Hinton: I don’t think they’re blaming him. I think they’re blaming JuniorNation. It’s the fans directly attacking each other, with Junior caught in the crossfire.
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Question: Yesterday Newton put all the blame on Junior for DEI’s bad times. Do you think its all Junior’s fault?
Ed Hinton: No way, no how, and I’ll prove it. When Tony Eury Sr. was with the team, he told me flat-out that he and—oh, what was the GM’s name at the time?—had told Teresa, “If you’re going to spend your time on that boat of yours, you’re going to have to let us run the team.” Remember Harvick’s claim that she was an “absentee owner?” Harvick wasn’t just blowing smoke.
Question: A semi-followup to all the DEI questions… Can The EGR Merger actually survive? All the talk about Truex leaving, JPM being much better than his Equipment… Will this team last more than this year or will we again be looking at additional Mergers?
Ed Hinton: I’ve said all along that EGR was a merger of two mediocre, hurting teams to make one mediocre, hurting team. It all depends on whether Chip Ganassi can continue to draw sponsorship. The “E” side of “GR” is unlikely to contribute anything.
Question: Just wanted to say that I am a Dale Sr. fan and “transferred” my support to Jr. after Sr’s. passing. Now I find myself rooting against Jr. Do I need to pray for him or for me? LOL
Ed Hinton: At least you’re relieving him of his biggest burden—having to carry his father’s following on his back.
Question: Ed, Why do you think Junior is having trouble missing his pit box? Do you think Rick Hendrick will send him to a sports psychologist?
Ed Hinton: I don’t think they use a sports psychologist per se. They do use a testing system about interpersonal relationships and communication, and are doing that with Dale Jr. and Tony Jr. I’ll have more to report later on. Rick Hendrick and I are going to take the test and match up our two tests to see if Rick and I can communicate better. We communicate well, I think, but it’ll be fun to try.
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Question: Does Jr. need glasses?
Ed Hinton: Not that I know of, but there’s yet another bit of fodder to be bantered about in the Great Junior Speculation Saga.
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