Dale Earnhardt’s Jr.’s winless streak could still last for awhile

April 7, 2011 15 Comments »

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks during preseason testing at Daytona in January. Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

In the postrace press conference at Martinsville, a reporter asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. if he was back, and Junior admitted that he didn’t know.

So while everybody got a rise out of Dale Jr.’s runner-up finish last week, it would be wise for them to hold off on stockpiling champagne for Junior’s next win. If recent NASCAR history is any judge, the trip to Victory Lane that everybody’s been waiting for could be a good two years away just as easily as it could come on Saturday at Texas.

This is about the worst time in NASCAR history to correspond success with wins. Jimmie Johnson’s victories on the way to a five-peat combined with Kyle Busch’s wins have created an atmosphere not seen in sports since Michael Jordan in his heyday with the Bulls. Just as there’s a distinguished list of names (Ewing, Malone, Barkley, etc.) who left the NBA sans rings because they happened to play in the same era as Jordan, there’s a similar list in Sprint Cup whose career numbers will be stunted because they just happened to compete at the wrong time.

Nothing proves this point more than three drivers in their prime who each essentially went two years between wins, even as they were earning spots in the Chase.

* Jeff Gordon went 66 races between victories before winning earlier this year at Phoenix.

* Carl Edwards went 70 races without a win before he broke through last fall at Phoenix.

* Greg Biffle went winless 64 straight times before finding Victory Lane at Pocono last year.

Junior’s winless streak is about to hit two milestones. If he doesn’t win at Texas it’ll reach 100. And if he doesn’t break through before the Sprint All-Star Race next month, he’ll have to get in via the fan vote, because his 10-year exemption for winning the 2000 race has expired. Having to be voted in will be uncomfortable for Junior, just like all the years I saw him at the Myers Brothers Luncheon at Cipriani in New York accepting kudos for being well-liked while others earned awards for actually performing.

Being uncompetitive is frustrating. But it has at least allowed Junior, for one of the only times in his life, to sink into the background. If he starts clocking off top-10 finishes on a regular basis but can’t win, he will be back under the microscope like never before.

It’s blatantly unfair. But, then again, it’s never been fair to be Dale Earnhardt Jr.

  • Dave

    I used to like JR, but he has become a whiner and crier and i really would rather watch someone else and root for a person who doesn’t blame everything oncrew chiefs, JR has lost his edge and until he gets it back i will root for the Jeff’s, Denny, Joey, Kyle, tony and many others..

    • Ed Bricker

      Dave ,you sound like a fair weather fan. Dale Jr. isn’t the only driver in a slump. And by the way, Jr. has taken a lot of the blame himself. You are only hearing what you want to hear.

    • J13

      You don’t win 18 races at nascars top circut and be average, it just don’t work that way. I think June has always been good about taking the blame and not blaming other drivers or his crew.

  • Overra88ted

    Yea, Dale Jr. is back alright, he will be back to Shamelessly using the PITY PASS for the Sprint All-Star race. It’s been funny this week as the Hypoctites in Jr. Nation spun all kinds of excuses for there driver who didn’t have the Balls to take the win from Harvick. How they wouldn’t want poor Dale Jr. to win that way. But the Jr. Nation Hypocrites won’t think twice about the PITY PASS for the All-Star race, a race that is for winners. Would you Jr. Nation fans really want embarass poor Dale Jr. with a PITY PASS? Are you Proud about that? I wonder just how much confidence the fans of Na$crap’s Most Popular Loser really have that their driver with average at best talent, who is in the best equipment and with the best team in Na$crap can actually finish in a transfer spot, much less win the Sprint Open, a race for Losers. We already know Dale Jr. doesn’t have the Balls to turn down the PITY PASS, because he didn’t want to win at Martinsville. Martinsville and the Sprint Open have and will be just another example of Jr. being an overhyped Loser with average talent. Martinsville and the Sprint All-Star PITY PASS vote expose Jr. Nation for the Excuse Making Hypocrites that they are. Time has proved Tressa Earnhardht right; T-shirt selling Rock Star or race car driver?

    • Phyllis Hooper

      Why would anyone who supposedly claims to be a Nascar fan, outrageously blame and boo drivers? Have these fans driven a race car as a way of life? Some drivers take their job and the risks seriously, Earnhardt, Martin, Gordon, and many others. Other drivers will push anyone aside to win. Wouldn’t as a true fan like to see your driver win on talent? I do, sure I wanted JR to win at Martinsville, but we certainly respect him for not taking out Harvick, remember when Busch took out JR? Not to many happy fans after that race, even if they didn’t like JR, they thought Busch was WRONG. Let’s support our drivers, care about the lives and their wrecks, not that they didn’t bump someone out of the way, because they want to win the right way.

  • Mary

    DITTO !!!!!!!

  • Bill Conner

    I can tell that neither of the two above comments come from intelligent people who might have a clue about NASCAR. I will agree that at times JR has been a whiner but to say he has mediocer tallent at best is just stupid. Winning in Nascar is not just about the driver ,its team chemistry ,equiptment ,pit road stratigy ,a whole lot of luck . All drivers go thru slumps , even Jeff Gordon went almost two years without a win and there have been lots of others big names in the sport , nobody is putting more pressure on JR than he is putting on himself. Now for the Theresa comment please are you serious , after Dale died all she cared about was the charity foundations in his name ,she ran the race teams into the ground ,if Dale was still alive that would never have happened I guarentee you that! Also Jr wouldn’t have left the family team and he would have at least one cup championship by now . By the way JR isn’t the driver i root for on raceday but he is a top tallent driver and should be respected as such.

  • Jeff Gott

    You have those out there that simply dislike Jr because they couldnt stand a true Champion like Dale Earnhardt. So those who dislike the Earnhardt name is loving the 99 race winless streak.
    When has Dale Jr whined? When has he wrecked anyone to win? What has he done to deserve the weight on his shoulders outside of being the son of a seven time champ?

    If it wasnt because of Jr, NASCAR wouldnt even be what it is today following Earnhardts death and NASCAR openly admits that. If Jr would have said no more and quit after that death. Thats 3/4 of the fans that wouldn’t even be at the track or watching on TV.

    Yes Earnhardt Jr has to end this winless streak, nothing I can say or do to hide that fact. With that in mind, Ill give Jr 4 wins this year starting at Richmond or Talladega.

  • Russ

    NASCAR is not about winning, it’s about crashing and gay looking pretty boys in the most part. Just think how ugly Kyle Bush is and most hate him even though he wins some.

  • karen

    Nascar needs jr. jr. doesn’t need them. he could go and do anything he wants. he doesn’t need the money or fame. Nascar would not be the same without jr. its funny how no one talks about all those drivers that have never one a race or came close. Can’t remember when robbie gordon won and the list goes on… and its the crew chief job is to make the car better. Seems like they want jr. to drive and wrench on the car. and about whining all the drivers whine from time to time. hell thats all kyle bush did for years.

  • http://foxsports montypython

    Well i nevered watched nascar much till after Dale Sr. died.What a tragedy.But thats the risk of racing.The hans device seems to be doing the job to prevent further injury and possibly death.Anyways I watch nascar because of junior.He’s a good driver and he won’t live up to what his father was. He can’t they are 2 different people.There is alot of pressure on junior and he puts it there his self.I agree with the other comments.
    If junior wasn’t racing i wouldn’t watch it.He will get out of the slump but he will do it without wrecking another driver to do it or do something underhanded like some other drivers .So race on junior have fun while you can.If you can’t have fun racing then there’s no point in doing it.

  • GR

    Some of the negativity is down right hilarious because of the ignorance people show. Dale Jr is starting to look good again, and another top 10 finish in Texas. Consistency will eventually lead to to a Victory but you have to be in that position. Has Dale JR complained at times? Sure but then again every driver has at some point. I mean look at Denny Hamlin if you want to see a vocal driver. Dale Jr has more on his shoulder than anyone in Nascar, and I for one could not fathom that type of scrutiny on every single detail. He is not his daddy but he is pretty damn good.

  • Peggy

    I for one am proud of Jr. for not wrecking Harvick. I’m sure if the positions were switched Harvick would happily wrecked Jr. for the win. I feel Jr.’s winless streak is more personnel than problems on the track. I give Theresa Earnhart credit for those problems. I watch Nascar because that’s what my dad did b-4 he passed. We had something to bicker about each week because he liked the drivers I didn’t and vice-versa. I always checked on Jr.’s finish because I Do want him to win again soon.

  • james norwood

    It has been said previously that dale jr. is a race car driver. He seems to believe that if he has the fastest car, and he and his crew make no mistakes, they deserve to win. While his car could catch kevin harvick’s car, it wasn’t fast enough to pass him, as harvick had previously passed him; hense he didn’t deserve to win.
    Kevin Harvick is a auto racer who is so determined to race that he will use any tactic necessary to put people behind him, even when caught without ‘plausible deniability.’
    Harvick and those like him are predators. Sensing Martin Truex’s vunerability last week harvick hung there long enough to wreck him, and succeeded in tagging poor mark martin in the process. Just to gain a couple of spots. And five-time knew he would’ve been wrecked if he drove down into that final corner with him a couple weeks before. It is much more difficult to play the game, any game, cleanly, fairly, and still win. I have a lot more respect for a sport with players that practice a clean set of rules. I would much prefur life and business without that constant fear that someone will cut me when I show my vulnerability. That I will survive the predators wake. Because we all are vulnerable from time to time. This new englander can sense the gentlemanly honor of nascar southern culture and dale jr., and would be inclined to favor that over ‘no culture at all.’ I cheer for a number of different drivers, but I also wait in anticipation for the race in which dale jr. will have the fastest car, and he and his crew run a flawless race like a few they’ve run lately.

  • Mary

    Talking about whinning, you “overrated”(and I’m sure you are, your not worth using the 88) You know nothing about nascar and the history, the cry baby of them all is gay boy Kyle Bush, I don’t have to go on, you have no idea what you are talking about. Nascar would not be around without Dale Jr. After Sr. Died nascar would have went to shit if Dale Jr. would have not stepped in(by nascars request). I bet yu always run off at the mouth. Your name should be “overra18ed” there Perfect!!!!!!