Is it possible that Dale Jr. just isn't an elite NASCAR driver?

How big was your stack of hate mail after that?

The Junior fans are among the most blindly loyal in sports -- and one criticism of "Dale" means you're the anti-Christ.

 

i think junior needs an older, respected crew chief who has proven himself to kick his ass. my argument doesn't hold as much water, based on how he did in 2005 with steve hmiel on his box later in the season. but buddy parrott and ray evernham aren't walking through that door, and it may be too late for junior to turn it around.

 

But no one's blaming the car. That's what I'm saying. I'm just saying it's exacerbating Junior's lack of skill as an in-race adjuster.

Saying someone got struck by lightning because they were sitting on a metal ladder isn't blaming the rain.

 

I'm disagreeing with your stance that because someone said Junior's lack of ability to explain the car is somehow blaming the car.

It's blaming Junior, who's incapable apparently of improving his communication.

 

Jeffrey was the only driver not to qualify for the Nationwide race today.

 

On the other hand - Junior is a pretty good owner.

 

So much for the real deal??

 

Well, Junior blamed Eury for sending him out with the step-ladder.

 

Like others on this thread have argued, I completely disagree with those who say Junior can't drive at a high level. I know less about NASCAR than most in my family, but I've been around the sport enough and watched Junior in person enough to know that he can hold his own as a driver. He's not one of the absolute best drivers, but he's far from the worst. He belongs out there.

The problem, like others have argued, is that his car rarely gets better during a race (which is most likely his fault). If he's fast at the beginning, he's good to go. If not, it's going to be a long day.

 

I believe the proper answer is "never been to Dover, scared shitless of the Monster." Kid should be debuting at a saner track, like Richmond ... or maybe even Talladega.

Love watching races from Dover, hated driving it on EA's NASCAR SimRacing (supposedly the most realistic NASCAR game ever made) a couple of years ago. It was like driving at high speeds in a stovepipe.