So Who Will Dale Jr. Drive for in 2008?

MacLeod

I actually think thats the problem with NASCAR today. Theyre wanting to sugar coat it so much and make sure nobody is offended and that all the drivers are sweet, loveable little fuzzballs. Theyve taken the balls out of NASCAR!

I want to see somebody get pissed off when they get wrecked and taken out of the race. Like when Vickers wrecked Jr last year on the last lap and essentially took him out of the Chase. When Jr was interviewed, he only said "well its just unfortunate." Unfortunate?! I want to see a REAL reaction. In fact I dont want to hear Jr interviewed at all. I want to see him being held back by 4 guys so he doesnt whip Vickers ****! Thats real.

Take Tony Stewart when he says a lot of these debris cautions that always seem to happend in the last few laps when the leader has a 3 second lead looks suspicious and stinks of being rigged. Well they fine him $10,000 and cut off his balls. The next interviews Tony is back to being sweet and harmless again.

Im not saying there should be a brawl every race (although more people would watch), Im just saying that they should let these drivers be themselves and if they get pissed off or have strong opinions, lets hear them! So what if a bunch of fraternity boys or housewives find it distasteful and dont want to watch, the core of the fans, the ones that are responsible for NASCAR being as big as it is, should be the ones NASCAR worries about and making all the dirvers milktoast and harmelss with no emotion, doesnt appeal to them or to anyone for that matter. Thats why the ratings are dopping. That and the 55,388,797,729,834 commercials they have ever 3 minutes.

read-alot

millerman 3732 wrote: »

Nascar probably averages about 100,000 fans per race. The smaller tracks I'd say any where from 80,000 to 90,000 and the bigger tracks like Daytona and Talladega around 130,000.

One of the smallest tracks, 1/2 mile, on the circuit Bristol sells out 165,000 seats every year and are sold out years in advance.

The Brickyard 400 at Indy estimates are 270,000 range.

hearingimpared

From my previous posts you can see I know nothing of NASCAR and never got it. I have an open mind and am going to take a look when they come to Dover, DE. However, I have one lingering, nagging thing bothering me.

People calling it a sport? I don't see how it is a sport. That to me is like saying horseracing is a sport. I don't get it. Also, I've read where someone said that a particular driver is not as talented as another driver???? Talented, I don't understand. I can see where a guy has more balls than another and pushes another racer out of his way causing a possible deadly crash which I think is reprehensible. Can someone please explain what kind of talent we are talking about here?

W WALDECKER

F1nut wrote: »

Frankly, I could give a ****. He's not that good a driver, speaks like a 'tard and has been riding his fathers coat tails since he arrived on the scene. He'll never be his father and he'll never win a championship. I wish that segment of Nascar fans would wake the eff up to those facts as the God like status they impart on him reflects poorly on the sport as a whole.

Dale Earnhart Jr is young with plenty of time on his side and the potential is there. if he were exposed to a team that shares setup and tactics like the Hendrick teams do and get's to work with thier other very talented drivers Like Jeff Gordon who is one of the most talented drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a stock car and Gordons protege' Jimmy Johnson it might pay off for Dale Jr. Ralph Earnhart and Dale Sr were both very talented Drivers and perhaps Jr will follow in thier footsteps with some good mentors.thanks....WCW III

W WALDECKER

hearingimpared wrote: »

From my previous posts you can see I know nothing of NASCAR and never got it. I have an open mind and am going to take a look when they come to Dover, DE. However, I have one lingering, nagging thing bothering me.

People calling it a sport? I don't see how it is a sport. That to me is like saying horseracing is a sport. I don't get it. Also, I've read where someone said that a particular driver is not as talented as another driver???? Talented, I don't understand. I can see where a guy has more balls than another and pushes another racer out of his way causing a possible deadly crash which I think is reprehensible. Can someone please explain what kind of talent we are talking about here?

i takes a tremendous amount of talent to win a NASCAR championship. it takes balls ,brains and the ability to read what the car is doing and the driver must adjust the car during the entire race by telling the pit crew what adjustments are needed to get the most out of the racecar.

Bamadude

IMO the talent isn't like you would say a singer or musician has talent, but more like they have a combination of skills. Some people can't drive regular cars much less race cars. some people have the ability to tune into the physics relationship between the car and the road better than others. kind of like some people excel at video games given the same time playing as the next person. add good reflexes and decisions with big old balls and you got a driver. some have better skills, some have bigger balls, but he who posseseth both shall hence forth proceed to winners circle.

MacLeod

Talent? These guys just ooze talent and skill!

Think about it, these guys are running around at 200 mph in a crowd of 40 other cars. Each one trying to outposition the other. On top of that, theyre doing it for 500 miles or 4 hours! Id wager that you, me and 99% of the rest of the population couldnt even FINISH a 500 mile race in Nextel Cup much less finish in the top 10!

Imagine getting in your car and driving 500 miles at 200 mph with 40 other cars so close to you that you could reach out your window and touch them. That in and of itself would be hard enough, now try jockeying for position while also trying to fend off those 40 other cars from taking your position. And one tiny wrong move and youve just caused a 10 car pileup and possibly killed somebody or yourself. I mean rush hour traffic is a **** to handle and thats at 50 mph! Try it at 4 times the speed!

Controling and manipulating something that powerful and that fast takes tremendous skill. Would you say a pilot has no skill? An Indy car driver has no skill? A space shuttle pilot has no skill.

Then you have to take into consideration pit strategies. Trying to figure out how far to go before pitting for gas, or how far the tires will go, or how much wedge to put into the rear end for a great turn in bite, or how to keep the back end from being just a bit too loose.

There is as much, maybe more talent, skill and strategy on a NASCAR track as there is in an NFL arena or baseball diamond.

aaharvel

opus wrote: »

As a Dale hater I agree 95%, but a small part of me says that this is the part that makes sports so much fun. It is a distraction that you don't have to apply the rules of life to. In something as inconsequential as a damn car race I think blind loyalty and undying support bordering on creepy is just fine. Of course I am a Cubs fan:o

It will be fun though to watch all the Jr. nuts going crazy when he is wheel to wheel with Kyle Petty for 38th spot every week

no kidding. can someone who still watches regularly explain this to me? (I only watch a couple of races a year but was a big fan when N.Wilkesboro had a track - which was eons ago). Is Kyle Petty THAT untalented or does simply qualifying on his name and 'just finishing the race' the only thing on his agenda? I mean how can you finish last or next to last all these years EVERY RACE? When was the last time he even won a race?

As for my favorite racers, I like Gordon (because so many of the "fluent hicks" hate him for all the wrong reasons) and Jimmy Johnson- but that's just because of Lowes. I also think Jr. is overrated and riding the neverending crest of his father's legacy.

F1nut

Let's not forget the physical aspect. Nascar drivers are in great shape, F1 drivers are in excellent shape. They have to be to handle the G forces their machines abuse their bodies with.

MacLeod

Believe it or not, its a team sport.

You can take the best driver in the world but if his car sucks and his team cant put it together well enough for him to drive it, he'll be in the back of the pack everytime!

So while Jeff Gordon deserves most of the credit for being the best so far this year, his team also deserves a great deal of credit cause if they werent able to set the car up to fit perfectly with Gordon, he wouldnt be in the points lead right now.

W WALDECKER

MacLeod wrote: »

Believe it or not, its a team sport.

You can take the best driver in the world but if his car sucks and his team cant put it together well enough for him to drive it, he'll be in the back of the pack everytime!

So while Jeff Gordon deserves most of the credit for being the best so far this year, his team also deserves a great deal of credit cause if they werent able to set the car up to fit perfectly with Gordon, he wouldnt be in the points lead right now.

Yeah,Gordon is somewhat of a Child Prodigy when it comes to racing. he started racing Go Carts at age five and had won eight championships in different forms of open wheel racing before he ever jumped into a stock car.

hearingimpared

MacLeod wrote: »

Talent? These guys just ooze talent and skill!

Think about it, these guys are running around at 200 mph in a crowd of 40 other cars. Each one trying to outposition the other. On top of that, theyre doing it for 500 miles or 4 hours! Id wager that you, me and 99% of the rest of the population couldnt even FINISH a 500 mile race in Nextel Cup much less finish in the top 10!

Imagine getting in your car and driving 500 miles at 200 mph with 40 other cars so close to you that you could reach out your window and touch them. That in and of itself would be hard enough, now try jockeying for position while also trying to fend off those 40 other cars from taking your position. And one tiny wrong move and youve just caused a 10 car pileup and possibly killed somebody or yourself. I mean rush hour traffic is a **** to handle and thats at 50 mph! Try it at 4 times the speed!

Controling and manipulating something that powerful and that fast takes tremendous skill. Would you say a pilot has no skill? An Indy car driver has no skill? A space shuttle pilot has no skill.

Then you have to take into consideration pit strategies. Trying to figure out how far to go before pitting for gas, or how far the tires will go, or how much wedge to put into the rear end for a great turn in bite, or how to keep the back end from being just a bit too loose.

There is as much, maybe more talent, skill and strategy on a NASCAR track as there is in an NFL arena or baseball diamond.

Wow I never thought of it that way.

Systems

W WALDECKER wrote: »

Yeah,Gordon is somewhat of a Child Prodigy when it comes to racing. he started racing Go Carts at age five and had won eight championships in different forms of open wheel racing before he ever jumped into a stock car.

A testament to Jeff's talent was when a few years ago he test drove Montoya's Williams F1 car at the Indy road coarse.In only a couple of laps he was lapping at speeds within a second or two of the qualifying laps from the previous year.Impressive considering it was his first time in an F1 car.

halo

Since the Darlington race was rained out they showed an interview with DW & Jr. He will not drive a #3 car. This is not to say he won't drive for RCR - Just that he won't be driving anything with a #3 on it until the LAST year of his career in tribute to his father.

MacLeod

I thought he was taking the Budweiser sponsorship and his car number with him.

Gonna be a real bad day for all those guys with 8's plastered all over their trucks and tatooed on their arms!

W WALDECKER

MacLeod wrote: »

I thought he was taking the Budweiser sponsorship and his car number with him.

Gonna be a real bad day for all those guys with 8's plastered all over their trucks and tatooed on their arms!

I believe that NASCAR controls the numbers and who gets to use them. the #8 was used by Jr's Grandfather Ralph Earnhardt and maybe NASCAR will let Dale Jr keep it.

halo

The numbers belong to the car owners. Teresa has rights to the number 8 just like RCR has the rights to the number 3. I was laughing this morning because I remembered that commercial where Jr. held a press conference to announce that they were changing from the number 8 to 6.7 and all his fans started freaking out. Its going to be for real this time unless Teresa wants to "sell" the rights. In rare cases some drivers have the rights to their number. IIRC, Bill Elliot had the rights to the # 9 which he's relinquished to either Evernham or Kahne.

W WALDECKER

Halo wrote: »

The numbers belong to the car owners. Teresa has rights to the number 8 just like RCR has the rights to the number 3. I was laughing this morning because I remembered that commercial where Jr. held a press conference to announce that they were changing from the number 8 to 6.7 and all his fans started freaking out. Its going to be for real this time unless Teresa wants to "sell" the rights. In rare cases some drivers have the rights to their number. IIRC, Bill Elliot had the rights to the # 9 which he's relinquished to either Evernham or Kahne.

Not Good i think Dale Sr's widow should show good faith and let Jr take the #8 with him because it is part of his Family legacy not Her's.

Systems

W WALDECKER wrote: »

Not Good i think Dale Sr's widow should show good faith and let Jr take the #8 with him because it is part of his Family legacy not Her's.

If she does not volunteer it, then Bud will offer to buy it from her.

F1nut

I was laughing this morning because I remembered that commercial where Jr. held a press conference to announce that they were changing from the number 8 to 6.7 and all his fans started freaking out.

The same thought crossed my mind.........Hilarious!!!

halo

F1nut wrote:

The same thought crossed my mind.........Hilarious!!!

read-alot

Halo wrote: »

The numbers belong to the car owners. Teresa has rights to the number 8 just like RCR has the rights to the number 3. I was laughing this morning because I remembered that commercial where Jr. held a press conference to announce that they were changing from the number 8 to 6.7 and all his fans started freaking out. Its going to be for real this time unless Teresa wants to "sell" the rights. In rare cases some drivers have the rights to their number. IIRC, Bill Elliot had the rights to the # 9 which he's relinquished to either Evernham or Kahne.

NASCAR will let you know in no uncertain terms that they own all the numbers.

Been down that road or I should say up in their big trailer to hear it in person.

Richard owns the copyright on the style (slanted) 3 number.

POLKOROLLA

I wish Ralph and Dale could rest in peace. I live in Kannapolis, NC. I actually pass Ralph's grave in the morning on my way to work. It is a shame to see the way things have become at DEI and in Nascar in general. I do not believe the Earnhardt men would be happy with the current situation.

millerman 3732

Looks Like Dale Jr. just went with Hendrick.

treitz3

POLKOROLLA wrote: »

I wish Ralph and Dale could rest in peace. I live in Kannapolis, NC. I actually pass Ralph's grave in the morning on my way to work. It is a shame to see the way things have become at DEI and in Nascar in general. I do not believe the Earnhardt men would be happy with the current situation.

Definitely. Sr.'s rolling in his grave right now over what has transpired. If he could, he'd probably dig his way out and smack Teresa in the face hard!

It was his intention to have Jr. run DEI and momma's F'd that all up know! I doubt the #8 will follow him, but one could always wish. I wish Jr. luck.

I damn sure do miss Sr.!

W WALDECKER

Hendrick Motorsports is the premier Team in NASCAR and Dale JR claims that he is no longer competitive at DEI Motorsports so this is his best chance to show how much talent he really has behind the wheel :eek: thanks....WCW III

MacLeod

I agree - Jr will do a whole lot better now that he's with Hendricks. Jr never lacked for talent, he is a very talented driver - he just couldnt get a good crew.

I predict that once Jr gets rolling with Hendricks, he'll be winning more and more and be a very formidable opponents in the Chase.

I was hoping he'd come over with Joe Gibbs tho. They could use a breath of fresh air in that team. My boy Tony aint doing so good lately. Its that damn Madden curse!!

Systems

Hendricks is a good fit for Jr he should fit in well with JJ and JG.And he will be able to compete with these guys with equal eqipment.

krabby5

hearingimpared wrote: »

Wow I never thought of it that way.

and the fact that it's usually 150 degrees in their car...