I think Jr has more problems adapting to a changing car than the other top tier drivers do.

The "Jr drives crap cars better than anyone" is no different than praising a boxer "who can sure take a punch". Who wants to be known as the boxer who never wins but can sure take a beating? I am sure Jr takes no pride whatsoever in being able to keep a crap car out of the wall...it means nothing in a race.

It does seem from many reports that Dale Jr is in older generation Hendrick COT cars and has had very few of the newer ones. These cars are hell to drive on their best day, let alone when the technology you are driving is a year behind your teammates.

Granted Dale and Tony Jr probably wanted to do it their way for a while, but both were smart enough the see it wasn't working.

Even Lance wanted to throw in the towel with a piece of shit Martinsville car on Saturday night. It just wouldn't work at Richmond.

I dare say Tony Stewart isn't buying year old technology from Hendrick. He would tell them to kiss his ass - he wants the good stuff.

Rick Hendrick better start thinking about 2010 at HMS and let Dale Jr try some new stuff for them since he can be their guinea pig and basically use the last 10 races as a test.

Dale Jr is not having a problem adapting to the COT at all. Otherwise he would not have gone from 31st to 3rd TWICE in Atlanta, nearly won Sonoma, until the 99 got into him. I could go on Check the facts before you pass judgment on him. His record with the COT is fine. He was 3rd in points going into the chase last year. If the car is free in and off, and slightly snug in the center, he can drive it. It is up to the crew to keep it that way.

Heather please read what I actually wrote rather than reading into what I wrote. I said that I believe Jr has trouble with adapting to the changes in the car. He does seem to do good when the car is perfect, but how often can that happen? Have you ever participated in sports or been a mechanic? It is almost never possible to go four quarters, nine innings, or 400 miles and everything be perfect the whole time. Sure the goal is to keep the car exactly right for Jr., but thats not really plausible on a changing track over such long distances.

What can be done? Yeah Jr was 3rd in points at one time with the COT. Was his mindset different then? No way Hendrick just decided "Hell give Jr all the old worn out stuff". Can he learn to adapt when the car isn't "just right"? Time will tell.

Well, I don't look at his mindset. I look at the equipment he's in. He is on a top tier team, and lately he's been in the dog house, getting the occasional bone. He can adapt. He can sling it sideways when it's really loose. But when it's tight, it's near impossible for him to drive.

I agree with you I believe something is going on and we need answers how ever I think Junior needs to say hey Rick whats wrong with my cars but I refuse to believe that it's Junior's drving I agree with you 100% on this. =D

Thanks Heather - your point is very valid "If the car is free in and off, and slightly snug in the center, he can drive it. It is up to the crew to keep it that way." ... Amen

If people would just take the time to check the facts before they open mouth and insert foot, they would know that he can drive this car and even can drive it when it's a car that wants to wreck. About 70% of other drivers would not be able to finish the race in this very same car.

I personally dislike Jr Nation being called "Magical" as though we are delusional. Rather, I suggest that we are :avid" fans and most of us won't desert him when things go bad. I see there are some that still call themselves Jr fans but in the same breath blame him for all the problems. Makes no sense to me - at all.

There are a few people who have written elsewhere "They FEEL he has too many other projects going on that we know nothing about" What??? So now we blame things that don't exist other than in out own mind? I have to laugh at that.

I wonder how people can make assumptions on someone's ability based solely on maybe's, feelings and guessing?

Ideas thrown out like "he's too hard on equipment." Um yeah, so that's how the brakes are bad right from the get go last week and I guess he installed the track bar wrong - takes a team people to get this right. Is it possible to drive the car too hard resulting in it being too tight or hitting the left front splitter on the track via the bumpstops or making the car wicked loose? Please!

I must have been dreaming when I heard other drivers besides Jr criticize the bumpstops, the wing, the splitter, the CAR.

And finally, thanks to Deanna and Ginger on the other 'Magical' blog for being brave enough to stand up and be heard. >>>>>>
I'm so sick and tired of people writing about how Jr's the problem. Maybe he is partly the blame but, Look at Burton, Kenseth,Harvick, Boyer and even Kyle. They didn't make the chase either, their not doing well either. Please, If you listened to some of his interviews he is at the shop all the time, they are constantly going over everything. So for those who say he has too many distractions don't know what they are talking about. He has plenty of people that work for him that handle the distractions. So there we go, just because he's Earnhardts Kid, everyone has to talk about him. But he says that's okay, he can take it, he deserves it. I'm also so tired of everyone thinking they know what's wrong with Jr. when he doesn't even know. Obviously when the car is set up up right he does just fine, so you tell me, I guess on the other days he say's "hell with it", right? Whatever! You all are intitled to your opinion and goodness knows you all are going to give it, over and over again. Quite frankly I'm tired of hearing it so quit writing about it. Nascar news not very exiting these days, hugh? Oh, and by the way, when was the last time you drove a Cup Car? Oh, you say you haven't? Then what are you doing commenting on it?

Deanna (Posted Sep 15, 2009 11:39:34 AM)


Has it ever occurred to you that Jr has been beat to death by the media??????? How can you have an ounce of confidence when you have been told at least 100 times a day for 5 months that you're unfocused, unfit, overrated, uncommunicative, unable to drive the COT, and every other negative known to the sun? What kind of shape would you be in?

Kenseth had an evil car Sat night. No one is calling him names. Harvick has had bad races for most of this year. Noone is calling him names. It's always the car for other drivers, but if Jr has a bad race, it's bound to be him that's the problem.

Why don't you people get a clue. You can't have it both ways. I wonder what a few pats on the back from you media types would have done for him this year. You can't stomp on a man till he's barely breathing and expect him to jump up and do a jig. THINK, dang it, THINK.

Ginger (Posted Sep 15, 2009 12:05:46 PM)

Bottom line, you can make fun of us - but we have our drivers back and that makes us FANS and not fair weather fans.

Irene said: Ideas thrown out like "he's too hard on equipment." Um yeah, so that's how the brakes are bad right from the get go last week and I guess he installed the track bar wrong - takes a team people to get this right. Is it possible to drive the car too hard resulting in it being too tight or hitting the left front splitter on the track via the bumpstops or making the car wicked loose? Please!

You said it all, and truthfully! I would only add, all good drivers are hard on their equipment -- but the equipment must be tough enough to take it from lap #1 to lap 400 or 500. It can't crap out with crappy brakes on lap ten. It can't have bad tire adjustments or a bad track bar set up and expect victory. These aren't excuses they are just plain facts.

We know Jr is a tremendously good driver and he deserves the very best from the best team owner and his now revamped team. BTW, his suggested improvements for the COT were right on target and constructive. He was also respectful in offering them.

I was trying to be respectful but direct when I posted in the other blog, by I have to say that yes, some people are completely delusional. Being a fan means supporting your driver, not blaming everything and everyone and taking out your personal inadequacies on others. Repeating the same arguments over and over on why everything is oh so wrong for jr doesn't make it true.

And by the way, I don't know where your engineering or racing expertise comes from, but yes, if you are too hard on your equipment, and you start busting things up, then yes, changes you make to the car may not have the desired effect after you've put it in the wall a few times.

I could go on but really what's the point. It would be like trying to tell a 6 year old his dad isn't fact the strongest...

Part of writing articles is having other people share their OWN opinions. Irene, I really was enjoying your articles even though you were a tad too pro Jr. at times but this is just ridiculous...What you say isn't gospel and what others say isn't gospel either. These are meant to be used as mediums for DISCUSSION. Not school yard child name calling.

People say what they think and you pick up your ball and go home. Come on. If you can't take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen. Or perhaps, open your mind to what others have to say. It's not because they disagree that they are wrong or you are wrong. It's just what it is.

Very disappointed in seeing how you have been responding to this.

Thanks Jack :)

"BTW, his suggested improvements for the COT were right on target and constructive. He was also respectful in offering them. "

I love comments like yours where folks 'keep up' with news and know all the facts rather than hypothesizing [conjecture, speculate, theorise, hypothecate, or suppose] about drivers abilities when there is no evidence to say he can't drive when he always has been great. How many Cup drivers have two NW championships? His Cup stats speak for themselves. Take out the bad cars & DEI blown engines and what would we have? I wish I had time to do that.

One of the reasons he has so many followers is his 'respectful' attitude. Although, sometimes I would like to see a bit more aggression but, of course, he would be bashed for that! He's blamed ad nauseum for stuff like Daytona this year when he wasn't really at fault. Anyone else would be called a racing incident.

Wow. No one actually trashed the Golden Child. Irene this is getting to be totally ridiculous. You ignore everyone who dares not say that Jr. is perfect and the best driver out there.

I have lost any respect I previously had for you.

And the next time someone ticks you off, try going directly to that person, rather than whine about it to everyone else behind their backs.

"Classy Lady" not so sure anymore. Sad. Sad. Sad.

Real Women don't whine. Did you actually read Irene's post above?
She said, "Maybe he is partly the blame but, ...." Does that suggest that she thinks Jr is "perfect"? I mean really. Then you call Jr a "Golden Child." If you don't like him say why or contend with facts, but don't name call a guy that we like.

No pretensions here, I'm a fan of Jr and so is Irene. She'll bring forward retorts to contentions that he isn't a good driver or that he causes his equipment to fail. When bad brakes cause him to lose a race why shouldn't it be brought up as the reason for not doing well . When a track bar is installed wrong shouldn't it be listed for why the 88 didn't finish well? What's wrong with that, anyway?
Sad, sad sad that you can't recognize the truth. Get over it.

I personally that yes it sucks if junior gets a bad set of brakes, an yes it sucks that for some reason, the sway bar wasn't set-up properly. But to go as far as blaming the team or even Rick Hendrick for all his problems this year? Come on now. Irene here is just short of saying that Hendrick wants him to fail. Also, your not going to get any answers from the team because there is no answer. If they new for a fact what was wrong, don't you think they would have fixed it already?

The fact is that nobody can pin point one single problem as the cause of his troubles. And to preach and cry conspiracy doesn't help anyone.

Now you can listen to jr's radio all you want, but unless you are either in the drivers seat or on the crew making the changes, you are in no way qualified to assume that jr's making the right call or that the crew isn't making the proper changes.

At this level, everything needs to click, everyone has to get everything just right for you to even have a chance at winning. So any little mistake or oversight by ANYONE, including the driver an your done.

oh, and by the way, she did NOT say that maybe jr was partly to blame. If, like you like to say, actually read her post instead of just scanning through it and assume stuff, you'll notice she is actually quoting someone else's post from a different blog....

To Miss Real Woman whoever your are...........

I have no idea what you are talking about.

I have not trashed anyone behind their back either here on Twitter or elsewhere. If you think anything I have written above is trashing someone - then I suggest you not read my blog. Thanks.

Why are you hiding behind a nickname anyway?