Yesterday Junior made his on track debut for Hendrick Motorsports testing a Chevy Impala at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparation for 2008. I am excited for this new era to begin, the 2007 Nextel Cup season has been frustrating to say the least for those of us who pull for Dale Jr. Chronic engine failures and seeing a wheel fall off on Sunday in Atlanta have me thinking about what could have been and imagining what will be in ‘08 and beyond.
Listening to Sirius Speedway channel 128 over the last few days and reading blog posts like this have me thinking that more than just team and sponsor situations are changing for Junior. For the last six years or so he has enjoyed the status of being Nascar’s most popular driver. This status can be attributed, at least in part, to his late father. Dale Sr. was (and still is) an institution in the world of Nascar. When He lost his life on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 many (including yours truly) moved our driver affiliation from Sr. to Jr. Combine this with the fan base he already enjoyed and voila, Nascar’s most popular driver is crowned.
The problem is that whenever someone has the exposure of Junior, sooner or later the bubble will probably burst. People will tire of seeing his face and hearing his name constantly and begin to root against him. On top of that, when Jr. announced that he was leaving the team that bears his father’s name name at the end of the 2007 season, many fans had expectations of what he would do. The majority wanted to see him behind the wheel of a black #3 at Richard Childress Racing but Jr. chose to go his own way and be his own man. For many in the Earnhardt fraternity, his choice to drive for Rick Hendrick was somewhat akin to a Hatfield choosing to marry a McCoy.
As the Hendrick era begins I wouldn’t be surprised to see the most popular driver in Nascar era come to an end. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we need to start a telethon for Junior anytime soon. I am sure he will continue to enjoy the support of many (including yours truly). 2008, however, will be interesting for so many reasons.
