[Mike24]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Now wait just a minute. Jarrett has had an impressive career. He may have not shined like ol Gordo but has the respect of his peers and fans.

I wasn't saying he wasn't respected, he is respected by alot of fans. I was saying he wasn't as popular as Jr is at this time.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

I'm not sure of your age Mike but Dale Jarrett is and has been a real fan favorite. Can you show me where it states what Jr's expectations of himself are ??? You keep saying that and to a degree I see what you are saying, but I see it the way I said before. Any reasonably good driver is going to assume that if all things are right they will win the race of the week and the championship of that year. There is nothing wrong with that. If Jeff doesn't view each race as a possible victory then he is failing his team.

How is being rated as the 12th place driver conceived as being overrated ??? Those are the numbers and not the media hype or anyones opinions.

Nevermind.

Your speaking from a different standpoint than I am. So the debate seems to be pointless if we aren't speaking on the same standpoint of over-rated.

And also, I have been watching racing since the 90's, so I remember who was popular and who wasn't. I was comparing Jarrett to Jr of today. Jr is obviously much more popular than Jarrett. Jarrett was a fan favorite, but Jr has alot more fans than Jarrett did at the time.

[LSC9901]

August 19, 2006
By John Nevins
Dale Earnhardt Jr.It doesn't matter which race track I'm at, every weekend I hear those same four words from race fans across the country. Heck, I don't even have to be at the race track, they send me e mails every day with those same four words emblazoned in the message. Post cards, letters, message board posts on our website, you name it, I hear it, those same four words! When you are a NASCAR reporter you take a lot of abuse from fans. They love to critique your articles and your columns, they love to call in to the radio shows I appear on, and they love to come up to me at the track and let me know how they feel about what I have written or said about their favorite driver. And you know what? That's OK. That's what makes this sport so great. The fans! I love to hear the response from the fans, whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. The bottom line is the passion is real. The fans are passionate about their drivers and their sport like no other fans in the world (those crazy soccer fans in Europe excluded of course, is soccer really a sport?). But, unless you are talking to an Earnhardt fan, you will always hear those same four words. "Dale Jr. Is OVERRATED!"
You know you have heard it! You have either said it yourself or heard someone else say it. Then, those four words are usually followed by comments like, "he rides his daddy's coat tails", or "he wouldn't even be in the sport if it weren't for his daddy", or my personal favorite, "Dale Jr. sucks, he ain't no Dale Sr.". Of those comments, the only true one is the latter part of the last one, "He ain't no Dale Sr.". I have some breaking news for all of you, he will never be Dale Sr.! No one will ever be Dale Sr. Earnhardt Jr.'s famous daddy was a legend, he was larger than life, he was the greatest driver to ever lay rubber on a race track and no one will ever fill those shoes. So lets stop looking at Jr. as the next coming of his late daddy. Moreover, maybe he's not a clone of his father, but is Earnhardt Jr. overrated?
Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word "overrated" as, "Overrated - to rate or estimate too highly". Wow, maybe he is overrated. Maybe we, the media and the public, have "rated or estimated" him too high. Did we put too much pressure on Jr.? Did we expect too much from the passed down DNA of NASCAR's greatest driver? Absolutely! How could anyone ever live up to the expectations that have been placed on Dale Jr.? Yes, he has millions of fans that he inherited from his late father, he is a three time winner of the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, he has millions of women who think he is just as cute as a button, and yes his face is plastered all over billboards and in advertisements across the country. But that doesn't give us or anyone the right to expect him to win every week because his daddy was a seven time Cup Champion. But we do! We expect him to win every week, to win championships, and to be the spitting image of the great Dale Earnhardt.
Dale Jr. came onto the NASCAR scene like a hurricane, he blew through the Busch Series winning two championships. He won a Pepsi 400, he won a Daytona 500, he has been a challenger for a Nextel Cup Championship nearly every year since he came into the series, he has 17 career wins, 65 top 5 finishes, and 101 top 10 finishes. Along with Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. has won at Talladega, Richmond, Chicagoland, Texas, Dover, Phoenix, Bristol, and Atlanta. I hear fans all the time say, "Jr. only wins at Talladega or Daytona on the restrictor plate tracks, it's the cars not the driver". Then how do you explain the wins on short tracks like Richmond and Bristol? Granted, he has never won on a road track at the Cup level, but Jr. never raced on road courses until he began racing in the Busch Series and he actually did quite well on those road courses in the Busch Series.
If Earnhardt Jr. is overrated, it is our fault, not his. He has never said he was as good as his daddy, he has never said he is the best driver in the Nextel Cup Series, he has never said he would win seven Cup Championships, and he has never asked to be considered as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He simply asks us to all to treat him like every other driver. To give him a fair shake, to let him be who he is, his own man. He is Dale Earnhardt Jr., not Dale Earnhardt , just good ole' Dale Earnhardt Jr., a country boy from Kannapolis, NC who loves to drive race cars, play video games, and hang out with his buddies. He's a Daytona 500 Champion, a two time Busch Series Champion, a 17 race winner, and a contender for a Nextel Cup Championship. And if that isn't good enough for you, then maybe he is overrated, in your mind! But not in mine. Jr. is a race car driver with a famous last name, and nothing more.

[Quality88]

DAMN good article.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

August 19, 2006
By John Nevins
Dale Earnhardt Jr.It doesn't matter which race track I'm at, every weekend I hear those same four words from race fans across the country. Heck, I don't even have to be at the race track, they send me e mails every day with those same four words emblazoned in the message. Post cards, letters, message board posts on our website, you name it, I hear it, those same four words! When you are a NASCAR reporter you take a lot of abuse from fans. They love to critique your articles and your columns, they love to call in to the radio shows I appear on, and they love to come up to me at the track and let me know how they feel about what I have written or said about their favorite driver. And you know what? That's OK. That's what makes this sport so great. The fans! I love to hear the response from the fans, whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. The bottom line is the passion is real. The fans are passionate about their drivers and their sport like no other fans in the world (those crazy soccer fans in Europe excluded of course, is soccer really a sport?). But, unless you are talking to an Earnhardt fan, you will always hear those same four words. "Dale Jr. Is OVERRATED!"
You know you have heard it! You have either said it yourself or heard someone else say it. Then, those four words are usually followed by comments like, "he rides his daddy's coat tails", or "he wouldn't even be in the sport if it weren't for his daddy", or my personal favorite, "Dale Jr. sucks, he ain't no Dale Sr.". Of those comments, the only true one is the latter part of the last one, "He ain't no Dale Sr.". I have some breaking news for all of you, he will never be Dale Sr.! No one will ever be Dale Sr. Earnhardt Jr.'s famous daddy was a legend, he was larger than life, he was the greatest driver to ever lay rubber on a race track and no one will ever fill those shoes. So lets stop looking at Jr. as the next coming of his late daddy. Moreover, maybe he's not a clone of his father, but is Earnhardt Jr. overrated?
Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word "overrated" as, "Overrated - to rate or estimate too highly". Wow, maybe he is overrated. Maybe we, the media and the public, have "rated or estimated" him too high. Did we put too much pressure on Jr.? Did we expect too much from the passed down DNA of NASCAR's greatest driver? Absolutely! How could anyone ever live up to the expectations that have been placed on Dale Jr.? Yes, he has millions of fans that he inherited from his late father, he is a three time winner of the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, he has millions of women who think he is just as cute as a button, and yes his face is plastered all over billboards and in advertisements across the country. But that doesn't give us or anyone the right to expect him to win every week because his daddy was a seven time Cup Champion. But we do! We expect him to win every week, to win championships, and to be the spitting image of the great Dale Earnhardt.
Dale Jr. came onto the NASCAR scene like a hurricane, he blew through the Busch Series winning two championships. He won a Pepsi 400, he won a Daytona 500, he has been a challenger for a Nextel Cup Championship nearly every year since he came into the series, he has 17 career wins, 65 top 5 finishes, and 101 top 10 finishes. Along with Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. has won at Talladega, Richmond, Chicagoland, Texas, Dover, Phoenix, Bristol, and Atlanta. I hear fans all the time say, "Jr. only wins at Talladega or Daytona on the restrictor plate tracks, it's the cars not the driver". Then how do you explain the wins on short tracks like Richmond and Bristol? Granted, he has never won on a road track at the Cup level, but Jr. never raced on road courses until he began racing in the Busch Series and he actually did quite well on those road courses in the Busch Series.
If Earnhardt Jr. is overrated, it is our fault, not his. He has never said he was as good as his daddy, he has never said he is the best driver in the Nextel Cup Series, he has never said he would win seven Cup Championships, and he has never asked to be considered as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He simply asks us to all to treat him like every other driver. To give him a fair shake, to let him be who he is, his own man. He is Dale Earnhardt Jr., not Dale Earnhardt , just good ole' Dale Earnhardt Jr., a country boy from Kannapolis, NC who loves to drive race cars, play video games, and hang out with his buddies. He's a Daytona 500 Champion, a two time Busch Series Champion, a 17 race winner, and a contender for a Nextel Cup Championship. And if that isn't good enough for you, then maybe he is overrated, in your mind! But not in mine. Jr. is a race car driver with a famous last name, and nothing more.

Yes, he is right. The fans and the media expected too much of him, WHICH IS WHY HE IS OVER-RATED! He just basically said he is over-rated, but didn't say it. When he won 2 Busch championships, started winning races, the media and fans expected him to be a strong contender for championships every year, and in 2005 and 2006, he was simply not. Yet the fans and media still believed he was this strong contender, which he really wasn't. I didn't consider Jr as a over-rated driver until 2005 when he missed the Chase, yet he still received hype. That's the first time Jr being over-rated came across my mind. And in 06, he made the Chase, but really wasn't a contender, yet everyone kept saying he was this and that, and that was when it started to get out of hand. Jr missed the Chase in 05, yet he still received all this hype, and ever since 2004, he hasn't lived up to the hype.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Yes, he is right. The fans and the media expected too much of him, WHICH IS WHY HE IS OVER-RATED! He just basically said he is over-rated, but didn't say it. When he won 2 Busch championships, started winning races, the media and fans expected him to be a strong contender for championships every year, and in 2005 and 2006, he was simply not. Yet the fans and media still believed he was this strong contender, which he really wasn't. I didn't consider Jr as a over-rated driver until 2005 when he missed the Chase, yet he still received hype. That's the first time Jr being over-rated came across my mind. And in 06, he made the Chase, but really wasn't a contender, yet everyone kept saying he was this and that, and that was when it started to get out of hand. Jr missed the Chase in 05, yet he still received all this hype, and ever since 2004, he hasn't lived up to the hype.

Living up to the hype of the media can be difficult at best and a challenge at least. Yes his winning record has dropped off from the expectations of too many fans and the media ... but many are hoping to see that change.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Living up to the hype of the media can be difficult at best and a challenge at least. Yes his winning record has dropped off from the expectations of too many fans and the media ... but many are hoping to see that change.

Exactly. I'm afraid these people may be dissapointed, because I don't see anything changing.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by SpaceCadet

Gee, PPS, I feel like I'm picking on you, but I'm really not. I just have a few questions. The statement at the top, what do you mean by "how" they got the wins? And what moves are we talking about that were so incredible? If I went back and watched a few races, I could probably find 20 great moves in each race, maybe even fantastic ones. The Earnhardt's don't hold the corner in the awesome moves department. And the statement by Gordon that has left you with a less than positive opinion of him? You and seeminly the rest of the entire free world, I might add. I can sit here and think of many other drivers making statements similar or almost exactly like that. Kenseth, Harvick, Johnson, Biffle, Edwards and more, not to mention the king of "it's not my fault" Tony Stewart. At one time or another, I would bet that every driver has said those words. Earnhardt, Sr. certainly did. I would love to be able to find a clip for each of these examples, but I'd have to quit my job and divorce my entire family to have the time to hunt for them. (hhhmmmmm, maybe I'm on to something!) My point being, this statement by Gordon is not unique, yet Gordon is often singled out. That's why I'm one of those people that are of a different mindset. I like stats because they are not emotional. They are what they are and are not changeable. I can't get so upset about what a driver says to dislike him soley on that basis. I even like Stewart, who, in my opinion, is a HUGE hypocrit. Jr. is an above average driver to fans who realistically look at stats. To the over the top Jr. is the "king of the cup circuit" fans, stats say he is the best ever. I see them for what they are, a tool for determining who is doing or has done something right. Jr.'s a good driver. Maybe someday is stats will make him great!

Oh, SpaceCadet, don't worry. I don't think you're picking on me. That's what these forums are all about: Point-Counter-Point. Besides, I can take it.

I agree that the E's don't have the corner of the best moves, but they, along with other high-profile drivers, Gordon included, get the publicity. And, yes, I'm sure there are many, many clips that could back up my point as well as yours. But like you, I'm not ready to dedicate my like to it

I don't dislike Gordon based solely on the statement I mentioned in my post. It was just one more incident that I didn't like. As for Stewart, I've come to have a lot of respect for him. Is he the best? Nope. And don't even get me started on Harvick, Johnson, or the Busches.

I agree that stats are not emotional, they are fact.The point I'm trying to make, and obviously doing a very bad job, is that if a driver wins the most, but is considered a "dirty" driver, and I'm not saying Gordon is "dirty", I have no respect for them, no matter how many races or Cups they win.

I think NASCAR is really crackin' down on aggressive behavior on the track. That's a good thing ... I think ...

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

Oh, SpaceCadet, don't worry. I don't think you're picking on me. That's what these forums are all about: Point-Counter-Point. Besides, I can take it.

I agree that the E's don't have the corner of the best moves, but they, along with other high-profile drivers, Gordon included, get the publicity. And, yes, I'm sure there are many, many clips that could back up my point as well as yours. But like you, I'm not ready to dedicate my like to it

I don't dislike Gordon based solely on the statement I mentioned in my post. It was just one more incident that I didn't like. As for Stewart, I've come to have a lot of respect for him. Is he the best? Nope. And don't even get me started on Harvick, Johnson, or the Busches.

I agree that stats are not emotional, they are fact.The point I'm trying to make, and obviously doing a very bad job, is that if a driver wins the most, but is considered a "dirty" driver, and I'm not saying Gordon is "dirty", I have no respect for them, no matter how many races or Cups they win.

I think NASCAR is really crackin' down on aggressive behavior on the track. That's a good thing ... I think ...

So you obviously didn't like Sr. Sr would move you out of the way if you didn't move out of his way. I think Gordon brings that kind of attitude. Not saying Gordon is Sr, just saying he brings that attitude. Look what he did at Chicago. Kesneth didn't go high, so Gordon just moved him. I like that, and that was one of the reasons I like Sr and Gordon.

[trollmc08]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Exactly. I'm afraid these people may be dissapointed, because I don't see anything changing.

Dang Mike, Don't take this question wrong but are you upset because Jr. gets more attention than Jeffie poo? Because Jeffie hasn't done much lately either but we all know that can change at any given race/season

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by trollmc08

Dang Mike, Don't take this question wrong but are you upset because Jr. gets more attention than Jeffie poo? Because Jeffie hasn't done much lately either but we all know that can change at any given race/season

Again... Dale Earnhardt Jr being over-rated and getting more attention has nothing to do with Jeff Gordon. Why do some always bring Gordon in this situation, when it dosen't involve him?!

[trollmc08]

Originally Posted by Quality88

DAMN good article.

I do agree Q, LSC out did himself this time.

[trollmc08]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Again... Dale Earnhardt Jr being over-rated and getting more attention has nothing to do with Jeff Gordon. Why do some always bring Gordon in this situation, when it dosen't involve him?!

I know Gordon don't have nothing to do with Jr's rating but some people say he is over-rated because of the statistics of Tony, Jeff, Jimmy, and Jr. So my underling question is if one driver can come back and go back on top then why can't the other git back on top?

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by trollmc08

I know Gordon don't have nothing to do with Jr's rating but some people say he is over-rated because of the statistics of Tony, Jeff, Jimmy, and Jr. So my underling question is if one driver can come back and go back on top then why can't the other git back on top?

I'm not saying Jr can't. I'm saying I don't think Jr can.

[trollmc08]

Originally Posted by Mike24

I'm not saying Jr can't. I'm saying I don't think Jr can.

Thats cool. I guess I was taking it wrong sorry.