[vincesanity82]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Lets look at it from the stats point of view. Kyle Petty has been racing for 28 years and has 8 wins. Jr has been racing for 8 years and has 17 wins. I don't care who your Daddy is, 17 wins will and should make you a more popular driver. I like both drivers equally, but I believe, even excluding the fathers, Jr would still beat out Kyle.

exactly..

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Lets look at it from the stats point of view. Kyle Petty has been racing for 28 years and has 8 wins. Jr has been racing for 8 years and has 17 wins. I don't care who your Daddy is, 17 wins will and should make you a more popular driver. I like both drivers equally, but I believe, even excluding the fathers, Jr would still beat out Kyle.

Wins don't always equal popularity, Steve.

For example, Dale Sr. had a lot more wins than Bill Elliott, yet Bill got Most Popular something like 16 years in a row.

Our "favourite, DW, had an astronomical amount of win, but until Rusty spun him for the Winston win, DW was almost hated.

I go back to my comparison of Jr to Joe Namath; he is extraordinarily talented and we probably have yet to see his full potential. But, if his last name wasn't Earnhardt and if his father hadn't have been killed so dramatically, I still think there is a good argument that his popularity would be much less than what it is today.

[vincesanity82]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Wins don't always equal popularity, Steve.

For example, Dale Sr. had a lot more wins than Bill Elliott, yet Bill got Most Popular something like 16 years in a row.

Our "favourite, DW, had an astronomical amount of win, but until Rusty spun him for the Winston win, DW was almost hated.

I go back to my comparison of Jr to Joe Namath; he is extraordinarily talented and we probably have yet to see his full potential. But, if his last name wasn't Earnhardt and if his father hadn't have been killed so dramatically, I still think there is a good argument that his popularity would be much less than what it is today.

so why isnt Kyle Petty most popular, his daddy is the KING of Nascar, and most people think Richards the best driver ever..

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Wins don't always equal popularity, Steve.

For example, Dale Sr. had a lot more wins than Bill Elliott, yet Bill got Most Popular something like 16 years in a row.

Our "favourite, DW, had an astronomical amount of win, but until Rusty spun him for the Winston win, DW was almost hated.

I go back to my comparison of Jr to Joe Namath; he is extraordinarily talented and we probably have yet to see his full potential. But, if his last name wasn't Earnhardt and if his father hadn't have been killed so dramatically, I still think there is a good argument that his popularity would be much less than what it is today.

I agree with your last statement. In looking at this year I'm not suer Jr. woul dhave been voted best of anything !!! The entire popularity contest is a sham anyway. What is the criteria for being most popular and how is the voting regulated ???

So much for that award.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

But, if his last name wasn't Earnhardt and if his father hadn't have been killed so dramatically, I still think there is a good argument that his popularity would be much less than what it is today.

Kerry's last name is Earnhardt too, Sr's son and has drove in Nascar; but is not popular. Maybe it's not just the name and all that.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

Yes, Bob, I can. "Logic" has nothing to do with it, nor does sympathy.

Does anyone know who was on the voting list for The Most Popular Driver? Who came in 2nd, 3rd, and so on?



Yes, thankfully, we'll never know for sure, but Kyle doesn't have or ever had the fan base Jr. does. And don't even get started on the only reason Jr. has the mass of fans he does is because we lost Sr. And by the way, there were many people who were Sr. haters! I highly doubt they became Jr. fans out of sympathy.

And here's another "by the way" ...

Sadly, we lost Adam, Kyle's son, tragically here in New Hampshire.

There goes your sympathy-vote theory.

[Phils20]

Who really cares about most popular anyway? This is only something we would complain about during the off season. Any driver would trade a box full of those awards for even one pole.

Much ado about nothing!

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Lets look at it from the stats point of view. Kyle Petty has been racing for 28 years and has 8 wins. Jr has been racing for 8 years and has 17 wins. I don't care who your Daddy is, 17 wins will and should make you a more popular driver. I like both drivers equally, but I believe, even excluding the fathers, Jr would still beat out Kyle.

Oh, LSC, LSC ...

Why did you have to go throwing stats in? Stats and being the Most Popular with the fans have nothing to do with eachother! If they did, the driver with the best stats would be the most popular. Why bother? Gordon's got a pretty impressive record, but never voted most popular ...



http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb114&pp=ZN

[Phils20]

I don't remember Sr ever being voted most popular either, Bill Elliot had that wrapped up.

I wouldn't care if my driver was most hated, if I liked em, and that driver won. Like PPS said, it is not an award about stats, and thank God for that. It is one award for the fans, as much as the driver. Let it go folks!

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Phils20

I don't remember Sr ever being voted most popular either, Bill Elliot had that wrapped up.

I wouldn't care if my driver was most hated, if I liked em, and that driver won. Like PPS said, it is not an award about stats, and thank God for that. It is one award for the fans, as much as the driver. Let it go folks!

Sr. was only voted Most Popular once ... 2001 ... they year we lost him. Now THAT could be a sympathy vote, but I'd rather think of it as a tribute to a great man.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

Sr. was only voted Most Popular once ... 2001 ... they year we lost him. Now THAT could be a sympathy vote, but I'd rather think of it as a tribute to a great man.

I'd forgotten about that. I think it was just his fans speaking out for him. I don't think Dale Sr gave a Rats @#$ about stuff like that. His fans showed up for him every week, he didn't need some wussy award to prove that support.

[PenelopePitStop]

Here's the list ... if anyone cares ...


1950s

1956 Curtis Turner
1957 Fireball Roberts
1958 Glen Wood
1959 Junior Johnson

1960s

1960 Rex White
1961 Joe Weatherly
1962 Richard Petty
1963 Fred Lorenzen
1964 Richard Petty
1965 Fred Lorenzen
1966 Darel Dieringer
1967 Cale Yarborough
1968 Richard Petty
1969 Bobby Isaac

1970s

1970 Richard Petty
1971 Bobby Allison
1972 Bobby Allison
1973 Bobby Allison
1974 Richard Petty
1975 Richard Petty
1976 Richard Petty
1977 Richard Petty
1978 Richard Petty
1979 David Pearson

1980s

1980 David Pearson
1981 Bobby Allison
1982 Bobby Allison
1983 Bobby Allison
1984 Bill Elliott
1985 Bill Elliott
1986 Bill Elliott
1987 Bill Elliott
1988 Bill Elliott
1989 Darrell Waltrip

1990s

1990 Darrell Waltrip
1991 Bill Elliott
1992 Bill Elliott
1993 Bill Elliott
1994 Bill Elliott
1995 Bill Elliott
1996 Bill Elliott
1997 Bill Elliott
1998 Bill Elliott
1999 Bill Elliott

2000s

2000 Bill Elliott
2001 Dale Earnhardt
2002 Bill Elliott
2003 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2004 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2005 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2006 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2007 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I've never even heard of some of these guys!

Well, lookee here, LSC! Dim Wit made the list twice!

Notice that in 2002, Elliott still won, then Jr. took the reigns in 2003. I believe that was right around the time Elliott became a part-timer. Sympathy vote, my a$$!

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Phils20

I'd forgotten about that. I think it was just his fans speaking out for him. I don't think Dale Sr gave a Rats @#$ about stuff like that. His fans showed up for him every week, he didn't need some wussy award to prove that support.

You're probably right. It was a nice thing to do anyway. He probably thought that the "honorary 3rd lap" for the 2001 season was "wussy" as well. Again, nice thing to do.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

You're probably right. It was a nice thing to do anyway. He probably thought that the "honorary 3rd lap" for the 2001 season was "wussy" as well. Again, nice thing to do.

I didn't mean that as an insult. I meant it as respect, in that Dale just didn't care about that stuff. He was a racer. He wanted to win races and championships, and that was it.

I'm surprised a hard core Dale fan such as yourself took that as an insult. That was something I admired about him, on the track, he didn't let the little things get in the way. I think he would have thanked his fans, but that the award was something he never aspired too. If he was here today, the sport would be better. His death, and Mile Helton and Brian France running things, have really taken the harder edge off things. And I like that edge myself.

The last thing I intended my statement to be was as in insult.

[PenelopePitStop]

I found it!! Took me an hour, but I found it! Whew! Here they are in order of fan votes ...

1) Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2) Jeff Gordon
3) Michael Waltrip
4) Kasey Kahne
5) Tony Stewart
6) Kevin Harvick
7) Matt Kenseth
8 ) Jimmie Johnson
9) Elliott Sadler
10) Dale Jarrett

AND THERE YOU GO! Interesting, huh?

Yes, LSC, Dim Wit finished 3rd. How 'bout that, huh? Nice to see good ol' DJ come in 10th.