[simple simon]

Dale Earnhardt Jr will never win a championship

i think the cards are stacked against him ... just like they are now for every driver ... but more so for him

there are always excuses ..... some his fault .... and some not his fault

last season it seemed like every other engine he had blew up

last week at Las Vegas he spun his tires

the week before he was taken out during the Casey Mears wreck .... no fault of Jr at all

things just seem to happen to Jr ...... as i said .. some are his fault and many are beyond his control

is this karma for all that his father accomplished ?

last season he finished 16th in points .... are Casey Mears - Greg Biffle - Truex Jr - Carl Edwards - Clint Bowyer all better then him ?

his final points standings this decade:
2000 .. 17th
2001 .. 9th
2002 .. 10th
2003 .. 2nd
2004 .. 6th
2005 .. 19th
2006 .. 5th
2007 .. 16th

this October he will turn 34 ..... certainly not an old man ... but not a young fella either ...... at most i say he could have about 10 more top quality seasons

i just dont think he has what it takes to win it all

[Phils20]

Ya know this is gonna bring out the worst in folks, don't you??

But I can't say I disagree. I think he can, but it would have to be a career year kind of think, like with Bobby Labonte.

I don't see him going on a run like JJ, Jeff Gordon, or even DW at his peak.

He will be a one and done Champ, if at all.

(Simon, do you have enough fireproof materials to cover us both!)

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Phils20

(Simon, do you have enough fireproof materials to cover us both!)

my Super Powers are mighty my friend

[jks812]

I think he'll eventually win one. Probably will take him another 2 or 3 years to get it. I don't even count last year. Especially when they knew he would probably leave. And I believe he became their engine tester after they knew he was leaving. I think he'll also more than likely be one and done. He's a good driver but he's not one of the best and I don't think he has the talent to ever be considered one of the best.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by simple simon

my Super Powers are mighty my friend

I'm counting on it!

[Bryan88]

As a Dale Jr fan obviously I hope that he will win a couple championships, but realistically I agree that it will be tough for him and he may end up being a one and done type (which is far from a bad thing). Jr has great talent and is a much better driver than he showed last year, however I think he is a 2nd tier driver (great driver, but not elite). We will see though, I would love nothing better than for him to take that next step though.

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by simple simon

Dale Earnhardt Jr will never win a championship

i think the cards are stacked against him ... just like they are now for every driver ... but more so for him

there are always excuses ..... some his fault .... and some not his fault

last season it seemed like every other engine he had blew up

last week at Las Vegas he spun his tires

the week before he was taken out during the Casey Mears wreck .... no fault of Jr at all

things just seem to happen to Jr ...... as i said .. some are his fault and many are beyond his control

is this karma for all that his father accomplished ?

last season he finished 16th in points .... are Casey Mears - Greg Biffle - Truex Jr - Carl Edwards - Clint Bowyer all better then him ?

his final points standings this decade:
2000 .. 17th
2001 .. 9th
2002 .. 10th
2003 .. 2nd
2004 .. 6th
2005 .. 19th
2006 .. 5th
2007 .. 16th

this October he will turn 34 ..... certainly not an old man ... but not a young fella either ...... at most i say he could have about 10 more top quality seasons

i just dont think he has what it takes to win it all

I agree 100%!

[3fanforever]

Originally Posted by simple simon

Dale Earnhardt Jr will never win a championship

Wow...since you know that, how 'bout telling me the winning numbers to the next powerball lottery. I'll split the winnings with you and we'll throw a GoTeamsGo celebration party for everybody.

this October he will turn 34 ..... certainly not an old man ... but not a young fella either ...... at most i say he could have about 10 more top quality seasons

His dad won 6 of his 7 championships after the age of 33. His last one came at the age of 43. Likewise, Richard Petty won 5 of his 7 after the age of 33, the last one at the age of 42. So age is not really an issue to me. I'm not suggesting he'll match Dale and Richard by any means, because times and things have changed, and quite frankly, Junior is not the same driver his dad was. At least he hasn't been in the past.

i just dont think he has what it takes to win it all

I'd put it a different way..."I just don't think he's had what it takes to win it all."

Things have changed this year....he's now got a new ride with one of the best teams in NASCAR (not an endorsement from me of HMS), he 's now driving for an owner he loves and gets encouragement and acknowledgment from (not an endorsement from me of Rick Hendrick), and he doesn't have the distractions he had with Teresa and DEI anymore. But the biggest change and the most important change, to me, is he's finally showing a burning desire to win and a disappointment in coming in second. That is something I've rarely seen in Junior. He's matured, and now it's time to win. Does all that make him a better driver than he was? Possibly, but I haven't seen enough this year to say yes or no just yet. It's only 3 races into the new chapter in Junior's career.

So if you'd made this post last year, I would have totally agreed with you. But things have changed. So I'm gonna reserve my judgement for now. But I really want to see him win at least one championship before he retires or I pass on, and he/Junior Motorsports buys DEI from Teresa.

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by 3fanforever

Wow...since you know that, how 'bout telling me the winning numbers to the next powerball lottery. I'll split the winnings with you and we'll throw a GoTeamsGo celebration party for everybody.

His dad won 6 of his 7 championships after the age of 33. His last one came at the age of 43. Likewise, Richard Petty won 5 of his 7 after the age of 33, the last one at the age of 42. So age is not really an issue to me. I'm not suggesting he'll match Dale and Richard by any means, because times and things have changed, and quite frankly, Junior is not the same driver his dad was. At least he hasn't been in the past.
I'd put it a different way..."I just don't think he's had what it takes to win it all."

Things have changed this year....he's now got a new ride with one of the best teams in NASCAR (not an endorsement from me of HMS), he 's now driving for an owner he loves and gets encouragement and acknowledgment from (not an endorsement from me of Rick Hendrick), and he doesn't have the distractions he had with Teresa and DEI anymore. But the biggest change and the most important change, to me, is he's finally showing a burning desire to win and a disappointment in coming in second. That is something I've rarely seen in Junior. He's matured, and now it's time to win. Does all that make him a better driver than he was? Possibly, but I haven't seen enough this year to say yes or no just yet. It's only 3 races into the new chapter in Junior's career.

So if you'd made this post last year, I would have totally agreed with you. But things have changed. So I'm gonna reserve my judgement for now. But I really want to see him win at least one championship before he retires or I pass on, and he/Junior Motorsports buys DEI from Teresa.

Don't you know that simon knows everything?If not he has the power to remove your sad post on this subject.Lol.

[PenelopePitStop]

Well, Simon, I sure hope Jr. proves you wrong, but I cannot predict the future. If I could, I wouldn't be spending my time here.

I do think he is a good driver, not quite sure what constitutes an "elite" driver ... I wouldn't consider any driver elite. As for this "one and done" thing, perhaps. But there are many good drivers who fell or fall under that category. I hate to bring him up again, but Martin has never won the Cup, but I consider him one of the best.

As of late, all I hear is Gordon, Johnson, Jr., and now, "The Wild Thing". Love Jr., but all of this is getting so tiring. Give the guy some breathing room. The media has built him up so much and we're jumping on the bandwagon. He's the same guy he was last year, just with a different team. Expectations are high, but I don't expect him to win every flippin' race and 8 Championships.

Jr. is a class act. I can count on one hand how many drivers fall under that category as far an I'm concerned. Whatever happens, I just hope Jr. is pleased with what he has accomplished once he leaves Cup. I forget what program, special, or movie it was, but he was pretty clear that he will end his racing days back to the roots of which he came. Ten years from now, I doubt he'll still be in Cup.

To say Jr. will never win the Cup, is a bit strong. Give the kid a chance.

[Quality88]

He'll win one. After that it will be a hard thing to do.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

Well, Simon, I sure hope Jr. proves you wrong, but I cannot predict the future. If I could, I wouldn't be spending my time here.

that makes two of us .... i would own the Red Sox as i hope i would be a billionaire

I hate to bring him up again, but Martin has never won the Cup, but I consider him one of the best.

no worries ... i agree 100% ..... every sport has its list of athletes that are the best to have never won it all

The media has built him up so much and we're jumping on the bandwagon.

to a degree i think Jr and his people are responsible for some of the hype ...... they had that show on ESPN2 that many of us watched .... to a degree i think he plays up his name .... im not asking him to play it down and he should be proud as anything for who he is and what his name stands for ..... to a degree i would rather see him as an unknown and see what he could do

Jr. is a class act. I can count on one hand how many drivers fall under that category as far an I'm concerned.

dont get me wrong .... i have said im not a Jr fan ... in truth i have no feelings either way .. i dont dislike him the way i dislike JG .... i actually do have a soft spot for the kid for what happened to his father ... cant begin to imagine what that felt like

Ten years from now, I doubt he'll still be in Cup.

not sure if i agree there ..... he is supporting so many people with his career .... himself, his sister and his mother that i know of

To say Jr. will never win the Cup, is a bit strong.

that's what im here for .... create debate

[Bob Tanner]

Interesting postulate, Simon.

I'll take the contrarian position here, if you don't mind.

All of Junior's Cup wins have, so far, come from DEI material. In fact, all but... 2 or 3 came before the 2005 season. I recall it was about this time when the family problems came to light and seemed to evolve into hyper-drive.

It's true Junior is a few years older but probably a lot wiser now, and no longer torn by strife with step mommy.

My position is that now, in a more tranquil state, plus having the power of Hendrick behind him, Junior will be more able to focus on that elusive championship. I'll say he'll gain one within three years. If he goes beyond that, then the odds will diminish exponentially with every year. You will then be proved correct.

I prefer to give him some time before throwing him on the pile of distinguished drivers who just never sat at the head of the banquet table.

[cbuscru77]

Sadly NASCAR is no longer about the driver but the equipment. If you think Jimmy Johnson is a great driver you're crazy..he's good don't get me wrong I don't want to start a debate about that..if I were an owner he'd be the guy I would go after..but having said that it truley is about equipment now. Dale Sr. (I hate calling him that as he also hated being called that) was probably the last NASCAR champion that won with just pure driver ability. And even that would probably was either his fifth or sixth championship after that it's if you have the best equipment or should I say the best "set up" that day you were going to win. The cars today and even the last 5 years or so are so dependent on set up you can no longer "man handle" the car to go where you want it or do what you want like Dale Sr. did during his career and particularly the early 90's where he probably didn't have the best car on a particular day but he still found away to win and I mean by DRIVING that car to victory..not pit strategy. You can't really do that today..maybe the COT may allow that again but if you're going to win a championship nowadays it a total team effort and I think little E has as much of a chance as Jimmy or Jeff being with Hendrick now and if JJ can win multiple ther is no doubt that Jr can do the same...there that was long just to get to my point but hey!! LOL

[Amp88NG]

i am sorry disagree about it being totally about the equipment and i bet roush fans disagree Jamie McMurray....