So he's won races but no championships. So he's won Bud Shootouts and even the Winston in 2000. Oops, excuse me, he has won what was once known as the Busch series championship, now known as the Nationwide championship in 1998 and 1999. Jr. Nation? We're fine, thank you.
Say what you want to about the Jr. Nation. We're dedicated. Maybe we don't know so much about stats. I do. Maybe we don't know so much about win/loss records versus other drivers. I do. It's possible that some of my brethren are not as educated about Dale Jr. as I am. It's possible. If you rank your NASCAR fans on a whim, then go ahead. We're about a real guy. Dale Jr. is about as real as it gets. We're about as real as it gets.
We laugh together. We cry together. We pray for each other. Some of us might be superficial. Examine the sport closely, and you'll find much the same for any driver. For the most part though, we care about the statistics. We care about the team. We care about the crew chief. We also care about the driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made us believe in him, win or lose.
Does he lose more than he wins? Yes. That can be said for all drivers though. Sprint Cup is the hardest series on the planet in which to achieve wins, but Dale Jr. has done quite nicely, thank you very much.
You may rank the Jr. Nation as part fake, part real, but the vote for MPD counts. I'll give you this: Some members are simply interested in the man, not the driver. But we all care about Dale.
To many of us, he's the link to the past, the path to the original Dale. Many of us miss Dale, me included.
Don't dis Dale Jr. He's the real deal and he's doing great things.
I could not agree with you more.
ReplyDeleteI understand what he means when he talks about being a shy person yet he's somehow found a way to contend with it. Yet, every once in a while, you see that shyness creep up on his face or in the way he carries himself.
Yet I wish I could be more like him. I'm not the type to pull up a hoodie if I'm cold cause I know people think I look silly. yet there was Jr last wee at Martinsville, doing just that. And being fair skinned my sis is always talking about how I need some sun. yet jr is the same and he makes fun of the fact that people seem to pick on him for it.
He's an incredibly strong person. He's faced a lot of trauma in his life. From the divorce of his parents when he was a toddler to having his childhood house burn down. He left his mama to go live with his daddy only to get sent to military school. He watched his daddy leave each weekend knowing it'd be another week that he'd have to watch dad race on TV. He found a place in his father's world finding that respect he was seeking. And when he finally found that respect his world was ripped apart in one of the most cruel days in his young life. Yet once again, he reached back inside himself and got back in that car.
He's won at the most precious times...the All-star race in 2000, July 2001 at Daytona, the first race after 9/11 and Father's day in 2008.
Yet he's not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. Yet somehow I think being a fan of his has made me a better person.
Fantastic comment! Thanks for that! JC
ReplyDeleteThanks Jimmy,
ReplyDeleteIf only some could see through your eyes, what a wonderful world this would be.
I consider it a privledge to read your words!
WORD Jimmy..WORD!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the viewpoint. I completely agree. I also think Dale Jr has quite a diverse mix of fans. We don't always agree and sometimes we find a Dale Jr fan in sheep's clothing and boot them off the message board, but we are a band of brothers and sisters. We're strong and real, like the driver we admire.
ReplyDeleteLove the the article and everything you said is right on. I love Dale jr win lose or draw I don't care.
ReplyDeleteYou are all TOO kind by far. I appreciate it though. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJimmy, I love reading your articles. You always
ReplyDeletestate it so truhfully and with heartfelt meaning. I've learned so much from your words.
Thank You..Cindy (grmac488)
garbage lol
ReplyDeleteright on man, right on.
ReplyDeleteHey Jimmy,
ReplyDeleteYou've got a "fan" who's stolen your content.
http://3vo.info/?p=90
If you do a whois on the site, you'll see who owns this site.
He's doing this to a few folks out there.
Bruce from Bruce's NASCAR Bits and Pieces.
Thanks, Bruce. I posted a comment on that site. I appreciate you finding that and pointing it out to me. I don't mind people using my content on other sites, but I really wish they would give me the credit for it.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
Jim
Yea, I don't mind either if anyone quotes me, but he was pretty blatant with your material, mine and another news site.
ReplyDeleteTook the whole of all the posts and ripped to his hearts content!
Glad to be of help!
Thanks Bruce. I've linked to your site on the blog here. I like what you do! Nice site!
ReplyDeleteThanks again,
Jim