The 2010 NASCAR season is officially over, well, except for some suspensions and probations issued over the past year. Those are not officially over until December 31st. That’s a whole different article.
Wire services, official press releases and even news around the sport has slowed to a trickle. It is officially the off season in NASCAR.
Sitting at my desk admiring the most recent construction of another cobweb, I decided it was time to do some digging through the Speedway Media mailbag.
The mailbag at Speedway Media isn’t exactly like traditional mailbags, actually, it’s more like a large round Tupperware bowl that’s so worn out it stopped burping years ago.
Once in a while the staff writers take turns reading and responding to the miniscule amount of fan letters, questions and even occasional suggestions that almost never pour in.
After spending a few hours of reading and a little consternation, I came across four letters I thought were relevant, topical, well thought out, and begged to be answered.
Honestly, there were only four letters in the bowl and I needed at least 500 words for this article, so I thought I would just answer them all.
Mary Anne from Mobile writes:
Dear Speedway Media: Do you think Jimmie Johnson will win his fifth championship in a row this year?
Well Mary Anne as you can see it’s been a while since we checked the mail bag. Jimmie Johnson did in fact win his fifth championship in a row this year. Since there is not much change scheduled for next year in the Chase system or in NASCAR, Johnson is certainly the favorite to occupy the podium again.
Karl from Kalamazoo writes:
Dear Speedway Media: Has Hendrick Motorsports found a sponsor for Kasey Kahne in 2012 yet?
Karl, that’s a very good question. As of right now there have been no announcements of any sponsorship deals for Kahne beyond 2011. Given the most recent turn of events at HMS; swapping crews in the middle of a race and a multitude of personnel changes after the final race, except for JJ and Knaus, it’s quite possible a sponsor like Manpower Temporary Services would be best suited for Kahne in 2012.
Louise from Lubbock writes:
Dear Speedway Media: Why is Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again NASCAR’s most popular driver? Shouldn’t Jimmie Johnson’s five championships in a row make him the most popular driver?
Louise I am surprised you are the only one who has asked this question. Johnson has won quite a few awards over the past couple of years, including Athlete of the Year.
Even though he has won five championships in a row, the answer to your question has two parts and is quite simple.
First: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets more attention for not winning than Johnson does for winning.
Second: Everyone likes Jr.
Speaking of Jr. and not winning, Robert from Richmond writes:
Dear Speedway Media: Do you think Dale Earnhardt Jr. will extend his contract with Hendrick Motor Sports?
Thanks for the question Robert. I doubt it will happen by the end of this year, but who knows, this year has had its share of strange events.
Macy’s fired Santa Claus, Urban Meyer abruptly resigned, Auburn went undefeated, and Joe Nemechek actually ran a full race.
The marriage between Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. started off as traditional as unions go. Hendrick brought money, Earnhardt brought his name along with some extra baggage of a cousin. It was consummated quickly with a Duel win at Daytona.
Since then there hasn’t been much bliss. Hendrick has tried to keep the romance going by supplying Jr. with new equipment and even a new crew chief. It still didn’t seem to be enough. So once again Jr. is getting another new crew chief and also moving in with Jimmie Johnson.
The move with Johnson could be strategic, or a veiled attempt at marriage counseling.
I doubt that Hendrick and Earnhardt Jr. will get a divorce at the end of 2012, but it’s possible a trial separation is in their future. This would give both of parties a chance at finding what they did or didn’t have during their union.
That’s all for this edition of Speedway Mailbag.
Feel free to send your questions, comments and suggestions to mailbag@speedwaymedia.com.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect opinions of the management.
David great spin you put on this post. Its no big secret that Earnhardt along with Johnson will get the majority of the coverage again.
Its okay for Earnhardt’s fans to post comment after comment about their driver, but once the media posts something right away its looked at as a reason to get hits.
Somethings are just not meant to be understood.
The answer to the MPD question is quite simple. Junior connects with the fans while Jimmie is…vanilla about sums it up.
While rumors have it that Jimmie can be funny and personable he’s not shown that to fans. His ‘programmed’ answers and unemotional actions after winning are boring. Ask Junior any question and you get the honest off the cuff answer.
Second part of that is the media knows they’ll get hits by using Jr’s name. If Jr gets more media attention it’s because the media wants hits.