Posted on June 19, 2007

Jr. Fans Jumping Ship...

by Ruth Mattern About The Author	Email   Print

I’m having a difficult time believing what I’m hearing from many of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fans. I just can’t seem to get my mind around the idea that they are deserting Jr. because of his decision to drive for Rick Hendrick. I have read a vast amount of Jr. bashing and have seen fans (if you want to call them that) selling their Jr. collectables. Evidently these people who are jumping off the Jr. bandwagon are the same ones who jumped on the Jr. bandwagon a few years ago. They can’t possibly be true Jr. fans, because a true fan doesn’t drop his favorite driver because of an owner change. That doesn’t make any sense. These people are obviously anti-Hendrick not pro-Jr. They should be thrilled that Jr. chose to drive for a winning team. It probably wasn’t an easy decision for him to make, but he made it in his own best interest. He wants to be a championship contender and he’s giving himself the best opportunity to do so. How can that be wrong?

Some you don’t like Jeff Gordon. That’s obvious by the amount of beer cans thrown on the track when he wins. Is it because he wins too often? Or maybe it’s just that he’s so spit-shined. Could it be Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch or Casey Mears that you don't like? Maybe it’s just the whole Hendrick organization. Are they just too clean-cut and too polished to relate to? Whatever the reason you don’t like Hendrick, how can you just dump Jr. for trying to better himself?

I was/am a die-hard Dale Earnhardt (Sr.) fan. I would have gone with him anywhere, to anyone he chose to drive for. It wouldn’t have mattered what team he decided to join, I wouldn’t have even had to think about it, sticking with him would have just come naturally. I would have followed my heart, and my heart was with Earnhardt. Even Dale Earnhardt Sr. didn’t drive for DEI. For those of you who were previously Sr. fans, did you pull for DEI or RCR?

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against DEI. I have always cheered for the DEI drivers, but I’ve always been an Earnhardt fan; Sr. or Jr. And it isn’t going to change just because Jr. will be driving for Hendrick Motorsports. If I was a Yankee fan, I wouldn’t go haywire if they were sold to someone else, say Ted Turner for instance.

There are many who believe Jr. should have signed with Richard Childress. Although that would have been nice for the Sr. fans, it’s not what Jr. wanted. He wants to get out of his father’s shadow and make a name for himself. He deserves that. Maybe he wants to prove to everyone (maybe even to himself) that he is championship material. Not because of the name he was born with, but because of his talent as a driver. He still may have the opportunity to drive for RCR before he retires. Hopefully, retirement is still a long way off for Jr.

I think Sr. would be proud of his son. He made a very difficult decision based on what he felt was best for him. Actually, if you think about it, he made two difficult decisions: One, to leave DEI and another to sign on with Hendrick Motorsports. He wants to race and to win championships. After all, isn’t that what Earnhardt (Sr.) was all about? Winning!

Jr. still would like to win a championship for DEI. That means a lot to him (surely, more than it means to his fans). After all, it is the company that his father built, the family business. He can still accomplish that goal this year. He’s in the top 12. He can make the chase. And if he makes the chase, he’s got a good chance of winning. He hasn’t given up and we shouldn’t give up on him either. Winning the Nextel Cup certainly isn’t out of his reach!

My loyalty lies with Jr., my driver. I don’t care who he drives for, or what his car looks like (although I do like the bright red Bud car), or even what his number is. He is still #1 in my book. I think he’s awesome, both as a driver and a person. And that isn’t going to change.

And for those of you selling out, If you really want to get rid of all your Jr. stuff, let me know. I’d love to take it off your hands. You can’t possibly want very much for it since you’ve lost the faith and it would be a tremendous addition to my collection.

You can contact Ruth at rmattern@nc.rr.com

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the publisher.  All comments other than website related problems need to be directed to the author.  Copyright 2000-2007 SpeedwayMedia.com.

More by this author:

Click here to discuss this story at our forum!