On Sunday, a dejected Dale Earnhardt Jr. displayed a side of himself that NASCAR fans are not used to.  After his front-running car was destroyed in a late-race crash involving David Reutimann, Earnhardt Jr. lashed out at Reutimann, using the term “out of talent” to describe the driver of the No. 00.

I have been around this sport for a long time and I’m accustomed to drivers shooting off after a wreck, but Earnhardt Jr. is a lot like Mark Martin -- you rarely ever hear him insult someone.  Even in the lead up to his departure from DEI, Earnhardt Jr. left the bad mouthing to others.  Fans were loud and clear with their displeasure with Teresa Earnhardt and DEI, but the driver was always a class act, choosing not to make it personal.

Since Tony Eury Sr. stepped down as his crew chief, Earnhardt Jr.’s performance on the track has been inconsistent.  He struggled through a handful of crew chiefs before settling in with Tony Eury Jr., but that spotlight to the championship continued to flicker. As his on-track problems continued, he remained the cool cat, always showing respect and composure.  With his move to Hendrick Motorsports, hopes were high for that big change, but it did not come.  When his fans began blaming Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr. stood up and defended his cousin and crew chief.

It was finally Rick Hendrick’s decision to split them up. Still, Earnhardt Jr. kept his composure.  He has spent the last few months learning to work with crew chief Lance McGrew, and it is paying off.  Sunday was an example of that improvement.

So what happened Sunday?  There are a lot of opinions out there about who was at fault and to what extent.  Reutimann took the blame for the wreck, but was it as blatant as Earnhardt Jr. called it?

Trying to watch the replays from nearly every angle, this wreck was just outside the frame.  The only camera shot that really tells the story was from the No. 88's in-car camera. You could see the No. 00 car alongside the No. 88 all the way down the straightaway, and heading for the turn, Reutimann actually nosed ahead of Earnhardt.  But as they started the approach to the turn, both cars moved down the track.  You could see the smoke coming from the No. 11 car, and then Reutimann moved down just a bit, then moved up and hit the No. 88.  It was not a hit in the rear as some people called it, it was a hit near the front, but because Reutimann was on the brakes, Earnhardt Jr. moved past him and he started sliding up the track.  This was unfortunately a racing incident.

Earnhardt Jr.’s comments that “the (No.) 00 can’t hold his line…went down in the bottom of the corner an lost it, hit me in the side and spun me out…David just run out of talent” was a bit of an exaggeration at best.  The No. 00 never went to the bottom; the replays show that Montoya was down there. As I said earlier, this was simply a racing incident.  I feel bad for Earnhardt Jr. as New Hampshire looked like a real strong turning point for his team, and to end the day like that is disheartening. These are two very talented drivers that are also very genuine gentlemen.

This is not a slam at Earnhardt Jr. for his reaction, but simply my observation that the stress that is on him at this point in his career is so much, that he reacted in a manner that is so contrary to his character.  I am sure that these two will talk this over and not make it something that it is not.  I wish Earnhardt Jr. all the luck and success that he and the team can muster for these last nine races.  This season cannot end soon enough for him, and I hope that the offseason allows him to chill out and get back to being the Junior the fans all know and love.

With a fresh start in 2010, I anticipate a return to the front for Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 team. But until then, it’s off to the Monster Mile at Dover.