Jr has finished 12th or lower for 5 of the past 6 races. What's the deaL? Just like old times!?

Question

We can't go and blame all these bad races off on Tony Eury Jr can we? It's beginning to look like Dale Jr has hit his stride this season and is now falling back into place. He isn't winning anymore than he did with DEI and it won't be soon before he drops even more if he keeps this up.

What's the matter....... he is in the best equipment merchandise can buy so why doesn't he have 5-10 wins already since he is indeed one of the most talented drivers ever. Or is he?

Answer 1

there's a lot of drivers that don't look so good right now because Kyle Busch is running up front and the only super hero is Carl Edwards. (I guess that makes Kyle the villain)

...all of a sudden, I have a craving for some M&Ms

Answer 2

Remember this is a guy who could not make it on his family's team-he was the teams draw and I find it hard he had no say in matters-how can you expect him to make it on another team.  Remember his only win in 80 or so races is when he went around the pace car  but NASCAR  didn't see it (right) Only way he ever wins a cup is if NASCAR forfeits everone else.  

Answer 3

ok, you people don`t want to hear this but i`m gonna  just lay it out there for you. dale jr. is and has always been overrated. he is NOT his father.  

Answer 4

I honestly beleive that after not meeting the expectations that hendrick had for him, his team isn't getting the support from hendrick that he had at the beginning of the season.  Notice that in that same 6 races, Jimmie Johnson has done his best racing of the season, and Jeff Gordon has been better than he was most of the season.   I think Hendrick has stopped giving JR the best engines, Transmissions, and other parts that can make a major difference and started sending the best to their 2 defending champ.  

Just for the record, Eury was praised for a decision earlier this year that was very similar to the one that he made yesterday.   The one earlier this season gave Jr his only win of the season, this one didn't work as well.    Eury took a risk trying to get Jr a win which he probably couldn't have gotten any other way.    

When you think about it, all jr really lost as far as points goes was a 10 pt bonus in the chase that he would not have gotten had jr finished 2nd or below.  Look for STeve Addington to try some similar moves over the next 4 races, since Kyle is locked into the Chase and cannot gain any ground on anyone for 2nd place as far as the chase is concerned.  Same with Jr, He can probably be locked into the chase with 4 straight 30th place finishes, and 2nds will not do him anymore good that 30th would.

Answer 5

That is what he has always been and will always be a middle of the pack racer with middle of the pack talent and the results show it!

Answer 6

He will do better JM!

You just wait till this Sunday, watch he will be back up front again!

lol JM I thought you were a huge fan of his... nice way of showing it...

Go Dale Jr.!!!

JUNIOR NATION!!!

Answer 7

I thought 'old' times was him watching the finish of the race from the garage trying to keep the smoke from his 4th or 5th DEI blown engine out of his eyes. I mean statistically he's in a much better position now than last year, as he is a virtual lock for the Chase & he snapped the winless streak (either way you put it).

Answer 8

The conspiracy loons can't blame it on Teresa now, what are they going to do? Face facts, his best years are behind him, he will ride out the rest of his "career" with one or two wins every year or so, no championships, but millions in merchandise sales to a gullible fanbase.

Answer 9

You're a Jr. fan??

You have one sick, twisted way of showing your support for your driver there, buddy!!!

Crazy!!

Answer 10

Danica Dale Jr. is one of the biggest jokes to ever come into NASCAR..this guy deserves to be a pit crew member, sure not a driver..Kyle has embarassed this guy so much it is pitiful...I supported Hendrick Motor Sports for years,  release a talented driver like Kyle for a t-shirt and cap salesman...fan favorite my ***...

Answer 11

actually, we probably could blame at least the last two on tony jr - according to nearly everyone, watkins glen was a disastrous decision to keep him out that long and at pocono, they ran out of gas falling from inside the top five to twelfth in the last 1/4 lap or so. granted, tony jr. is human and makes mistakes - many people did, especially at pocono. and mistakes right now don't hurt them much given their points position, and hopefully they are good learning experiences. but if tony jr. doesn't turn it around soon (and i mean his decision making), i think he could be flirting with disaster.

and to be perfectly honest, i believed for a moment that nascar did try to show a little extra "love" to the 88 team by holding off on the caution flag as long as they did after kvapil bulldozed the gravel onto the track. the commentators had questioned why junior hadn't come in for laps before kvapil's mistake - junior was losing a second a lap and taking a big risk that a caution would come out. and once kvapil ran through the gravel, they all said they were pretty sure a caution would come out. they had time to show a slow-mo replay and made it very clear that this could be BAD for junior, yet he passed pit road twice without being called in. tony jr. himself said he saw the kvapil incident, and he had to have remembered that hornish did the same thing and a caution came out, so he should have called him in immediately.

i'm not saying i believe there was any real conspiracy to give junior an unfair advantage and i do think they probably would have done the same for most others in that position, but i really did feel that they did all they could to NOT hurt him given the conditions presented. i think once they saw him come around that last turn for a second time without pitting AFTER kvapil had dumped gravel on the track, they had no choice and couldn't hold it off anymore - they threw the yellow before he hit the start/finish line. and i'm pretty sure nascar took longer to throw that caution than they did when hornish decided to go off-roading in the gravel, but i could be wrong.  

and tony jr.'s explanation right after the yellow flew was weak. granted, he was upset and we know how much weight to give to something said by someone who is upset and has a mic jammed in their face, but that was really a bad attempt at a response. to call the race silly because they called a caution because of a "cupful of dirt on the track" AFTER they had already done it when hornish did the same thing sounds like he was still in denial and shock more than anything else.

i know dale loves tony and all, and doesn't even care to discuss the topic of a new crew chief, but it's really beginning to seem like maybe trying a new chief for a few races might not be a bad idea.