From what I know of each, I feel fairly confident that Jr is someone who I would enjoy spending time with and being in a conversation with, but yes, I don't know at this point how anyone could argue that Dale Jr. was a better race car driver than Chase Elliott. I don't even think it is particularly close and I own Dale Jr. merch.
www.chaseelliott.com
Also I’m 99% sure he just ran Speedfest down at Watermelon Capital Speedway. I didn’t get to go, but I know he was announced to be there. So there you go.
www.desi9ntodrive.org
July 2001. The whole sport was herling and needed to see it from an Earnhardt. Even non Earnhardt fans.
A great moment for sure.
Yes - like we flatlanders who refer to their grandfather as granddad. My best friend used to have a field day with that one. Also the infamous use of your middle name as your first name in the south. My wife is from Georgia and she does that. I knew her mother for 15 years before I knew her legal name was not what we were calling her. Like many who may not know Dale Earnhardt's name is Ralph.
You have not really said though from what I have seen who you think is more deserving unless I missed it. Who in NASCAR is so exciting today? I find none of them to be very exciting TBH. Your issue seems to be questioning why Chase is so popular and it's because of many factors that include his connection to old fan bases that needed a new driver such as those that were fans of his father, Dale Jr, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne - All VERY popular drivers that were all retired or retired soon after Chase came along and he was connected to all of them. He had that embedded fan base AND he performed winning lots of races and championships in Xfinity and Cup. I just don't understand what the mystery is and I am wondering if you are suggesting that now that he has had a few down years (as ALL drivers do) that his fan base should move on to someone else.I notice a bunch of people immediately call others a hater if you question anything. This is a distortion and misleading. I don’t hate Chase. I find him to be a good driver who’s relatively unexciting. So questioning why he has a lock on this NON DRIVING most popular award for 7 straight years isn’t unreasonable. This isn’t about Chase vs Jr. (they are a contrast though) this is about how this particular award goes to Chase every year regardless of what he’s doing. Vs say someone like Bell or Blaney or Chastain or Larson or…Not saying I don’t see Chase never winning but it’s questionable that he’s outshining all these other drivers by any metric of popularity appeal every friggin year. That’s not hate. That’s just a common sense question. That’s fine though this is a off season thing to talk about out and beats 23XI law suits and Hailee Deegan
I was a non-Earnhardt fan and I did not need what happened in July of 2001. In fact, it's the closest I came to rage quitting something I love because I felt it was a little too good to be true really. I will maintain forever that I believe JR had larger holes in his restrictor plate than everyone else. I have NEVER seen a car that good at a plate race before or since. He was able to pass cars on his own without help which is just not possible if all things are equal in that package. I believe NASCAR has the same opinion as you and many though that he needed to win that race for the sport to heal but I jut don't agree with that. All drivers will come and go and if the sport can't handle that it's doomed for failure.
Either way we’ll probably never know, but that is the moment that really made him a star. And even under horrible circumstances, the aftermath is the kind of emotion that has been missing in NASCAR from drivers since.
He gained a LOT of fans that night. Especially some undecided senior fans some say he just inherited.
I was born in Georgia, and like the girls using both the first and last name. A few from from the family that commonly used both were named Sara Ann, Mary Alice, Anna Ruth...
I agree on the emotion that is missing and we the fans are partly to blame because we bitch and complain about everything. I will take my driver Chase for example - many people complain he does not show enough emotion but the times he has let emotion get the best of him there were many detractors that complain he was being a "crybaby" or something like that. We all have to understand that emotion is just that and if we want it in the sport we have to accept it. The truth is all drivers have acted like crybabies at times and that's what the casual fan wants. In my house I have the race on every week at some point (not usually live) and my wife will tell you that she is a "fan" and is interested but hardly seems to glance up from her phone or whatever else she is doing until......There is a fight. The year of the big incident with Gordon and Keslowski at Charlotte she was glued to it. I want to see good racing with good rivalries and if you combine that with the occasional fight then more casual viewers will be glued.
Did you see Chase was at the Super Bowl last night? Give credit where due. That is him being out there at the biggest pop-culture event of the year. I am curious anyone who saw him on TV if they can tell me who he was sitting with? I thought it might have been Alan but I was not sure. Also surprised his GF was not there but as I have said - they keep it very low-profile. I still agree though that JR was everywhere for a few years there. I remember thinking it was cool that he was the music video for the song "Rockstar" by Nickelback. I did not see the episode of Cribs he was on unless it was where I saw him showing off his car graveyard he has on his property. I am pretty sure Budweiser required the Cribs thing though because Kasey Kahne was on it too when Bud was sponsoring him and I remember him showing off his beer fridge that keeps the beer right at 32 degrees (I still want one of those but not for beer LOL) and I remember there being Budweiser all over his house where the camera could see it.
This made me laugh.
Ok...I'll bite on the trolling but I am not sure what could possibly be construed as funny there. A poster pointed out in questioning Chase's popularity why he remains popular in part asking why you never see him at pop culture stuff like Dale Jr was back in the day. He was at the SB last night. Had I made that comment I would have been quick to give credit where due. He was there, it was pointed out on TV and that is good for NASCAR. That's just me and my need to use common sense. I guess that's the problem.
Well of course he did but it's still good for NASCAR he was there. I'm sure Dale Jr did most everything to have a good time too. I never said he was not there to have a good time. Only pointed out that he was there.
I think you're looking for something that's not there but that's cool - you be you. The point was already made in comparing Chase to Dale Jr in Dale Jr was all over the place and a few people said that Chase is never any where he does not need to be. That's all I was saying. I know you're trying to be witty/funny but it's just not landing. Move on.
I am sitting here at my computer tearing up over the fact that you don't agree with me and questioning my life choices. Also not sure where I said it was Chase's intention to benefit NASCAR. Only said that it was good exposure for them to have him there in response to claims that he never does anything public that is not required...which he does. You are really trying to create something out of nothing. At least there will finally be racing to talk about now.
