5 Most "Psyched-Out" Drivers

jaqua19

jaqua19

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Been thinking about this.

Name some drivers who have not been able to live up to their talent levels due to factors such as self scrutiny, fustration, lack of confidence, etc..drivers who could perform better had their minds been right.

I havent seen this really discussed as an exclusive topic so here we go.

The two drivers who come to mind for me are Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin.

Carl was the 2nd, 3rd best driver arguably from 2005-2011, and for a while, was better than even Kyle Busch. losing the title in 2008 after a dominant year is one thing, but I don't think Carl was the same driver after 2011. Seems like he psyched himself out, or was just a bit unhappy. Carl's driving, agression, and assertion on the track, and the confidence in how he handled himself seemed to take a dramatic shift after 2011.

Denny Hamin. 2010 Meltdown, seeing a sports psychologist, etc. Denny had a lot of talent coming in, but after 2010, he just didnt seem to have it anymore.

Dale Jr. He just seemed to bum himself out.

Robby Gordon - Enough said lol
 
I don't see a Carl Edwards melt down or breakdown.

Hamlin for sure
Kyle Busch and Harvick in their younger years let their emotions get away with them some.

But this is a hard thing to measure. The guy that finishes 2nd or 5th didn't win the race, but very possibly could have got more out of his equipments potential than the winner did.

Unless you are behind the wheel and able to really read more reality than anyone else, you probably just don't know.
 
Denny Hamlin gets my vote. It's really hard to think of someone else though. Maybe Earnhardt Jr, he seemed like he was in his own head after his first year at Hendrick(s), especially the McGrew years ( Shivers). I agree its a hard thing to measure. Tony Stewart toward the end of his career with the broken leg and the dirt track incident was never the same. Really hard to say, unless we are inside that driver's head I dont think its quantifiable.
 
Snappy D said:
Tony Stewart toward the end of his career with the broken leg and the dirt track incident was never the same.
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Beat me to it. Tony was the first one to leap to mind.

I don't know if Casey Atwood psych'ed himself out or if he just didn't have the talent.
 
I know he's in Xfinity, but I think Sadler got in his own way a lot coming in second for four years.

Hamlin is a definite yes, 2010 was just the ultimate breakdown.

Jr, I think is a yes. Its a shame because it seemed like between 12 to 16 he had got his **** together. He was still one of the best drivers in the field at one point, but that last concussion did him in and he raced because he was "obligated" to. I think his fit with Ives was not there and he was downright frustrated and essentially shut down. He was rolling, but I hated to see him drive last year... That was truly painful.

If he doesn't win this year, I'll have to add Chase to the list. Dependent upon what happens, I hope not. Maybe Larson to a lesser extent, he has a tendency to over-drive when the pressure is on and he beats himself up pretty badly, sometimes.
 
Mark Martin comments: just my opinion, but his class did not allow him to race the way others decided was acceptable. anyone choosing to hold that against one of the best of all time needs to take a step back and evaluate the human being.

I know in my prior career could have taken short cuts but could never balance that with looking myself in the mirror and believing I earned it in the right way. to this day I can say I earned everything I have honestly.

and mark martin can do the same.
 
oldschoolnascardude1 said:
Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman both started out hot before turning into middle of the pack talents.
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Kahne possibly fits the 'psyched out' profile, good call. I think he lost confidence and couldn't get it back. I don't think Ryan Newman ever got psyched out of anything. He still drives every lap as if it's his last.
 
When I think psyched out drivers, I think of guys that make too many unforced errors. In my mind, Denny Hamlin is the KING of that category. Clearly very talented, but he finds ways to sabotage himself and compounds it by being a total jack wagon. Putting himself into a position for Elliott to wall him at Phoenix last fall (and eliminating a chance to make the final four) just exemplifies a guy that just seems to have his brain in neutral too often.
 
Psyched out but not a psycho is Kyle Larson. Over drives the car out of will to win.
If he ever gets a handle on that he’s going to win a bunch of races.
 
Kasey Kahne for sure. The talent is in there you don't have a 6 win season by accident. Ray Evernham to this day says Kasey has the skill to win a championship.
 
Jamie McMurray had such a hot start to his career. Winning his 2nd race subbing for Sterling Marlin. But since then I can't think of a win he's had that wasn't either a fuel milage race or a restrictor plate track. This year especially with all the dnfs already I think he is the most "psyched out." Stenhouse is a close 2nd.
 
Ford 222 said:
I’ll say it. Mark Martin. Only because he couldn’t bring himself to being an ******* enough on the track.
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I don't think that's the same thing as psyching himself out. Mark always seemed comfortable in his own head, with the way he chose to race, and with the possible outcomes of that decision.
 
Kiante said:
I know he's in Xfinity, but I think Sadler got in his own way a lot coming in second for four years.



If he doesn't win this year, I'll have to add Chase to the list. Dependent upon what happens, I hope not. Maybe Larson to a lesser extent, he has a tendency to over-drive when the pressure is on and he beats himself up pretty badly, sometimes.
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Very true on both. Larson often tries TOO hard, and Chase seems to wait for something bad to happen and lock up thereafter. I had hoped that they would be springboards, but Dover and Phoenix last year in the playoffs may have been the backbreakers for Chase, especially Dover. Now that year 3 is off to a horrendous start and the goose egg still exists, the pressure may be too much to overcome. I hope that I'm wrong...
 
The mind can play some mean tricks on people who let it happen or fail to realize it is or has happened. Self doubt during a losing streak, a couple of crashes not of your making, all get blamed for not living up to potential and sometimes, just sometimes, we all need someone to either kick out butts or talk us down from a self-destructing over confidence, or up to believing we can win.
 
Greg said:
I don't see a Carl Edwards melt down or breakdown.
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Carl lost his **** at Homestead in 2016. Period. I believe that he had planned to go out in a blaze of glory, but he left the trophy in Turn 1. Kept the exit speech the same, however.
jaqua19 said:
The two drivers who come to mind for me are Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin.
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This.
Dr_B_UNC said:
Now that year 3 is off to a horrendous start and the goose egg still exists, the pressure may be too much to overcome.
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I absolutely do not see Chase as mentally fragile. He will be fine.
kyle18fan said:
He had no real reason to ...... getting paid millions and always the most popular driver
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The burn of jealousy over this keeps the Bully up in the middle of the night.
 
A lot of you are mentioning people that had success, then ran into obstacles late in their careers. When I read the opening thread, I was thinking more of those that had the talent but never really did anything at all. Casey Atwood comes to mind. And to a lesser extent, Dale Jr. I would also put somebody like Ken Schrader on that list. Ran fast, just never could seal the deal except for a few times in Cup.
 
Revman said:
I absolutely do not see Chase as mentally fragile. He will be fine.

.
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He does keep an extremely level head, so I'll give you that. There's times when I'm listening to the scanner that I wish he would go all Kyle or Kurt Busch on somebody for once. I think he's fine until closing time, then there's a "what will happen this time" vibe. Until he gets over the hump, I'm nervous and skeptical. (And I'm just a fan, I can't imagine what these guys go through.) He's extremely tough on himself, which I don't think is an "aw shucks" act.
 
I feel certain that over time all drivers at some point doubt their ability and have misgivings of some sort or another. Some are just better at not showing it in public.
 
Dale Jr is a perfect example. His mental health/mindset during his career has been well-documented. He had a rough go after his dad died when DEI got slow, up until he moved to Hendrick... and then he under achieved at Hendrick for years. People that know him have always said he wasn’t the healthiest mentally.


Denny Hamlin would probably be a good choice also. Chase Elliott has similar traits, pretty hard on himself it seems.
 
Nothing wrong with speculating about a whimsical topic but there are so many things at work. Was Jeremy Mayfield's career hurt because Ray was playing house with Betty Crocker? Did Bill Elliott toss away championships in 1985 and 1992 or was he just a victim of circumstances beyond his control? Why did Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd, Harry Gant, Neil Bonnet, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards all finish with about the same amount of wins but couldn't win a championship? Were they wimps that melted under pressure unlike Benny Parsons and the Labonte brothers who had a similar amount of wins but a combined 4 champs?
 
I just wanted to say i can only imagine racing especially at these high levels has got to be such a huge weight on drivers shoulders. Just thinking about the amount of people helping each car get prepared and show up at any track... then comes the sponsors who might put pressure on owners... then the owner is counting on you to go out and simply get it to happen... but when speed is off on the team and everyone is “second guessing” your talents which they feel in love with in the past.

Yikes.
 
Whizzer said:
The mind can play some mean tricks on people who let it happen or fail to realize it is or has happened. Self doubt during a losing streak, a couple of crashes not of your making, all get blamed for not living up to potential and sometimes, just sometimes, we all need someone to either kick out butts or talk us down from a self-destructing over confidence, or up to believing we can win.
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Beautiful. This happens in all facets of life too
 
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Bowman The Showman said:
I just wanted to say i can only imagine racing especially at these high levels has got to be such a huge weight on drivers shoulders. Just thinking about the amount of people helping each car get prepared and show up at any track... then comes the sponsors who might put pressure on owners... then the owner is counting on you to go out and simply get it to happen... but when speed is off on the team and everyone is “second guessing” your talents which they feel in love with in the past.

Yikes.
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Clint Boyer is a good example of that
 
Carl Edwards doesn't belong on this list. He got fed up with the lottery playoffs, and retired. He did well enough where, without the playoffs he probably would have a title or two, and still be racing. Too bad we will never know. I'm surprised that Mark Martin was even brought up. Not being able to win a title isn't always due to mental meltdown. I think you hit the nail on the head with Denny Hamlin.
 
StandOnIt said:
who said Edwards got fed up with the playoffs, it wasn't him saying that.
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He made statements that inferred he was more for a full season deciding a championship. He also made comments that were very critical of NASCAR throwing yellows to bunch up the field and that happened in his last race.
 
Revman said:
Carl lost his sh!t at Homestead in 2016. Period. I believe that he had planned to go out in a blaze of glory, but he left the trophy in Turn 1. Kept the exit speech the same, however.

This.

I absolutely do not see Chase as mentally fragile. He will be fine.

The burn of jealousy over this keeps the Bully up in the middle of the night.
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Regarding Edwards my opinion is virtually 180 degrees apart.
But that's okay, good people can disagree.
It just shows how subjective people can be, and things are often in the eyes of the beholder.
 
Yogisd1 said:
Carl Edwards doesn't belong on this list. He got fed up with the lottery playoffs, and retired. He did well enough where, without the playoffs he probably would have a title or two, and still be racing. Too bad we will never know. I'm surprised that Mark Martin was even brought up. Not being able to win a title isn't always due to mental meltdown. I think you hit the nail on the head with Denny Hamlin.
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I still contest Carl is the most underrated driver of this last decade. Carl was good enough to beat anyone head to head except for Stewart and Johnson (although he did once) hell, he's 4-0 against Kyle Busch in race wins.

He was every bit the driver Kyle was. I dont know what happened to him, but to me there was a different Carl after 2011. Less competitive, less drive.
 
DUN24 said:
Dale Jr is a perfect example. His mental health/mindset during his career has been well-documented. He had a rough go after his dad died when DEI got slow, up until he moved to Hendrick... and then he under achieved at Hendrick for years. People that know him have always said he wasn’t the healthiest mentally.


Denny Hamlin would probably be a good choice also. Chase Elliott has similar traits, pretty hard on himself it seems.
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As a soon to be clinician, and mental health counselor, Dale Jr really seems depressive, (keep in mind depression isnt necessarily or exclusively sadness), or even bipolar (which is more so about happy highs and exhausting lows than mood swings).

People need to keep in mind these are people, and they are just as prone to mental health issues as the rest of us.

Denny Hamlin seems more like a neurotic individual who internalizes doubt and stress. Definitely some conflict with him.

But Dale Jr was a star in his DEI days, so I think he always had the talent.
 
jaqua19 said:
I still contest Carl is the most underrated driver of this last decade. Carl was good enough to beat anyone head to head except for Stewart and Johnson (although he did once) hell, he's 4-0 against Kyle Busch in race wins.

He was every bit the driver Kyle was. I dont know what happened to him, but to me there was a different Carl after 2011. Less competitive, less drive.
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"most underrated" really no way to measure that IMO. Not knocking your opinion, it is yours. I think he quit because it wasn't fun anymore, he was tired of the grind, still had his health, and he wanted to spend more time with his family (his wife isn't a racing wife). All of these things he said in his leaving Nascar speech.
 
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