Honest opinion, no bashing please.....

M

MoMike

Guest
We all tend to ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That being said, it's obvious that when JR performs, electricity is felt from coast to coast. And we all know that if he's got a few wins under his belts, the stands will be more full than usual.
That being said, whats everyone think of his chances this year of being a factor?
And as a sidenote, does Hamlin and Harvick spill over into 11'
MoMike
 
I don't think Jr will win a race...unless it is a RP and more than likely will be pushed there. Will he be a factor in the season, don't think so. Jr is a so so driver


I do think Hamlin and Harvik will continue their success in '11.

We do have to remember that there is a different car this season, so getting a handle on the new front ends could be interesting
 
Bucky Badger said:
I don't think Jr will win a race...unless it is a RP and more than likely will be pushed there. Will he be a factor in the season, don't think so. Jr is a so so driver

I do think Hamlin and Harvik will continue their success in '11.
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I apologize for the confusion Bucky,
I meant to speculate as to whether Harvick and Hamlin would continue their fued into 11'.
MoMike
 
MoMike said:
We all tend to ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That being said, it's obvious that when JR performs, electricity is felt from coast to coast. And we all know that if he's got a few wins under his belts, the stands will be more full than usual.
That being said, whats everyone think of his chances this year of being a factor?
And as a sidenote, does Hamlin and Harvick spill over into 11'
MoMike
Click to expand...

My honest opinion?

Part 1:
It takes more than just talent to be a top tier professional athlete. It takes a drive to compete that borders on Obsession/Compulsive. Drivers like Jimmie Johnson have that drive and desire that give them that extra 1% advantage over their peers.

Dale Jr doesn't have that desire.

Part 2: I like to read a lot about NASCAR, so this isn't first hand knowledge. From what I've learned, a loose setup is faster than a tight setup when driving the COT. The exception being the restrictor plate tracks where the car doesn't really slide around as much.

Dale Jr. doesn't like a lose race car.

tl/dr
I beleive Dale Jr doesn't have the desire needed to be top tier and the COT doesn't suit his driving style. I'd be surprised if he finishes in the top 15.
 
MoMike said:
We all tend to ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That being said, it's obvious that when JR performs, electricity is felt from coast to coast. And we all know that if he's got a few wins under his belts, the stands will be more full than usual.
That being said, whats everyone think of his chances this year of being a factor?
And as a sidenote, does Hamlin and Harvick spill over into 11'
MoMike
Click to expand...

Junyer might get one win.

The whole RCR team will falter again with the addition of a new team.

Hamlin will be a contender, and he'll choke when it counts.

I think Logano and KyBu are the only ones who can overthrow Jimmie.
 
I'm sorry but I think Jr. will continue to be mediocre until he gets that fire in his belly that'll make him want to win. But why would he? He's an Earnhardt, and that name has him set for life. As long as he's able to ride on his daddy's coat tail, he's not going to put forth any real effort into racing other than hanging back in 20th or worse.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Junyer might get one win.

The whole RCR team will falter again with the addition of a new team.

Hamlin will be a contender, and he'll choke when it counts.

I think Logano and KyBu are the only ones who can overthrow Jimmie.
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If Kyle can keep it together with out losing it.

Logano...NO WAY in hell
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Junyer might get one win.

The whole RCR team will falter again with the addition of a new team.

Hamlin will be a contender, and he'll choke when it counts.

I think Logano and KyBu are the only ones who can overthrow Jimmie.
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And where do Tony and Ryan end up? Tough to count them out.
MoMIke
 
Kyle Busch won't be a threat, he's too emotional, so is Denny Hamlin. Honestly the only way anyone can beat Johnson if they start acting like Johnson, be cool, level headed and become a Zen Master at 200 mph.
 
Bucky Badger said:
Logano...NO WAY in hell
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Logano's got it figured out now, he'll be a factor and I think he ends up top-three.

I just can't bet against Jimmie Johnson right now...

Like I said, every time RCR expands, the whole team goes to **** and stays that way for 2-3 years.

Hamlin -- he's the best driver in NASCAR when he's winning. He gets hot and stays hot. But once one thing goes wrong (DNF, bad pit stop late in a race), he's not in contention for several races. April-June he was the hottest driver in all of NASCAR. He had a few bad races and didn't do anything until Richmond in September. That's his maturity level though.

Kyle Busch has proven he can contend for championships. Kyle's a lot like Denny but with a lot more talent. When Hamlin gets hot, he wins 2-3 races then fades. When Kyle gets hot, he wins 8 races in a matter of a few months... if he gets hot in the Chase, look out.

Carl Edwards has his mojo back and I see him being a top-five driver for sure. Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart are the wild cards.

Problem is, every year it seems like someone has Jimmie's number, but Chad and Company work non-stop to be the best and they always pull it out. One of the things I think he does in the regular season is lets everyone else show their hand -- then the Chase comes and, bam, little **** wins another one.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Problem is, every year it seems like someone has Jimmie's number, but Chad and Company work non-stop to be the best and they always pull it out. One of the things I think he does in the regular season is lets everyone else show their hand -- then the Chase comes and, bam, little **** wins another one.
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I think that what he does too, which is awesome. :beerbang:
 
MoMike said:
I apologize for the confusion Bucky,
I meant to speculate as to whether Harvick and Hamlin would continue their fued into 11'.
MoMike
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If the 11 starts it the 29 will finish it.The only way the 29 starts it is if he is already having a bad race and the 11 is in the right place,right time.
 
MoMike said:
We all tend to ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That being said, it's obvious that when JR performs, electricity is felt from coast to coast. And we all know that if he's got a few wins under his belts, the stands will be more full than usual.
That being said, whats everyone think of his chances this year of being a factor?
And as a sidenote, does Hamlin and Harvick spill over into 11'
MoMike
Click to expand...
I like your thinking on this and it will be fun to see how ti all shakes out as they say in the pits. I'm like many who don't think that Junior has the drive anymore with the exception of the RP tracks, where almost every car is even. Even so much that the driver who can take the most chances and come out ahead will probably more than likely win. Junior has shown that he is willing to do that at Daytona and Taladega.

There will always be those who believe that NASCAR can and does give certain people a hand up so to speak in the inspection line and they will no doubt say, if Junior wins a race, that NASCAR gave him a pass. So let's look at it if they did, what might that accomplish? I'm sure it would give a boost to the attendence and could garner a few more advertisers for TV and maybe even the his team.

What ever happens, I wish him luck. I don't think that he will ever live up to his father's image and I think he already knows that and is trying to live with it. He is his own race driver and I don't think he is going to learn much more about how to race. He knows enough to get it done and just has to get out there and do it. You put that car on the very edge and ride it to the finish line and don't back. Few mortals have the ability to do just that and Junior is one....but will he do it. Only time will tell.
 
I don't see Jr getting any better because in all honesty I don't believe he cares where he finishes. He just always has that show up and get it over with attitude on race day. Btw Andy Logano will NOT finish top 3 or even be a factor this year either.
 
I'd say that Earnhardt has the same chance to fluke a win as any of the other bottom 33 drivers...most likely at plate tracks and fuel mileage races.

Harvick probably holds a grudge against the kid who spun him at the go cart track when they were 10 y/o and Hamlin will mix it up with #29 but as usual claim innocence. That's the Harvick trap and Hamlin will step into it everytime.
 
You say 'no bashing' and you make part of the subject Dale Earnhardt Jr.? :rolleyes:

Heck, if he gets one win, I'll be happy. As a long time Jr. fan I'd like to see him back in victory lane but it's sure hard to predict how he'll do when nothing more than practice laps have been ran @ Daytona with the new CC. I'd imagine that it would take the second trip to these tracks to see how things are going to work out. The pieces are all there, once again, so I'll wait to see.

Hamlin -vs- Harvick? I'm trying to remember what that was even about. Was that about Hamlin calling out RCR saying that everyone in the garage new that they were pushing the line and that they should be happy that they are even in the chase? I'm sure that Hamlin will insert that foot of his back into his mouth at some point and the feud will continue.

There are a bunch of other feuds I'm more interested in besides that one. Any of them involving Keselowski, Busch or Edwards are good. And how about Tony? He might be back to his old self and we'll start seeing more emotion there. There's quite a bit of potential out there. Even Jeff Gordon took off his helmet last year and went after Burton. That reminds me, I hope they got those in-car cameras installed in the safety vehicle for the ride back to the Care Center. I think we may have missed a little of the Gordon/Burton story once they got behind those closed doors.
 
Jr, as much as I like him, he has nowhere near the talent/skill of Sr. Or for that matter many of the other drivers. If the car hits the track reasonably close to as perfect a race car can be he might have a shot at winning.
His problem is he can't relate back to the CC what the car is doing but more importantly what it needs. He gets a new CC and sometimes a complete new team more often than any other driver I can think of yet there's never better results.

Harvick,,if someone starts it he'll finish it and he really doesn't seem to care who it is. For that matter Burton is stepping up to the plate too.

I think brad and edwards both scared the chit out of themselves and won't be doing that again.

Tony has been semi-wussified. Logano is a joke and doesn't belong.

All this is my opinion and IMHO is not bashing. Just telling it like it is.
 
MoMike said:
That being said, whats everyone think of his chances this year of being a factor?
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I do think he (Earnhardt, Jr.) has the talent and ability to be a factor each week but will not be a contender for the championship.

And as a sidenote, does Hamlin and Harvick spill over into 11'
MoMike
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Yes.
 
1.Jr wins one race this season , but is not a major factor in the championship.
2.Logano will win a few races IMO, get his dad out of the picture and he might actually grow some balls.
3. Harvick will be right in there again for the fight for the championship, he should of won it last year, hopefully he is up there again.
4. SST I think you are right about Edwards and Brad scarring themselves, hope they learned the hard way and don't pull that crap again.
 
Good questions, MoMike

On Junior: I think something left Junior when the inner fighting at the old DEI took over and I don't believe he ever recovered from that. I believe the move to Hendrick was a case of "I have to do something...anything, even if it's wrong." I believe that Junior had a lot on his shoulders and also the weight of carrying the Earnhardt name. He had big shoes to fill and I'm not sure if he EVER had the ability to fill them, even in his best days, which are now gone. It seems as though the only time he prospered was when Tony Jr. and Pop Uery were close by, and those days are also gone.

I'd like to see him do well again be cause he might be one of the only authentic people in the ranks of today's drivers. With Junior, what you see is what you get and he seldom dodges a question but, unlike the others, answers them usually straight from the heart and as best he can. I hope that he surprises me but I fear 2011 will be just an updated version of 2010.

On Hamlin and Harvick: Intense rivalries are a no-no in today's NA__AR. While it would be good for the sport, the sponsors, the handlers and NA__AR itself will NEVER allow rivalries like Yarbrough/Allison, Allison/Petty or Waltrip/Earnhardt to fester. That just isn't the image this new, kinder and gentler NA__AR wants to portray. A "Kinda" rivalry, like the Earnhardt/Gordon one might happen but that was hardly a bare knuckle affair, but rather a "Champagne toasting milk" one. NA__AR will continue to give it the old "Have at it, boyz," thing but whenever an Edwards/Keselowski event happens, NA__AR will quietly put the brakes on it.
 
Finally! The season is just around the corner, my first post back..wooo hoo!

Anyways, I am not a Jr. fan by any means, however, part of me would really like to see him start doing well again. Facts are facts and he is the one guy who can turn the tide in NASCAR. This fall when I was at M'ville and he was winning the announcers jokingly said "if jr. wins this race, suddenly the economy is fixed, the war is over and he is the automatic favorite to win next years chase." The sad thing is, for many Nascar fans, this would have been true to a certian extent. Him doing well would really help the current state of the sport with ticket sales and TV ratings.

I really coud care less if Harvick/Hamlin spills over into '11. I couldn't care less about anything involving Hamlin.....
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Junyer might get one win.

The whole RCR team will falter again with the addition of a new team.

Hamlin will be a contender, and he'll choke when it counts.

I think Logano and KyBu are the only ones who can overthrow Jimmie.
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This but I think Jr will have a decent year and squeek into the chase.
 
chromehorn said:
This but I think Jr will have a decent year and squeek into the chase.
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*laughs* Only if they make it a 25 driver chase instead of a 12 driver chase. Let's be honest, Jr. doesn't have the drive, or desire to win. He's content with just being mediocre and riding around in his car. He knows that his last name will pay his way through life, so why should he put forth any effort into the sport?
 
I've said it before and I still believe it...Jr will end up back at EGR
 
Clutch said:
I've said it before and I still believe it...Jr will end up back at EGR
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Nah don't think so, if anything happens at Hendrick to sway him away, it will be to Childress. Where he should of gone in the first place!
 
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