Whats Up With Junior?

Dale Earnhardt Jr is by far the most popular driver in NASCAR. But there is also no hiding that he has been struggling too.

In the end of May, after a terrible 40th place finish at Lowes Motor Speedway for the Coca Cola 600, team owner Rick Hendrick finally realized that is was finally time for a change. So, the streak ended. Dale Jr. and Tony Eury Jr could no longer work together any more. Time ran out to make something happen, and nothing did.

So Junior went into the rest of the season with chase hopes more than likely not probable with a new crew chief: Lance McGrew. Now, here is where it gets tricky. Have they really improved? Are they getting worse? Is it Dale Jr's driving abilities that are causing the problem? Is it pressure? What is the problem?

Well, as far as I see it, there is no problem related to pressure. The team has a lot of pressure on them already, but that doesn't have anything to do with anything at all. When you work at Hendrick Motorsports, you pretty much have to handle the pressure right off the bat, especially when your the 88 team.

So then what is the issue? Why is it that the 88 team is not performing? Well, the answer is that there is no issue.

The thing is, everybody(or at least it seems like it) expected the team to perform right out of the gate. Why? Just because one person is moved around doesn't mean things are going to change overnight. Jr may be a good driver with a good team, but nobody is that good.

But the thing is, they have improved quite nicely. Sure, they aren't winning. But, you have to be able to finish in the top 10 each week and then the top 5 each week before you can think about consistently winning. Their communication has improved. I have never heard Junior communicating this well with his team before. It shows that he has to learn more too. And he is.

So then you might be asking why they aren't performing now that it has been a while in the season. And my answer is that it takes time. Lance and Earnhardt have been communicating very well and have learned at a fast pace more about each other. But it will still take time. They still need to keep up the good work, work hard, stay patient, stay focused, and be calm to be able to win again. And after last weekend at Richmond, it seems they have. They did nt perform well. But, neither one really lost their tempers as if they would have a few months ago. They just kept working on solving the problem. They are slowly improving, one way or another, and it doesn't have to show that on paper.

And regarding Junior's driving ability? Let me just leave it at this. Someone just doesn't win 18 races in their career by accident. Dale Earnhardt Jr may have been younger, but people can still win as they age, just ask Mark Martin. So just wait. Because one day, Dale Jr will show up in victory lane, and Jr Nation can take a big sigh of relief.