Dale Jr. Early Favorite To Win Sprint Cup
Nascar
Greg Sjovall
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Sports
This past weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series had its unofficial start when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Budweiser Shootout. While the race is nothing more than a glorified exhibition, it showed the world that Earnhardt is ready to compete for a championship, effective immediately.
By winning his first Sprint Cup event under Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt has set the tone for what could be his most successful season to date. Over the last few seasons, Earnhardt has been mired in mediocrity while racing for his late father's company, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. It's never been that he hasn't had the talent in him - it's more so that he hasn't had the talent around him.
That changes starting Sunday at the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt is not only my pick to win the Great American Race this weekend, he also is my pick to break through and win the Chase for the Cup to finally become a NASCAR champion.
In the end, I still feel that Earnhardt will triumph, but it won't be easy - especially seeing how his main competition will come from within his own team. With former champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson joining Earnhardt at Hendrick Motorsports there is not a better combination of talent and resources in the sport. Gordon and Johnson have shown great team chemistry in the past, so it should be interesting to see how Earnhardt fits into their team.
Gordon and Johnson are probably cautiously optimistic to have Earnhardt on their team, having to share information and race with him during the first 26 races. However, come Chase time, all bets are off as to how they will react. The safe bet is that once it's time to race for a championship, Earnhardt may not be allowed into Gordon's and Johnson's inner circle. He not only is their new teammate, but because of that, he has become their new top competitor.
The top three drivers of Hendrick Motorsports will most likely be fighting it out in the end, but don't discount other drivers like Tony Stewart or Matt Kenseth. This season, Stewart and the rest of Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet to Toyota power. Stewart may face some period of adjustment to driving the new car, but if any driver will be able to compensate for this and still win races, it's him.
At the end of last season, Matt Kenseth parted ways with longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser and is going into his first full season with new crew chief Chip Bolin. Reiser and Kenseth shared great chemistry in the past and parlayed that into a championship in 2003. How well he will work with his new crew chief will be important to his success this year.
The Daytona 500 is less than a week away and much like Opening Day for MLB, everyone is tied for first and has a shot at winning it all. While most dreams come crashing down to reality after the first pitch or first lap, the aforementioned drivers have what it takes to win it all. This season, however, Earnhardt just has a little bit more going for him than the rest and will win the Cup in 2008.
Greg Sjovall's NASCAR column runs every Tuesday. He can be contacted at
Gregory.Sjovall@UConn.edu.
By winning his first Sprint Cup event under Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt has set the tone for what could be his most successful season to date. Over the last few seasons, Earnhardt has been mired in mediocrity while racing for his late father's company, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. It's never been that he hasn't had the talent in him - it's more so that he hasn't had the talent around him.
That changes starting Sunday at the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt is not only my pick to win the Great American Race this weekend, he also is my pick to break through and win the Chase for the Cup to finally become a NASCAR champion.
In the end, I still feel that Earnhardt will triumph, but it won't be easy - especially seeing how his main competition will come from within his own team. With former champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson joining Earnhardt at Hendrick Motorsports there is not a better combination of talent and resources in the sport. Gordon and Johnson have shown great team chemistry in the past, so it should be interesting to see how Earnhardt fits into their team.
Gordon and Johnson are probably cautiously optimistic to have Earnhardt on their team, having to share information and race with him during the first 26 races. However, come Chase time, all bets are off as to how they will react. The safe bet is that once it's time to race for a championship, Earnhardt may not be allowed into Gordon's and Johnson's inner circle. He not only is their new teammate, but because of that, he has become their new top competitor.
The top three drivers of Hendrick Motorsports will most likely be fighting it out in the end, but don't discount other drivers like Tony Stewart or Matt Kenseth. This season, Stewart and the rest of Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet to Toyota power. Stewart may face some period of adjustment to driving the new car, but if any driver will be able to compensate for this and still win races, it's him.
At the end of last season, Matt Kenseth parted ways with longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser and is going into his first full season with new crew chief Chip Bolin. Reiser and Kenseth shared great chemistry in the past and parlayed that into a championship in 2003. How well he will work with his new crew chief will be important to his success this year.
The Daytona 500 is less than a week away and much like Opening Day for MLB, everyone is tied for first and has a shot at winning it all. While most dreams come crashing down to reality after the first pitch or first lap, the aforementioned drivers have what it takes to win it all. This season, however, Earnhardt just has a little bit more going for him than the rest and will win the Cup in 2008.
Greg Sjovall's NASCAR column runs every Tuesday. He can be contacted at
Gregory.Sjovall@UConn.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Tanya T.
posted 2/12/08 @ 3:03 PM EST
Earnhardt is the favorite? You're the first to mention it...every reporter on ESPN, SPEED, FOX, etc...has put that title on Jimmie Johnson...and if the prospect of being the only driver besides Cale Yarborough to win 3 Championships in a row isn't a "bit more" then I don't know what is. (Continued…)
Pam J.
posted 2/14/08 @ 6:57 PM EST
You need to learn something about NASCAR before you write this stuff.
And a good friend had these comments which you blocked. Let's see if you'll post them like a man. (Continued…)
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