Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
When NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the announcement that he would be moving to Hendrick Motorsport in 2008, it was for one thing and one thing only, to compete for championships on a more consistent basis than ever before.
Seven years and eight wins later, Earnhardt Jr. has yet to capture the championship he so desperately sought when he decided to join Hendrick Motorsports. In fact, his best finish in the point standings remains his third-place finish with DEI back in 2003. His closest finish since then has been two fifth-place finishes in 2006 and 2013
Consistency isn’t Jr.’s only problem when it comes to NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, he has had a lot of trouble getting into victory lane during the chase as well. Sadly, throughout his 15-year career in the Sprint Cup Series, Jr. has only managed three wins in the final ten races of the season, one of which was when he won at Martinsville a week after getting eliminated from the Chase in 2014.
To put that stat in perspective, let’s look at a few drivers who came into the Sprint Cup Series after Jr., but still were able to surpass him in Chase stats. For example, Jimmie Johnson didn’t enter the Cup Series until 2002 and has won six championships, 25 Chase-races and has made 12 Chase appearances in 13 years.
Two other examples of drivers that have already surpassed Jr. when it comes to the Chase are Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Keselowski actually won the championship in his third full year of competition and currently sits with five wins in his career during the Chase. As for Logano, he made his first final four appearance just last year is tied with Jr. with three wins in the Chase during his career.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The only drivers to have a worse record than that of Dale Jr. in regards to chase wins (of drivers with at least one) are Dale Jarrett, Joe Nemecheck, Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman. While not exactly the worst kind of company to be in, this should show fans just how inept Jr. is when it comes to the postseason.
Let’s just come right out and say it, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not a championship caliber race car driver. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he doesn’t deserve to compete in NASCAR’s highest level of competition, but that he is unable to compete consistently in the series, something he has proven time and time again during his Sprint Cup career.
No matter how many times the media wants to compare him to his father, or relish his latest win at a restrictor-plate track, or even ooh and ahh over JR’s latest protégé, he will never be the championship-caliber performer that JR Nation is expecting of him. That’s not a bad thing, that’s just an honest fact that we all need to accept.
In all honesty, Jr. has carried and even surpassed his father’s legacy very well. He rode the No. 3 car to victory lane at Daytona twice, won the Daytona 500 twice and has even helped churn out some of the potential future legends of the Sprint Cup Series. He has also become the most marketable driver in the entire sport and one of the better known athletes in the world.
With all that in mind, JR Nation needs to take a deep breath, go to their mirror and just admit to themselves that while Earnhardt Jr. is a talented racecar driver, he isn’t a consistent one and most likely never capture a Sprint Cup in his career. He’s just not that kind of driver and his stats over his career have proven that.