NASCAR: Dale Jr. Is The Best Championship Bet For HMS

If NASCAR’s 2016 champion is going to come from HMS it is going to be the leader of Junior Nation that ends up holding the trophy in Miami.

After the strong showing Dale Earnhardt Jr. put up in 2015, coupled with the retirement of teammate Jeff Gordon and the recent decline in teammate Jimmie Johnson, it’s a safe bet to say that Earnhardt is Hendrick’s best bet for a Sprint Cup championship in 2016. Earnhardt, who ended the season with three wins and narrowly missed making the third round of the Chase, has put up consistent numbers since the beginning of 2014 and has been a threat on a weekly basis.

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Earnhardt hasn’t been known as a title threat during his career despite being NASCAR’s biggest and most popular name. However, not since his days of driving for his father’s team at Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated has he posted such statistics as winning seven races in two years. Surprisingly enough, although he’s one of the sport’s best superspeedway racers, only three of those wins have been on tracks like Talladega and Daytona. What this means is that Earnhardt has finally reached a point where he could seal a win on some of the circuit’s more difficult tracks.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Earnhardt usually starts off the season strong, only to fade once the Chase starts. That is evident by his lackluster performances at Chicago and Loudon in the first round of the Chase, where he finished 12th and 25th, respectively. However, considering that he was a caution away at the October Talladega event from making it into the third round of the Chase, which he would have advanced from with his win at Phoenix, it goes to show that things are finally starting to click for both Earnhardt and Crew Chief Greg Ives.

But what about his Hendrick Motorsports teammates?

For one, Chase Elliott is going to be a Sprint Cup rookie in the No. 24, while Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 has not been on the same level as Earnhardt or the No. 48 of Johnson. As a matter of fact, 2015 was the first season the Kahne went winless while driving for Hendrick as well as his first season in the No. 5 that he missed the Chase.

That leaves Johnson. With Gordon’s retirement, Johnson is now the all-time active wins leader with 75. However, despite winning five times in 2015, Johnson wasn’t as consistent as would be expected for a six-time championship team. He won four races early in the year, but went on a decline during the summer and ultimately failed to advance past the first round of the Chase. As a matter of fact, while Johnson had more wins than Earnhardt and matched him for top-10s with 22, Johnson had him beat with six finishes below 35th while Earnhardt only had three.

Aside from that, they’re on a pretty even keel in terms of results. On one hand, that could mean that the era of the No. 48 could be slowing down. But also, it could mean that after all these years, the No. 88 may have finally caught up with the caliber of the No. 48. That’s saying a lot considering that this is the best we’ve ever seen Earnhardt. He’s consistent in ways we’ve never seen him, not since his days in the No. 8. He’s more mature but at the same time now that he’s running well he’s actually more aggressive in terms of hunting down wins.

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This is the Earnhardt that NASCAR needs: a happy Earnhardt. He’s having fun, he’s on par with teammate and shopmate Johnson, and barring any sudden resurgence from Johnson in 2016, Earnhardt has a shot at sealing the deal next season.

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