NASCAR: The Five Most Overrated Drivers In The Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Is it really any surprise that Dale Earnhardt Jr would top this list? Yes, Jr. has accomplished some amazing feats during the second half of his Sprint Cup career, mainly his second Daytona 500 win and his weekend sweep at Pocono, but all that seems to continuously be overshadowed by the years spent with a huge winless streak and the multitude of times he failed to make the Chase.

What made his situation even worse was when he went to Hendrick Motorsports and continued to struggle to win races or even stay competitive. Hendrick did make a crew chief change at that time, thinking that was the problem, but Jr. still continued to have lackluster performances. In fact, Jr. went winless for three straight seasons after winning his first race with Hendrick Motorsports at Michigan.

Maybe it’s fair, maybe it’s not, but the biggest problem with Jr. is when you compare him to his father’s legacy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. While J.r is very close to surpassing his father’s records for most wins at Talladega and Daytona, he hasn’t had the kind of successes that eventually propelled his father to consistent finishes, a multitude of wins and seven Sprint Cup championships.

Unfortunately for Jr., he has been in his father’s shadow for the entirety of his career and that, fair or unfair, has caused fans to have high standards that he just doesn’t seem to be able to live up to and probably never will. Is he a marketing machine? Yes! Is he one of the most popular drivers in Cup history? Oh yeah! Is he as good as his father? Not even close and that’s what makes him overrated.

That and the pedestal that Junior Nation puts him on .