No, NASCAR is not Fixed for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
By Asher Fair
Rule changes among other things have caused a drastic decline in the viewership and overall audience of NASCAR. Perhaps fans’ attitudes have contributed. Here’s a recent example.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the pole for what is supposed to be his final NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, the Coke Zero 400. He qualified on the inside of an all-Hendrick Motorsports front row, which also includes Chase Elliott. He will definitely have a great chance to win for the first time during his “farewell tour” given the speed of his entire team, which also has Kasey Kahne starting in 4th and Jimmie Johnson in 12th.
As with all of the most popular athletes in sports, such as the NFL’s Tom Brady, the MLB’s Bryce Harper, the NBA’s Kevin Durant and the NHL’s Sidney Crosby, with popularity comes a level of disdain and sometimes hatred. Sadly, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 14-time defending winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award, is no exception.
When Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the pole at Daytona for his first pole of the season and 14th of his career, people were quick to accuse NASCAR of fixing qualifying in his favor. Yep, fixing qualifying. I’m sure that NASCAR shot up the power in his #88 Chevrolet and reduced everyone else’s…right.
Seeing as how there’s a fuss about qualifying, yes, qualifying, which means so much in a 400-mile superspeedway plate race, can you imagine if he actually wins the race? The conspiracy theorists would be quick to accuse NASCAR of fixing it for him seeing as how the Coke Zero 400 is the race that most people feel he has the best chance to win over the course of the rest of the season.
Well, maybe, just maybe, the reason that the Coke Zero 400 is the race that everyone thinks he has the best chance to win is because they know his history at the track! After all, he does have four wins and 12 podium finishes at Daytona!
More from Dale Earnhardt Jr
- NASCAR: Keith Olbermann picks really stupid fight with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- NASCAR: Dale and Amy Earnhardt welcome daughter Isla Rose
- NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. may get a winning send-off after all
- NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. to return with JR Motorsports
- NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. interested in purchasing Carolina Panthers
Still not convinced these accusations are a joke? Since Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement at the end of April, eight points-paying Cup Series races have taken place. In those eight races, he finished in the top 5 a total of zero times. Yep, zero. His top finish is 6th place at Sonoma, which is one of his three top 10 finishes over the course of those past eight races. How’s that for fixed?
And why does he have no championships then if NASCAR is rigged for him? After all, he didn’t just become the most popular driver in the sport! He’s been racing full-time in the Cup Series for 18 seasons now and has no championships to show for it. Why would NASCAR start fixing the sport for him now?
If you’re one of the people who thinks the fix is in, you better hope it is. Why? Because the fix I’m talking about now is fixing the attitude of people who can’t stand to see someone as popular as Dale Earnhardt Jr. having success, and thus they go accusing NASCAR of fixing the results…of qualifying...for him. It’s disgraceful, and you can be that it’s a part of the reason that NASCAR is losing to many fans.
Next: Could Dale Jr. Return Part-Time in 2018?
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