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NASCAR: Like it or not, Kevin Harvick is 100% correct

Asher Fair
Asher Fair

Beyond the Flag

WATKINS GLEN, NY - AUGUST 05: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 05: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 05: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

While NASCAR’s fanbase continues to decline, fans are searching for answers. When Kevin Harvick offered his take on a possible cause, however, fans were quick to jump down his throat despite the fact that he is 100% correct.

Kevin Harvick recently made headlines for his controversial comments about Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR‘s 14-time defending Most Popular Driver Award winner, and how he feels that it has been Earnhardt Jr. who has stunted the growth of the sport.

Kevin Harvick’s comments

"“(Earnhardt) hasn’t been anywhere close to being our most successful driver. When you look at other sports – you look at basketball and you look at football and you look at their most popular (athletes), they’re also right on the top of the list as their most successful (athletes).” “So for me I believe that Dale Jr. has had a big part in stunting the growth of NASCAR because he’s got these legions of fans and this huge outreach of being able to reach these places that none of us have the possibility to reach. But he’s won nine races in 10 years at Hendrick Motorsports and hasn’t been able to reach outside of that. So I know that those aren’t the most popular comments, but those are real life facts that you look up and see on the stat sheet.”"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded to Harvick’s comments.

WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, is introduced prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 6, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, is introduced prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 6, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Here’s how Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded

More from Kevin Harvick

Many people, even those who are not Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, did not take kindly to these comments from Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. later responded to Harvick, saying what many of his fans among other fans of the sports were thinking.

"“I have an incredible amount of respect for him. I found some of those comments hurtful. I still respect him as a champion and ambassador for the sport. That’s just the way it is, I guess. I hate that’s how he feels.” “I put a lot into this sport, and I know that I might not have met everyone’s expectations, but I certainly exceeded my own and I’m super proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish. I hope that I brought something to the table and left a good impact.”"

While many were quick to jump down Harvick’s throat for his comments, nothing, and I mean nothing, he said was incorrect. Here’s why.

WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, prepares to drive during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 6, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, prepares to drive during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 6, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Why Kevin Harvick was 100% correct

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is by far the sport’s most popular driver, yet he has never won a championship in 17 full-time seasons, and he likely won’t win it this season in his 18th attempt, as this season has been arguably the worst of his career. Meanwhile, he will still likely win his 15th consecutive Most Popular Driver Award this season. That’s great that he brings in tons of fans, but the results just aren’t there to actually grow the sport a whole lot.

More from Kevin Harvick

Like Harvick said, Earnhardt Jr. has only won nine races in 10 seasons driving for Hendrick Motorsports, the team that has dominated NASCAR recently, winning 12 of the last 22 championships. It makes no sense why a driver who has not had nearly the amount of success that many other drivers have had gets the publicity that he does, especially since he hasn’t had great success despite the fact that he drives for the team he does.

Harvick is also correct in saying that popularity of athletes in other sports is driven by success. Examples he used are players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry of the NBA or Peyton Manning of the NFL. All of those players have won multiple championships and multiple Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in their respective sports, and their success has positively affected their popularity.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Not so much. Why should he be an exception?

LONG POND, PA – JULY 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 30, 2017 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
LONG POND, PA – JULY 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 30, 2017 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Why should Dale Earnhardt Jr. be an exception?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was popular within the sport thanks to the fact that his father, Dale Earnhardt, was a fan-favorite who won seven championships before he was tragically killed in an accident at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500.

More from Kevin Harvick

Other than the fact that his father was who he was, why else would Earnhardt Jr. be more popular than numerous active former champions of the sport such as Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski or Kyle Busch? And most questionably of all, why is he more popular than Jimmie Johnson, one of only three seven-time champions of the sport?

Naturally, the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, and many other fans of the sport since he is so popular, will be in denial to the facts (yes, facts) that Harvick presented. Yet those same people will complain about how the popularity of the sport is decreasing and threaten to leave the sport once Earnhardt Jr. officially retires.

Here’s why those fans are wrong.

WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 05: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 05: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Why the Kevin Harvick bashers are wrong

These fans will continue to search for whatever solution they can find to making the sport more popular again while ignoring the real issue: the fact that the sport’s most popular driver hasn’t won a race in over two years and is currently in 23rd place in the championship standings, higher than just one other driver (Danica Patrick in 28th; shocking) in terms of drivers driving for top-tier organizations.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s success does anything but warrant the massive amount of popularity he has. The people calling Kevin Harvick jealous for these comments don’t seem to understand that fact that he is a former Cup Series champion and has nothing to be jealous of in regard to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Harvick’s results speak for themselves, and he has earned the fans he has. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Earnhardt Jr. no matter which way you slice it.

Next: Dale Jr. responds to Harvick's comments

Do you think Kevin Harvick was correct in saying what he said about Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

Asher Fair

Asher Fair

Asher has been with FanSided since Feb. 2017, primarily covering motorsport – NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 – for Beyond the Flag. He became an officially accredited media member in Sep. 2019 and was hired as Junior Editor in Oct. 2020. Following a promotion to Associate Editor in Jul. 2021, he continues to manage the site and also occasionally contributes on FanSided's NFL and NCAA sites.