Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: Five most overhyped Cup Series drivers

By Asher Fair

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, race during the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 26, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, and Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, race during the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 26, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

#2 – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, No. 88 Chevrolet

Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in the history of the sport before he was killed in an accident at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500. He won 76 races and seven championships over the course of his career. Just two other drivers have won as many championships as he did.

So when Dale Earnhardt’s son Dale Earnhardt Jr. started driving in the Cup Series, there was plenty of hype surrounding him. However, while he is proud of what he has been able to accomplish over his 18-year full-time Cup Series career, he has not lived up to that hype despite the fact that his career has been solid.

In his 18 full-time seasons, Earnhardt Jr. has won 26 races. While 26 race victories is not a terrible stat by any means, it is a total that is nowhere near the total that his father produced over his career. His top finish in the championship is 3rd place, while his father won a total of seven titles, as referenced above.

In nine seasons prior to 2017 driving for Hendrick Motorsports, the team that has won 12 of the past 22 championships in the Cup Series, Earnhardt Jr. was only able to rack up nine wins. In five of those nine seasons, he didn’t win a single race. Currently in his 10th season driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt Jr. has not won a race yet in 2017; in fact, he hasn’t won a race in over two years, and he sits in 22nd place in the standings.

None of those numbers warrant being NASCAR’s most popular driver for 14 straight seasons, yet Earnhardt Jr. is the 14-time defending winner of the Most Popular Driver Award, and he is well on his way to winning the award for the 15th straight season.

Earnhardt Jr.’s win total is nowhere near what his father’s was and he has never won a championship while his father won seven. All of those statistics factored in make Earnhardt Jr. one of the most overhyped drivers in the sport.

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