Dale Jr Thread --Optimist or Pesimist for this yr

MasteAgain, welcome back to the racing boards and round 2 LOL. 

I didn't see anyone say you made excuses for Junior.  Here is my concern or if you will my reasons as to why Junior won't win again this year and probably won't make the chase.

1.  Junior resigned his contract for another 5 years,  Rick will get his money and knows the nations loyality, so that is no longer a concern.

2.  Kasey Kahne will be focused to make the chase and win races.  Rick isn't worried about JJ and Jeff making the chase, but if he has to choose between Kahne and Junior as to where his resources go, he will pick Kasey.

3.  Has to keep Tony happy and give Danica some very stout cars.  You can bet Rick has a hand in Danica's cup run.  He will not only get the money from her sourviner sales in the Nationwide but will also get a good share of her Cup sales too. 

4.  I think Letart loses Knaus's help.  Chad spent a lot of time last season working with Steve and Junior to get that program together and I think Chad and JJ are saying the heck with that we need to concentrate on ourselves. 

5.  Kurt Busch and Jim Finch - Finch has financed Rick for a long time now and owners in the Garage are accusing Rick of actually owning the team, which of course Rick and NASCAR has denied.  However, Rick now has another championship driver in his fold, a driver who won 2 races last season and could have won a couple of more, so there will be solid equipment going there.

So while communication may be better, I just don't see Junior making a run at the chase this season.  I expect MWR to have 1 if not 2 cars in the chase this season and I think Junior is one of the drivers on the outside looking in.

If he gets a legitmate win this season I will start the congradulation thread with no problem,  But if was to win a race like NASCAR tried to give him at Charlotte, you can bet I'll be screaming. 

Knowing your conspiracy theory Jr thoughts, I can take them for what they are.

1) Has nothing to do with it.

2) Has nothing to do with it.

3) Has nothing to do with it.

4) Valid point.  If Letart needs Knaus's help, and he loses it, that could be a problem.  However, the 88 and 48 still share a garage as will the 24 and the 5.  Unless I see the 88 and 48 change garage's, I will still think they will be helping.

5) Has nothing to do with it.

I don't think Hendrick is going to give any less help to Jr than they have in the past.  Besides, Jr winning this year is going to be more about him imporving as a driver than the equipment.  I think we all know the equipment isn't the issue.

As for MWR getting anyone in the chase, they have a long way to go.  They have to qualify for every race first.

They been qualifying for every race the past 3 years Master.  Watch  Clint will finish ahead of Junior and have more wins.  Of course he only needs one win for that. 

Watch Clint fall to mediocrity with mediocre MWR.  Ask Truex about that.  Future Star of the sport, never to make the chase.

By the way, as of right now, MWR doesn't have sponsorship for every race next year.  That's what I meant by that.

Besides, I'll put Earnhardt's 18 wins against Bowyer's 4 any day.

Bowyers, 4 wins verse Earnhards 1 win since they have been running head to head, you lose. 

As for MWR and their cars, Cars will be better, TRD has committed they were at fault for the Horse power in the car and a lot of MWR failures.

As for Sponsorship, that issue was taken car of.  MWR has enough sponsorship to run all 3 cars all year long. 

As for MWR and their cars, Cars will be better, TRD has committed they were at fault for the Horse power in the car and a lot of MWR failures.

Was TRD at fault for Michael Waltrip himself wrecking the cars when he was trying to draft with a team mate?  Typical Waltrip fan.  Blaming the equipment instead of the driver.

As for Sponsorship, that issue was taken car of.  MWR has enough sponsorship to run all 3 cars all year long. 

Are you sure?  I'm pretty sure where I read 5 hour energy isn't a full year sponsor.  I could be mistaken...

Not talking about Mikey I was talking about MWR as a whole.  MWR did better along with Truex the last few weeks of the season when TRD and JGR started sharing engine technology.

As for what happened with the two car tango.  All I can tell is is listen to the driver that Mikey was pushing when the wrecks happened.  Both times, the lead driver stated they had to make a quick dive which helped in the wreck. 

No excuses.  Put the in a pack and see how well Mikey does.  Again two time Daytona 500 champion, Junior once.

As for Bowyer,  Mikey still has Best Western, Klausner furniture and AAA to put on the 15 if need be.  He has the cost covered for this season.  And I'm sure Clint will be able to attract more sponsorship before the season gets too old. 

 All I can tell is is listen to the driver that Mikey was pushing when the wrecks happened.  Both times, the lead driver stated they had to make a quick dive which helped in the wreck. 

It's awful strange that it happened every single time with Michael Waltrip.

 Put the in a pack and see how well Mikey does. 

I hope they do.  This tandem racing sucks.

 Again two time Daytona 500 champion, Junior once.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. only won the 500 once.  Doesn't lessen his career one bit.  I'll take Jr over Michael every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

This is pretty fun to talk trash with someone without any name calling or personal attacks.  Just good clean fun that doesn't get out of hand.

Respect.

Of courese it's respect.  We both love Tebow and the Broncos.  LOL. 

And I understand the oxygen in the colorado area is very thin too.  LOL

You have to admit Mikey, that Letart has you worried that Jr might actally start winning again.  Then you'll be up a creek without a paddle.

Not really Master,  If Junior wins, he wins.  But if he does win I want it to be legit, not like Michigan where NASCAR turned their backs on the rules to allow the win.  Nor like what they tried to last season at Charlotte. 

Without trying to start something....I don't see how what happened in Michigan is much different than someone staying out of the pits to win a rain shortened race with a 25th place car, and those wins are seen as being "legit" lol

Metro - here is what happened.  I have no problem with a fuel mileage win, they are legit in every way.  But there is a rule in NASCAR that according to the announcers is stressed at every drivers meeting and that is you cannot pass the pace car under yellow.  If you pass the pace car you have to go to the tail end of the longest line. 

Now this was stated every time Dale Junior passed the pace car under yellow.  He passed it not once, twice but three times.  He would speed in front of the pace car then cut his engine and coast to until the pace car passed him back and he was about to be overtaken by the car behind him.  Then he would crank the engine and do it again.  He did that for almost an entire lap.  Finally after he did it the last time going into turn 3 when NASCAR knew he could make it back to the SF line, NASCAR warned him that if he did it again they would penalize him.

If it had been any other driver that had done that, NASCAR would have immediately enforced the rule and sent that car packing to the tail end of the longest line, stating they stressed that very point in the drivers meeting. 

That is why I don't consider the win as legit.  NASCAR turned their heads so he could win, allowed him to break the rules for the victory.

If he had just stayed behind the pace car and won on fuel mileage no problem.  The caution was legit, it was what happened after the caution came out that wasn't. 

Perhaps, but you hear about NASCAR officials only warning drivers about this or that all the time.  To me, it was a legit win.  Personally, I consider it more legit than just not pitting from 35th place and scoring a "win" because of rain.

Metro, breaking the rules and the announcers saying so and NASCAR not warning until the 3rd time and you call that Legit?  Yea,  go ahead and drink more of the kool-aide.

And by the way Dale senior won a few rain shortened races by staying out too.