Racing News Digest

I keep being amazed at all the articles talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr. having a disappointing season. I really can not believe it.

Did everyone in NASCAR and the NASCAR communities really think Jr. would head over to the all mighty Hendrick team and grab a championship in his first year? I would hope people did not think that but obviously they did.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. did end up in the Chase this year didn’t he? He finished 12th in points but that is really beside the point. 12th and in the Chase is a lot better than his 2007 performance where he finished 16th in the points with no wins.

In 2006 he did finish 5th but in 2005 he was back down in the dirt sitting at 19th.

He had a win at Michigan International Speedway this year which Jimmie Spencer basically said didn’t count because he won it on fuel mileage. What ever that means. He was eluding to the idea that Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not race his way to the finish but instead it was handed to him on fuel mileage. I’m sorry, but how many of these races are won on fuel mileage. I can’t say a lot of them but a fair share of them are.

I think people were just expecting (or hoping) for a season like his 2004 season where he had 6 wins, 16 top 5’s and 21 top 10’s. Even with 4 DNF’s that year he still finished the season with an average finish of 12.11.

I did not expect miracles out of a first season with a new team. And I find it really hard to comprehend how other people could expect this.

Now, I am a Dale Earnhardt Jr. (my #2 or #3 driver) fan but by no means do I think he is the best thing to ever get behind the wheel of a race car. I do think he will get a championship eventually but it is really hard to tell when that may be.

Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are in a similar boat next year. Similar in the fact that they are going to be racing for Tony Stewart’s new team Stewart-HAAS Racing. Tony has seen a lot of success when he was with Jibbs. Ryan Newman on the other hand has not seen so much success at Penkse.

Yes Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 this year and he is well on his way to breaking pole position records. He has had some great finishes in the points standings at the end of a couple of years as well.

But I know Ryan Newman fans are expecting a blow out season next year with Stewart-HAAS Racing. A lot of that comes from the major disappoints over the last couple of years with Penske.

But I would hope that Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart fans would not expect miracles next year. Tony is going to be getting a taste first hand for the first time what it is like and what it takes to own a Sprint Cup team. That organization is going to have some growing pains.

Be patient with your drivers and their new teams. They will shine eventually.