One of the greatest rivalries in NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. The wonder boy vs. the intimidator. Two of NASCAR's biggest stars had a brewing rivalry in the 1990s.
A young gun named Jeff Gordon from Pittsboro, Ind., and Dale Earnhardt, the ruff and tumble guy from Kannapolis, N.C. Two champions but two different men.
The two competed against each other in the Winston Cup (now the Sprint Cup) from Jeff Gordon's first start at Atlanta in 1992, till Earnhardt's last race, the Daytona 500, in 2001. Through that time there were many great battles and also battles among their fan bases.
Dale always respected Jeff and Jeff always respected Dale. Well now "Big E" is gone and there is still a void in the NASCAR world. Who did you expect to fill that role? Of course, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Well it's 2008 and a very different Dale Earnhardt Jr. New colors, new number, new sponsors, and a new team. He's clean cut, shaven, and more business like.
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On May 10, 2007 Earnhardt announced that he would leave the team his late father had started for him. 2007 was a struggle for Dale. Blown motors, crashes, no wins, no consistency, and most of all, no chase.
In July 2007, Earnhardt announced he would make his move to Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick happens to be the home of his dad's formal rival Jeff Gordon. Home of the guy that Earnhardt fans hate the most.
From the boos to the beer fests to the hatred, and now teammates? What would Dale Sr. think about this? What would he think of Dale's move to Hendrick?
Junior is very satisfied with the move and now feels confident with his new team that he can rack up some Sprint Cups.
Now that they are teammates I feel that there isn't as much of a rivalry anymore. Hendrick Motorsports is all about teamwork. Drivers and crews sharing information and working together really like no other team.
Dale and Jeff seem to get along good and work great together so far. NASCAR needs the rivalry. Who cares if they are on the same team? Kyle Busch vs. Junior is great but, they kind of squashed that after Richmond.
NASCAR needs Junior vs. Gordon. The fans need it. I've been to Talladega many times over the years and I've seen the beer throwing and Junior nation in full force like no other. All in all, it's pretty cool.
Kind of similar between Dale Sr. and Gordon. I went to Talladega in April and it was really different. Not as many boos, more cheers, almost like the Junior fans kind of like Jeff Gordon now.
I want to know what you think. Is the rivalry over? Is it less exciting now that they are teammates? Or do you think it's great?
It's time to get it back going. Both are solidly in the chase as of now. Who knows, maybe it will be a battle between Gordon and Junior. Now wouldn't that be great.
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2 months ago
Beer throwing is kind of cool. Right. About the time an ill aimed can hits a young child or maybe someone like my husband or me who just love all kinds of racing and are there to enjoy the spectacle. People are idiots. Not to get too maudlin, but our troops are in Afghanistan and Iraq while we are able to come and go as we please and do what we enjoy, and we have to throw beer cans because one driver beats another in a sport where out of 43, there is only one winner. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be a fan. Oh, by the way, we are Junior and Jeff Gordon fans and have been from the beginning of both drivers careers. Diane & Dick
2 months ago
I didn't say the beer throwing was cool. I don't think its cool. I'm a big Jeff Gordon fan and i like Dale Jr. I've been at the Dega races when the beer cans are coming down like rain. I know its dangerous and i especially don't like them being thrown at my driver. So what i meant is that its cool how the fan bases are different. Really if anyone wanted it all to stop , all Dale Jr. has to do is tell his fans to stop. I'm never embarrassed to be a fan. I would be embarrassed to be the ones doing it. 43 drivers put on a great show and then one wins and the track gets littered, cars hit, people hit. Trust me, ive seen it many times. I dont think its cool at all, bad 4 the sport
from 2 months ago
Also not only does it make NASCAR look bad, it makes Talladega especially look bad along with the state of Alabama. It makes us all look like dumbass rednecks.
2 months ago
Brian,
Thanks for clariflying. If you look at this paragraph below, that is why I made the comment about it not being cool. Not that I'm an expert at sentence structure/grammar...LOL...but maybe it was the order of your comments. Diane
"NASCAR needs Junior vs. Gordon. The fans need it. I've been to Talladega many times over the years and I've seen the beer throwing and Junior nation in full force like no other. All in all, it's pretty cool."
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