NASCAR's Junior Takes Some Major Media Heat

Am I the only person that has become increasingly annoyed with the attention on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.?

I have the feeling we are only a couple weeks away from the following head line: "Junior Spotting Leaving Bathroom with Toilet Paper on Shoe, Lack of Skill Includes Bathroom Hygiene."

Hilarious? Yes. Possible? Sadly enough, yes.

I appreciate Junior as much as the next fan. As a personality, he is one of my favorite drivers. I happen to relate to both of his sponsors.

But why must there be constant attention on him? Why must every little detail be exemplified to enormous proportions? Can we not just respect him for who he is?

I understand the fan base he inherited upon the death of his father. I also understand that he is one of the faces NASCAR. It is a large responsibility which spurns a lot of scrutiny.

But you will not see article after article on Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, or Carl Edwards. A look at the front page of this NASCAR section displays no less than four articles dedicated solely to him. Four articles for one driver.

Anyone have enough of this yet?

I have immense respect for how he has handled himself over these past few years. I do believe he is a much better driver than he is given credit for.

In the same breath, one has to wonder if all of this attention is having a negative affect on him.

The Daytona 500 incident is a prime example of this possible affect.

It is clear he has become more concerned with pleasing those who focus on him than actually racing. Hell if I were him I would become paranoid about doing poorly just so I would not have to deal with the negative media.

And how is that fair?

We are all guilty of this, the fans and the media. For too long we have surpressed what could have been a great driver. The sad thing is at this point the damage may be done.

Perhaps it is time to start letting his facet of the sport slide down the totum pole a bit. Let Junior be what he is, a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver.

Stop bombarding him with questions over why he was not on top of the speedcharts in practice or why he ordered fat-free mayo instead of regular mayo.

Just let him drive the damned car. Is that too hard to ask?