Jr Nation Actually Succeeds Because He Doesn't Win

Ask any racing fan who the most famous driver in Nascar is today and they will undoubtedly pause for a moment. Not because the question is difficult, but because the answer is so simple they are afraid you have asked them a trick question.

The answer is Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. And second place isn’t even close.

Known by race fans as “Little E” or more simply “Jr.”, the #88 driver of the National Guard Chevy has a fan base across the nation whose numbers rival the population of a small country.

They dominate the stands like a home game at each track while the other 42 drivers appear to be squinting searching for their mom or girlfriend in the upper deck. A move by Earnhardt Jr. to take the lead in any given race will cause an eruption from the fans that could register on a seismograph.

He’s been tabbed the James Dean of our generation, and his merchandise sales by far outweigh any other driver’s on the circuit.

He has done endorsements for big time products like Sony, Addidas, Budweiser, Wranglers, Tylenol and Domino’s Pizza. He has so many sponsors Peyton Manning is calling for advice.

This is the kind of success you can expect from a championship driver. Except that Earnhardt Jr. isn’t a championship driver. Entering his 10^th season as a full time driver he has finished as high as 3^rd in points only once.

Never before has apathy been rewarded so heavily.

Don’t get me wrong, Earnhardt Jr. is a very like-able person. He is a good ole boy, a guy’s guy, an everyman’s man. His father was a driver whose driving style captured a sport by the throat and turned it into a pastime.

There is no doubt his last name was a catalyst for a fan base that continues to grow despite the lack of on-field success. But while his popularity continues to grow, his win total doesn’t.

He has won only 18 races. A decent amount for sure, but not one that you would associate with the most popular driver in Nascar over the past decade.

Whereas winning sells tickets, and puts butts in seats in most sports, this may not actually be the case with Earnhardt Jr.

Maybe not winning has actually made Jr. even more likable.

It’s possible that his aura, and the aura of his Jr Nation following, is the result of  a” Chicago Cubs effect.” The Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 but they are arguably one of the most popular teams in baseball. There is little cockiness when you don’t win.

He is loved because he has been so humbled by a sport that eats up confidence like a mess of ribs.

If he had won a title in 2003, statistically his best season, would he still be a good ole boy?

If he turned his six wins in 2004 to a theoretical second straight championship would the crowd be turning on him and looking for a new hero?

Our world we live in, with the help of the media, has a way of building things up only to tear them down.

The Atlanta Braves in the late 80s were America’s team. They were baseball’s darlings losing a hundred games a year like it was their job to. They were the worst in baseball, but they were loved.

Then the decade of the 80s turned into the 90s and the Braves won a record 14 straight division titles.

What was their reward for a decade and a half of dominance? They began to not even be able to sell home playoff tickets in the later years.

They were no longer baseball’s darlings. They became a nuisance instead.

Earnhardt Jr. will never be his father. But that’s ok.

Maybe that’s why we like him so much. Fans of his and his father will never have to choose between the two. They can like Sr. because of his success, and like Jr. in spite of his success.

Maybe always trying to push the underdog up to the top of the mountain is more appealing than watching someone stay at the top of the mountain. Maybe that’s why we have an empty feeling when we finish a book, or beat a video game. Sometimes it’s the journey and not the destination.

Detractors will argue that Earnhardt Jr. is simply not a good driver. Even after signing with Hendrick Motorsports, forming a racing “dream team” with former Nascar Champion Jeff Gordon, and current Nascar Champion Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. appears no closer to a championship of his own. He is currently 18^th in points while his teammates are 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

His critics will say that the blame for his lack of performance always gets shifted to something other than him. Even this year his crew chief was replaced mid year in n effort to revive Jr’s season.

But since 2000 only five drivers have won more races than he has.

He can drive, and he can win. He just hasn’t done the latter a whole bunch.

None the less an entire nation will be out in force on Sundays cheering him. They will scream their lungs out when he takes the lead on lap 155. They will wait with anticipation as he tries to get out of the pits and pick up track position, and they will boo like crazy when another driver trades paint with him.

After the race they will defend his 12^th place finish with theories, some absurd, some reasonable. They will wonder why Jr. passed his pit box again, while diverting blame between his spotter and equipment. But more importantly they will be back next week, rooting, cheering, and spending money.

For his fans, win or lose, it’s just fun coming to watch him, just like it must be fun going to watch the Chicago Cubs play baseball.