Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 10 Reasons an Extension with Hendrick Is Huge for His Future
With the recent news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be signing a multi-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in the near future, the question becomes how important is this decision for Junior?
NASCAR's most popular driver is currently in third place in the Sprint Cup standings, only one point behind Jimmie Johnson for second. He sits 41 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Earnhardt has only finished inside the top three once, in 2003. He has never won the championship.
At the Daytona 500, Earnhardt finished 24th after starting at the back of the field due to a crash in practice. Since then, however, he has struggled in qualifying, but has not finished outside the top 20. His worst result was at Richmond, where he finished 19th.
Earnhardt has not won a race this season. He does have two second place finishes, at Martinsville and last week at Kansas. His last win came in 2008 at Michigan.
With his results finally starting to match the lofty expectations set for him every season, here are the top 10 reasons an extension with Hendrick is key to him winning the Sprint Cup Championship.
Jimmie Johnson
1 of 10
Jimmie Johnson knows exactly what it takes to walk away with the most points after the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For Earnhardt, having the five-time defending Sprint Cup Champion on your team is a great asset.
Johnson is the ultimate competitor, so the only person he hopes wins the championship is himself. However, Johnson also understands that a championship for Earnhardt would provide a great boost to the sport. If for some reason he is out of the running heading into the final weekend, he would be more than happy to assist Earnhardt.
Johnson's unmatched success in the Chase for the Sprint Cup provides a blueprint for Earnhardt on what needs to be done in the season's final 10 races. Hopefully during the past three seasons, while he was struggling with inconsistency, Earnhardt learned something from Johnson's Chase dominance.
Jeff Gordon
2 of 10
As if having a five-time defending champion in the same garage with you weren't enough, how about a four-time champion as well? Jeff Gordon hasn't won a championship since 2001, but he knows the feeling of trying to get over the hump to earn your first title.
Its been an up-and-down season for Gordon. Due to his win at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 though, he is currently in line to make the Chase. Like Jimmie Johnson, he has had very good performances in the Chase since its creation in 2004. It is that type of consistency Earnhardt will need to achieve if he plans on winning a championship.
One area Gordon excels is in qualifying and Earnhardt could definitely use a lesson. He has managed to gain a lot of spots despite poor starting positions this season. It won't be that easy when every point matters in the Chase. He will need to be starting closer to the front if he plans on overtaking Jimmie Johnson and the other top competitors.
Mark Martin
3 of 10
So Earnhardt has a five-time champion with great Chase results and a four-time champion with a terrific qualifying record, what else could he use? How about 52-year-old veteran that has literally seen it all during his illustrious career? Sounds like Mark Martin is a perfect fit.
Martin has had an average season and will need a mid-season hot streak or a win to make the Chase. Earnhardt would likely benefit more if Martin was to miss the Chase, as he would be more willing to help Earnhardt make a push for the championship.
Martin knows the pain of a long career without a championship. He might be the best driver to never win a championship and he can provide Earnhardt with some fatherly advice about seizing the moment.
Kasey Kahne will assume Martin's position on the team next season. Although he doesn't have the experience of Martin, he will provide a strong up-and-coming driver to an already rock-solid team.
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Rick Hendrick
4 of 10
Rick Hendrick is a winner. It is really that simple. With cars taking part in NASCAR races for almost three decades, Hendrick's drivers have accumulated 195 wins and 10 championships. You'd be hard pressed to find another owner that can match Hendrick's pedigree.
When Hendrick brought Earnhardt to his team, he knew there would be a transition period. He had to be questioning his move after last season though, as Earnhardt finished 21st in points. Following Earnhardt's strong start to 2011 and upbeat attitude in recent weeks, Hendrick is probably feeling better about his decision.
Earnhardt wants to win and Hendrick knows how to win, so it seems like it is only a matter of time before Earnhardt breaks through. By all accounts the relationship between the two is strong and it will only become stronger if Earnhardt can bring home another championship for Hendrick.
Steve Letarte
5 of 10
After struggling under crew chief Lance McGrew after McGrew replaced Tony Eury Jr., Steve Letarte seems to be the perfect match for Earnhardt. Look no further than the friendly, laid-back conversation between the two at last week's race in Kansas that was broadcast on FOX.
Letarte spent the previous six seasons as the crew chief for Jeff Gordon. When Earnhardt expressed his interest in finding a new crew chief for the 2011 season, Hendrick decided that Latarte was the man for the job. It is tough to tell if the change is the major reason for Earnhardt's improvement this season, but it certainly hasn't hurt.
Having worked with Gordon during the pressure-packed Chase in the past, Latarte will be up to the challenge when push comes to shove in the final weeks. The crew chief is rarely given enough credit for their performance as every decision they make can make or break a race.
Finding His Groove
6 of 10
Earnhardt finished 12th, 25th and 21st in the points standings during his first three seasons with Hendrick Motorsports. This season, however, he finds himself in prime position for make a run for the championship.
Even though Carl Edwards has had a strong start to the season, there hasn't been a dominant driver separating himself from the pack. This is good news for Earnhardt who has avoided any disastrous result and seems to be close to finding the perfect balance in the car. If it weren't for some bad luck in recent weeks, Earnhardt would probably be in second place.
Earnhardt needs to continue to avoid danger and keep raking up the top 10s heading into the Chase. The good news is, even if he doesn't bring home the title this season, he seems to have found a groove that will allow him to be in contention every season for awhile.
Equipment Edge
7 of 10
Earnhardt was expected to immediately become a prime contender for the championship after moving to Hendrick Motorsports from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 2008. The belief was that Hendrick had superior equipment and would allow Earnhardt to finally earn his first championship.
There always seems to be some type of transition period, however. Although Earnhardt's transition period was longer than many hoped, he finally seems to have found to right equipment makeup to make him a contender.
There has been some talk around NASCAR that Hendrick's edge is slowly fading as other teams gain the resources to better compete, but there is still an edge there. Earnhardt would be best to use it to his advantage before the other teams do catch up.
Less Pressure
8 of 10
While driving with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Earnhardt was the sole focus of the team. All of the pressure was on him. At Hendrick Motorsports, he is just another talented driver given the resources to become a champion.
The only pressure that remains is from the fans. Earnhardt can take solace in the fact that is fans are extremely loyal. Even if he struggles to compete, his fans will be with him every step along the way. However, every season that passes by where he doesn't win the championship, questions will continue to arise wondering if he'll ever win one.
Now that the results have become more consistent, Earnhardt has sounded like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Now, if he can just find a way to end that 105-race streak without a win and he'll really be able to be loose.
Chase Success
9 of 10
As mentioned in the slides about Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, both have been good during the Chase races for Hendrick Motorsports. There is no reason the same shouldn't be true for Earnhardt. He is given the right tools to win those races, now he just needs to do it.
The biggest key to surviving the Chase appears to be striking a delicate balance between racing to win and avoiding disaster. The good news for Earnhardt is that he has done that very well this season. There is a very fine line between aggressive driving and playing with fire and Earnhardt seems to be staying on the good side this season.
Avoiding costly DNFs during the 10-race dash for the championship is more important than actually winning races. Earnhardt might not take home the crown this season, but his experiences, both good and bad, in the Chase will undoubtedly help him in the future.
Best Chance at a Championship
10 of 10
The previous slides all lead up to this, the most important slide. When a driver arrives at Daytona to start the season they all have the same goal, to have the most points after the season's final race. Winning the Daytona 500 would be great and making the Chase is nice, but there is only one true champion each season.
Earnhardt has the teammates, the owner, the crew chief and with everything finally syncing up just the way he expected to when he joined Hendrick Motorsports, it seems like a championship is finally within reach. A championship that would boost the popularity of the sport and give all of his fans gratification for sticking with him for his entire career, through the good and the bad.
It might not happen this season. It might not happen next season, either. But if Earnhardt wants to win the Sprint Cup, signing an extension with Hendrick is the best way for him to accomplish that goal.
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