Maturing and New Experiences
Dale Earnhardt Incorporated seemed to start over from scratch in 2006. Dale Jr. looked for a new run with new crew chief (though old partner) Tony Eury Jr. Fresh off of back-to-back Busch Series championships, Martin Truex Jr. strove for Rookie of the Year in arguably one of the most competitive rookie battles NASCAR's highest league has ever seen. Both drivers faced their dark clouds, but at the end of the year DEI did not look back in horror as in 2005.
Dale Jr. went through one of his most important growing periods since the loss of his father in 2001. He learned that not everything is the crew's fault and sometimes to succeed, one must adjust his driving style and adapt to changing conditions. His win at Richmond in the spring and his achievement in the Chase were not the year's highlights for me. I was the proudest when he ran well at the intermediate tracks which were an embarrassment for the #8 team in 2005. I was proudest when I saw him run the high groove (coincidentally similar to Michael Waltrip's driving style). I was proudest when at the end of the day, even if it was a bad day, the crew still were on speaking terms.
However, like any season, Junior did not face complete bliss. His new Busch team struggled, and with ten races to go he replaced Mark McFarland with Truex (1 race), Robby Gordon (2 races) and his Hooter's Pro Cup driver, Shane Huffman (7 races). The JR Motorsports team was very inconsistent in its finishes. This year, with Huffman at the helm, hopes for better results.
A fight for his name rights also disrupted Junior's year and caused an eye-opening stir for the fans. When Junior first entered NASCAR, his father took care of his trademark rights (which was probably a good thing). However, when he died, the rights were handed over to his estate and then to Teresa. As Junior grew and matured, I suppose the realization that the rights to his name were not even his was bothersome. Teresa and Dale Jr. have never been known to perfectly get along both personally and in the business world, so this struggle was a debate that got rather heated among the fans. Eventually (and thankfully), after some negotiating, Teresa Earnhardt allowed Dale Jr. to own his name. The concept of someone not even owning the rights to his own name is ridiculous and infuriating to me.
To continue the Teresa vs. Junior saga, Junior's contract is up after this year. Fans have been speculating him going to Richard Childress Racing for years and apparently Teresa feels threatened by this. What a better way to soften this possibly stressful process than to question your resigning driver's career focus. I have no idea what in the world she was thinking when she said this. If Junior ever left DEI, that team is not strong enough to hold up long without him. That's pretty sad, but when you think about it, Teresa has made it that way. DEI is structurally weak and lacking their self-made #1 driver it would definitely crumble. Sponsors would leave, Truex would probably leave, fans would leave. What a mess. Dale Jr. does not want to forsake the organization - his father built it, after all - but with this crap floating around it seems like a countdown to the inevitable.
Martin Truex's year was much calmer in the sense of publicity, but his on-track results were little to be desired for. The learning curve for Kevin "Bono" Manion and the move-up crew from the Busch Series was a tall one and it showed. After a frustrating and embarrassing few laps at Bristol in the spring, Martin needed to learn a thing or two about patience and respect. Luck did not follow him on this path. With only 2 top-5s and 5 top-10s and a points finish of 19th, his year was mediocre on the charts. However, his performance improved greatly and he ended the year nearly winning Homestead. Two Busch championships are nothing to roll the eyes at and Martin has the talent and the mind to become a great driver in the future.
Testing begins in only days! Both Dale Jr. and Martin take part in the first session so hope for some good speeds!
Dale Jr. went through one of his most important growing periods since the loss of his father in 2001. He learned that not everything is the crew's fault and sometimes to succeed, one must adjust his driving style and adapt to changing conditions. His win at Richmond in the spring and his achievement in the Chase were not the year's highlights for me. I was the proudest when he ran well at the intermediate tracks which were an embarrassment for the #8 team in 2005. I was proudest when I saw him run the high groove (coincidentally similar to Michael Waltrip's driving style). I was proudest when at the end of the day, even if it was a bad day, the crew still were on speaking terms.
However, like any season, Junior did not face complete bliss. His new Busch team struggled, and with ten races to go he replaced Mark McFarland with Truex (1 race), Robby Gordon (2 races) and his Hooter's Pro Cup driver, Shane Huffman (7 races). The JR Motorsports team was very inconsistent in its finishes. This year, with Huffman at the helm, hopes for better results.
A fight for his name rights also disrupted Junior's year and caused an eye-opening stir for the fans. When Junior first entered NASCAR, his father took care of his trademark rights (which was probably a good thing). However, when he died, the rights were handed over to his estate and then to Teresa. As Junior grew and matured, I suppose the realization that the rights to his name were not even his was bothersome. Teresa and Dale Jr. have never been known to perfectly get along both personally and in the business world, so this struggle was a debate that got rather heated among the fans. Eventually (and thankfully), after some negotiating, Teresa Earnhardt allowed Dale Jr. to own his name. The concept of someone not even owning the rights to his own name is ridiculous and infuriating to me.
To continue the Teresa vs. Junior saga, Junior's contract is up after this year. Fans have been speculating him going to Richard Childress Racing for years and apparently Teresa feels threatened by this. What a better way to soften this possibly stressful process than to question your resigning driver's career focus. I have no idea what in the world she was thinking when she said this. If Junior ever left DEI, that team is not strong enough to hold up long without him. That's pretty sad, but when you think about it, Teresa has made it that way. DEI is structurally weak and lacking their self-made #1 driver it would definitely crumble. Sponsors would leave, Truex would probably leave, fans would leave. What a mess. Dale Jr. does not want to forsake the organization - his father built it, after all - but with this crap floating around it seems like a countdown to the inevitable.
Martin Truex's year was much calmer in the sense of publicity, but his on-track results were little to be desired for. The learning curve for Kevin "Bono" Manion and the move-up crew from the Busch Series was a tall one and it showed. After a frustrating and embarrassing few laps at Bristol in the spring, Martin needed to learn a thing or two about patience and respect. Luck did not follow him on this path. With only 2 top-5s and 5 top-10s and a points finish of 19th, his year was mediocre on the charts. However, his performance improved greatly and he ended the year nearly winning Homestead. Two Busch championships are nothing to roll the eyes at and Martin has the talent and the mind to become a great driver in the future.
Testing begins in only days! Both Dale Jr. and Martin take part in the first session so hope for some good speeds!
