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Junior leaving DEI
kcballboy
Posts: 1,405 ✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
Most of you "racing isn't a sport" guys may not care, but this a huge deal in the world of NASCAR. Apparently he got tired enough of his step-mom to abandon the company his father created. It will be interesting to see what happens if he lands with Hendrick (which could be highly likely). Going to a team like that would probably be enough to make him a multi-champion.
JR.
JR.
Travis
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Did you cut and paste that, or use your journalism degree and make that up? That was very, very funny.
Joe
<< <i>OK Boo, I'll ask:
Did you cut and paste that, or use your journalism degree and make that up? That was very, very funny.
Joe >>
I've been drinking Bacardi and Coke tonight, and when that happens posts like this occasionally vault their way to the fore of my conscious. Hope KC doesn't take offense-- just having some fun late at night in front of the keyboard.
Why wouldn't Jr and Theresa try to really work this out without the media spin. It seems obvious that Jr is the only marketing figure at DEI and lets face it, this team is owned by a racing family. In this situation it would seem that a team built on a family name would almost have to have the legacy continue to be successful (due to the passing of Sr). So now the case has went to public opinion. Theresa will want the sympathy votes for Jr trying a hostile takeover and Jr will want the popular and fan vote. In the end it seems that the only thing that will suffer is Dale Sr's legacy. A shame that his name and the team could not be spared this nonsense.
Just an opinion (as I am probably missing some key facts in all this)...
"The Villain"
Shiba Rescue Organization
A Shiba Inu is a terrible thing to waste!
Tony Stewart said it best - What is DEI without Dale Jr? A museum."
It really is up in the air where he could end up. He will be driving a Chevy, and Bud will follow him, however Hendrick has their max # of drivers, Gibbs doesn't want alcohol sponsorship, and going to Childress wouldn't exactly get him out of his father's shadow, especially if he drove the #3.
DEI is now officially F'ed. They won't be able to land anyone of the magnitude as Jr. (as none exist), and the sponsors will be hard to come by. I read somewhere that him leaving DEI will cut the value of the organization in half ($57 million to about $25 million). It's too bad, but Tony Stewart was right.
<< <i>He's overrated in the sense that he is the most popular driver but really hasn't had much in the way of results. But considering the standard he's being measured to, anyone would be considered overrated. He had one really good year when he won Daytona and contended for the championship, but other than that he's just been good but not great. If he goes to a Hendrick, Gibbs or RCR type program and doesn't preform, then he could and should definitely be considered overrated, but in DEI's stuff, it's hard to gauge. >>
I think that he'll take one of two options -
1) RCR - drive #33 (which RCR owns and runs part time with driver Scott Wimmer) and then switch to #3 later in his career.
2) Ginn Racing (not Gibbs) - they have the money and the motivation to make him a winner. DEI will let him take the #8 if this happens. Mark Martin being with Ginn will help.
In either situation he gets some guidance from older experienced drivers or owners. He needs that. If I had to pick today I might say Ginn.
Some speculate that he may already have a deal that has not been announced. If that is the case my money would be on RCR.
The issue I see with RCR, Gibbs and Hendrick is the competition from the established drivers on those teams. They're his own age and may not want to share the spotlight. The younger ones like Kyle Bush and Denny Hamlin could have a problem too, but I'll bet those teams would let them go if trouble arose. Jr. brings too much guaranteed money in marketing.
Prediction - he'll never win a championship.
<< <i>Prediction - he'll never win a championship.
So that makes him the "Anna Kournikova" of NASCAR?
<< <i>
<< <i>Prediction - he'll never win a championship.
So that makes him the "Anna Kournikova" of NASCAR? >>
Well he has won some races so he's ahead of her in that respect.
However, he'll never look nearly as good pictured half naked in Maxim.
+1 for Anna.
It appears they have tried for some time now. This does not appear to be an overnight thing to me.
Should be a good move for Junior and whoever picks him up. NASCAR is not a cheap sport to play in and he brings in a lot of sponsors. DEI is the losing party here I think.
Is he overrated? Perhaps, but one must understand NASCAR is not a sport where only the top two are well liked by fans.
Mark
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
Apparently Dale Jr. and his stepmom don't see eye to eye on a number of things so he felt it best to split and start over somewhere
else. It is not all that unusual in a general business sense but being NASCAR and the famous name attached makes it much more
high profile.
Its a good old boy family feud with speculation as to what racing team he will end up at and NASCAR fans tongues waging like crazy.
If he wants a championship it's the place to be.
Guess Hendrick was not happy with Kyle Busch. He was in contract negotiations I hear. Word is that he goes to DEI.
The Gibbs and Ginn teams claim not to be involved in Wednesday's press conference, and Childress is reportedly out of the country. Check www.jayski.com.
It will be interesting for sure to see the dynamics between Gordon, Johnson and Junior.
Will Gordon now not be subject to flying beer cans if he wins again at Talladega?
Who gets the pass when these guys are 1, 2, and 3 in the last ten laps of a race. How long before Gordon punts Junior into a wall and claims "it's just racing?" He wouldn't do that to Johnson, that's for sure.
Maybe the ride in Busch's car earlier this year really did pay off after all?