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Sprint Cup
CUP: Martin, Earnhardt Jr. Top Disappointment List
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season had it's share of struggles for these drivers...
Teammates Mark Martin (Left) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Right) both failed to win in 2010. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Many of the top stars we expected to shine in 2010 came through in a big way – Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
But some failed to produce the same results they did in 2009, or the results that were expected based on their records and history or the history of their respective teams.
Here’s a look at the most disappointing drivers in 2010:
Mark Martin
Mark Martin has had few disappointing seasons in his illustrious 24-year career, but 2010 would have to be one of his biggest.
A year after winning five races and challenging teammate Jimmie Johnson for the Sprint Cup championship, Martin was rarely a factor on the track, going winless and slumping to 13th in points. It was his third-worst points finish when running the full season since 1988.
Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports team struggled early, and then had trouble adjusting to the switch from the rear wing to the spoiler. He scored just seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, his fewest top-10s in a full season since 2003.
Martin did show improvement toward the end of the year, scoring four top-10s in his final seven races, including a season-high second at Martinsville.
Martin, 51, will have a new crew chief in Lance McGrew in his final season with Hendrick Motorsports next year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It might have seemed foolish to expect vast improvement from Dale Earnhardt Jr.. after he finished 25th in points in 2009, but he does drive for Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR’s elite teams.
But Earnhardt Jr. was expected to be better in his second season with crew chief Lance McGrew, and he was for a while. After a runnerup finish in the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. was 12th in points after 11 races.
He was in contention to make the Chase through the first half of the season, but stumbled badly down the stretch and finished 21st in points.
It was the second straight winless season for the sport’s most popular driver.
Like Martin, Earnhardt will get a new crew chief next year, with former Jeff Gordon crew chief Steve Letarte replacing McGrew.
Jeff Gordon
If Martin and Earnhardt Jr. weren’t enough, this should confirm what an offseason it was for every Hendrick team not led by Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
Jeff Gordon was strong most of the year, collecting 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes and riding second in points for eight straight weeks. He made the Chase for the fifth straight season, but stumbled badly when the Chase began.
Gordon had just four top-10 finishes in the Chase and was never a factor. A wreck and 37th-place finish at Texas knocked him from Chase contention and the four-time champion finished the season with a blown engine and another 37th at Homestead.
After looking like a contender much of the season, Gordon faded to ninth in the final standings and failed to win a race for the second time in the past three seasons.
Like his teammates, he will get a new crew chief next season, working with former Martin mate Alan Gustafson.
But some failed to produce the same results they did in 2009, or the results that were expected based on their records and history or the history of their respective teams.
Here’s a look at the most disappointing drivers in 2010:
Mark Martin
Mark Martin has had few disappointing seasons in his illustrious 24-year career, but 2010 would have to be one of his biggest.
A year after winning five races and challenging teammate Jimmie Johnson for the Sprint Cup championship, Martin was rarely a factor on the track, going winless and slumping to 13th in points. It was his third-worst points finish when running the full season since 1988.
Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports team struggled early, and then had trouble adjusting to the switch from the rear wing to the spoiler. He scored just seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, his fewest top-10s in a full season since 2003.
Martin did show improvement toward the end of the year, scoring four top-10s in his final seven races, including a season-high second at Martinsville.
Martin, 51, will have a new crew chief in Lance McGrew in his final season with Hendrick Motorsports next year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It might have seemed foolish to expect vast improvement from Dale Earnhardt Jr.. after he finished 25th in points in 2009, but he does drive for Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR’s elite teams.
But Earnhardt Jr. was expected to be better in his second season with crew chief Lance McGrew, and he was for a while. After a runnerup finish in the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. was 12th in points after 11 races.
He was in contention to make the Chase through the first half of the season, but stumbled badly down the stretch and finished 21st in points.
It was the second straight winless season for the sport’s most popular driver.
Like Martin, Earnhardt will get a new crew chief next year, with former Jeff Gordon crew chief Steve Letarte replacing McGrew.
Jeff Gordon
If Martin and Earnhardt Jr. weren’t enough, this should confirm what an offseason it was for every Hendrick team not led by Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
Jeff Gordon was strong most of the year, collecting 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes and riding second in points for eight straight weeks. He made the Chase for the fifth straight season, but stumbled badly when the Chase began.
Gordon had just four top-10 finishes in the Chase and was never a factor. A wreck and 37th-place finish at Texas knocked him from Chase contention and the four-time champion finished the season with a blown engine and another 37th at Homestead.
After looking like a contender much of the season, Gordon faded to ninth in the final standings and failed to win a race for the second time in the past three seasons.
Like his teammates, he will get a new crew chief next season, working with former Martin mate Alan Gustafson.
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