Written by:
Amber Delgado
Think about this. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. grew up just three years apart but under vastly different circumstances, Gordon traveling the country with his stepfather, building a racing resume; Junior banished by his stepmother to military school. Indeed, the younger Earnhardt was driving street stocks at Concord in '92 when Gordon became a Cup driver, soon to challenge Dale Sr. and kick off Part One of Gordon-versus-Earnhardt.
Fifteen years later, Senior is gone and Junior has delivered a wake-up call to fans who dreamed he would drive the Black 3 for Childress and keep their memories alive. Junior, very much his own man, has joined Jeff Gordon's team!
The numbers say that's true. Hendrick cars have won 159 Cup races. 79 of those belong to Gordon. Of Hendrick's 6 Daytona 500 victories, Jeff has 3. The team owns 6 championships...Jeff earned 4 of those. With due respect, Jimmie Johnson was a mid-pack Busch driver until Hendrick made him something more. Now Hendrick will make Junior something more than he is now, and Gordon fans are sure to believe Junior's gain will come at Jeff's expense.
This, then, is Gordon-versus-Earnhardt, Part Two...equal equipment, five years to decide it...who's better...Jeff or Junior? Remember why Junior fans hate Gordon in the first place. It's because he regularly beat Senior. And those partisan fans, probably NASCAR and certainly the media would love to see this new rivalry get rough. But on that score, I predict disappointment. Yes, I think Jeff-versus-Junior will be the NASCAR headline story for the foreseeable future. No, I don't think it will get ugly. The key word – you've heard Junior refer to it - is respect.
We all expected a big feud between Jeff and Junior's dad. Instead, they went into business together. They had tremendous mutual respect. I think Gordon is sufficiently secure with his place in the sport and in history to welcome Junior with open arms, extend him that same respect, and then bust his butt trying to beat him.
For Junior's part, the DEI family soap opera is over, and now there is no place to hide...no excuses if he doesn't get the job done. The fact that he clearly relishes that challenge, downside and all, is just one more reason to like the guy.
Gordon versus Earnhardt...I loved Part One...and I can't wait for Part Two.
