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Sprint Cup
SPENCER: Mark Martin And Dale Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears to be a new man this season, and it showed in his run-in with Mark Martin at Las Vegas...
Everyone is asking, “What’s up with Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.?” after their little run-in last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
I think something is up with both of them … but a very different “something” with each. They’ll move on from their little on-track tiff, but what interests me is their individual roles in it. Mark was completely at fault in that incident, but his screw-up showed us a side of Dale Jr. that we haven’t seen much of in quite some time. Mark brought out the bolder, feistier side of his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, a side that hints at Dale Jr.’s renewed confidence and attitude.
I love Mark and always have, but he isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. Despite his blameless image and the fact many people think he’s incapable of being wrong or disrespectful on the race track, he can be. The latest proof of this came with Dale Jr. at Las Vegas.
Dale Jr. was coming up fast on Mark’s outside. Instead of staying low and allowing him the top line, Mark moved up in front of Dale Jr. to block and protect his position. To voice his displeasure, Junior hit him in the rear bumper, which led to a little door-banging under the next caution. Dale Jr. was very frustrated in his post-race interview and said Mark violated an “unwritten etiquette.” It’s not too often you hear a driver call Mark out for driver etiquette, but I think it certainly was warranted.
What Mark did wasn’t cool, especially when you look back to the 2011 June race at Michigan when they were teammates. Mark moved up in front of Dale Jr., causing Dale Jr.’s No. 88 Chevy to make contact with the outside wall. As a result, the No. 88 cut down a tire, and hit the wall again. Dale Jr. finished 21st and Mark came home ninth.
So, when a similar thing happened last week, I guess Dale Jr. decided enough was enough. I respect Mark, but I think he got what he had coming at Vegas, and I applaud Dale Jr. for sticking up for himself and not just laying down and taking it as he has with some drivers in the past.
Part of what may be at work here is an overall difference in Dale Jr. this season. Sure, he’s running better and more consistently than in a while (he led more laps at Vegas than in all of 2011 combined), but I also see a new attitude and outlook. He is off to a strong start in 2012, and I don’t think it’s a fluke. This might be the real thing for him this season.
Dale Jr. was a bit of a victim of the “Boys, have at it” game the past couple of years because a lot of drivers pushed others around simply because NASCAR allowed it, and Dale Jr. oftentimes got the short end of the stick. He typically isn’t a real retaliatory, aggressive driver, so that mindset didn’t always play into his favor.
However, in 2012, he appears to be taking a more proactive approach in defending his turf, and it began before we got to Vegas. Dale Jr. pushed Greg Biffle on the final restart in the Daytona 500, but they didn’t get anywhere. Some people said Biffle was blocking Dale Jr. to protect his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth, who won the 500. That argument is up for debate. But Dale Jr. went over to talk to Biffle afterward about what happened. I don’t know that he would have done that in the past, much as he wouldn’t have always gotten frustrated with someone like Mark. It just looks to me like Jr. is really sticking up for himself and employing a more confident and positive attitude.
And he has run much better in the first three races this year. If he and Denny Hamlin had been able to stay together in the Daytona 500, I think Dale Jr. would have won. At Phoenix, he had a better car than his finish showed, and we saw how strong he was for a good portion of the Vegas race.
The No. 88 team appears to have put the whole package together this year. The kid seems bound and determined to make a run for the championship, and he knows he has a great crew chief with whom he has established chemistry and trust. Steve Letarte brings out the best in Dale Jr. and, most importantly, has earned his driver’s trust. Now that Dale Jr. has found a comfort level and is focused and driving his heart out, it will be quite interesting to watch what unfolds in the next 33 races. Maybe this is his year.
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
I think something is up with both of them … but a very different “something” with each. They’ll move on from their little on-track tiff, but what interests me is their individual roles in it. Mark was completely at fault in that incident, but his screw-up showed us a side of Dale Jr. that we haven’t seen much of in quite some time. Mark brought out the bolder, feistier side of his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, a side that hints at Dale Jr.’s renewed confidence and attitude.
I love Mark and always have, but he isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. Despite his blameless image and the fact many people think he’s incapable of being wrong or disrespectful on the race track, he can be. The latest proof of this came with Dale Jr. at Las Vegas.
Dale Jr. was coming up fast on Mark’s outside. Instead of staying low and allowing him the top line, Mark moved up in front of Dale Jr. to block and protect his position. To voice his displeasure, Junior hit him in the rear bumper, which led to a little door-banging under the next caution. Dale Jr. was very frustrated in his post-race interview and said Mark violated an “unwritten etiquette.” It’s not too often you hear a driver call Mark out for driver etiquette, but I think it certainly was warranted.
What Mark did wasn’t cool, especially when you look back to the 2011 June race at Michigan when they were teammates. Mark moved up in front of Dale Jr., causing Dale Jr.’s No. 88 Chevy to make contact with the outside wall. As a result, the No. 88 cut down a tire, and hit the wall again. Dale Jr. finished 21st and Mark came home ninth.
So, when a similar thing happened last week, I guess Dale Jr. decided enough was enough. I respect Mark, but I think he got what he had coming at Vegas, and I applaud Dale Jr. for sticking up for himself and not just laying down and taking it as he has with some drivers in the past.
Part of what may be at work here is an overall difference in Dale Jr. this season. Sure, he’s running better and more consistently than in a while (he led more laps at Vegas than in all of 2011 combined), but I also see a new attitude and outlook. He is off to a strong start in 2012, and I don’t think it’s a fluke. This might be the real thing for him this season.
Dale Jr. was a bit of a victim of the “Boys, have at it” game the past couple of years because a lot of drivers pushed others around simply because NASCAR allowed it, and Dale Jr. oftentimes got the short end of the stick. He typically isn’t a real retaliatory, aggressive driver, so that mindset didn’t always play into his favor.
However, in 2012, he appears to be taking a more proactive approach in defending his turf, and it began before we got to Vegas. Dale Jr. pushed Greg Biffle on the final restart in the Daytona 500, but they didn’t get anywhere. Some people said Biffle was blocking Dale Jr. to protect his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth, who won the 500. That argument is up for debate. But Dale Jr. went over to talk to Biffle afterward about what happened. I don’t know that he would have done that in the past, much as he wouldn’t have always gotten frustrated with someone like Mark. It just looks to me like Jr. is really sticking up for himself and employing a more confident and positive attitude.
And he has run much better in the first three races this year. If he and Denny Hamlin had been able to stay together in the Daytona 500, I think Dale Jr. would have won. At Phoenix, he had a better car than his finish showed, and we saw how strong he was for a good portion of the Vegas race.
The No. 88 team appears to have put the whole package together this year. The kid seems bound and determined to make a run for the championship, and he knows he has a great crew chief with whom he has established chemistry and trust. Steve Letarte brings out the best in Dale Jr. and, most importantly, has earned his driver’s trust. Now that Dale Jr. has found a comfort level and is focused and driving his heart out, it will be quite interesting to watch what unfolds in the next 33 races. Maybe this is his year.
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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