When all’s said and done, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will go down in history as one of the modern greats of NASCAR. He probably won’t ever come close to equaling his father’s incredible achievements on the track, but Earnhardt Jr. deserves plenty of respect for the way he has gone about his business in the sport. If anybody deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments, it’s him.
Four active drivers have passed the 30-win mark ahead of the 2017 season and all four will fancy their chances of success this year. Jimmie Johnson is leading the way with 80 victories, while Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have 38, 38 and 35 respectively.
At the time of writing, Earnhardt Jr. ranks 29th on the all-time list for most victories with 26 and he stands a chance of winning at least four races this season, something that he managed to do as recently as 2014.
The Hendrick Motorsports team are notoriously successful at producing fast, quality race cars and they certainly worked hard during the postseason to ensure that Earnhardt Jr. has the best possible chance for victory. In fact, Earnhardt Jr. is currently at odds of +600 with 888sport to win the Daytona 500 event for the third time and he will be quietly assured of pushing his rivals close at the very least.
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However, the concussion suffered back in July may have knocked his confidence somewhat – especially as he was sidelined for the second half of the season. The No. 88 team will be very fast on track but his chances of victory this season rest on how quickly he is able to bounce back and find his best form.
Missing 18 races at the back-end of last season was hardly ideal for the driver, and NASCAR fans are in limbo over how the 42-year-old is going to cope when he gets back behind the wheel.
With two other big name stars also chasing the magical number 30, this could be NASCAR’s most competitive season for quite some time. Fan favorite Carl Edwards announced his retirement earlier this month and some fans will now be supporting Earnhardt Jr, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch in the race for 30 wins.
And with the added support from the wider racing community, Earnhardt Jr will be more determined than ever to follow in his father’s footsteps. It won’t be easy, but Earnhardt Jr. has the talent to get back to the top of the NASCAR standings in 2017.
Whether he will ever regain total control of his emotions is one thing but his incredible mental strength and abundance of confidence will give him a solid opportunity to show the world that he means business this season.
A victory in the first few races of the new season will give him every chance of hitting 30 wins this season and while he is a bit of an unknown following his concussion, it would be foolish not to expect him to be back to his previous form.
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