Dale and Danica: Lovers and Haters
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[/media-credit]Ask any NASCAR fan which two names are brought up most. They’re answer to you would be Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick. Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick are two of the most popular drivers in the sport, but at the same time, they’re two of the most hated as well. I realize hates a strong word, but I’ve seen some pretty nasty and mean comments about them. So why are they liked so much? And at the same time, why are they hated so much? Let’s find out.
Let’s start out with Earnhardt. As all of you know, his father had his life taken from him in the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt Sr’s fans pretty much all transferred to his son and started cheering for him. Back then Jr was picking up tons of wins, one of his biggest was the 2004 Daytona 500. He was great at that point of his career. After a sports car crash in Sonoma, Jr. had seemed to have lost his groove. He picked up a win in Richmond of 2006 and that would end up being his last for a while. This is where all the hate comes in, fans have said he’s overrated, awful, living off of his daddy’s name, all sorts of things like that. Just because he couldn’t win a race. From 2008-2012, he only picked up 2 wins. Both coming at Michigan. So it’s fair to say that fans like him for who he is, but hate him because he doesn’t win much.
Now we move on to Patrick. She’s liked because of her reputation in the IZOD IndyCar Series and maybe all of the GoDaddy.com commercials she’s done. In IndyCar, she only had one win coming at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan. When she decided to come to NASCAR in 2010 to drive for JR Motorsports, the media blew up. She would not stop getting attention and still can’t stop getting attention. This is where the hate comes in. Fans say she’s overrated and she can’t win a race so why talk about her? This is where all the lovers come in again. Fans love Danica which is why the media talks about her so much. It’s good for ratings. If I owned ESPN I would talk about her a lot too.
In conclusion, it’s fair to say that Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick are the two most loved and the most hated drivers in NASCAR. Jr. is loved for who he is, but hated because he can’t win. Patrick is loved for who she is, but hated because she’s overrated. But whether you like them or hate them, they’re good for the sport of NASCAR.
What’s your opinion on Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick?
Every Race Counts for Carl Edwards
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[/media-credit]Who would have thought that 19 races into the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season we would be talking about Carl Edwards and desperation? That answer would have been probably nobody. But here we are heading into this weekend at Indianapolis with Edwards and the No. 99 team’s backs squarely against the wall.
Heading into the Brickyard this weekend, Edwards sits 11th in NSCS points, 46 points behind Brad Keselowski for the 10th and final guaranteed spot in the chase on points. Pretty big contrast from where Edwards finished last season. Last November at Homestead, Edwards was within one spot on the track from claiming his first NSCS championship, but a red hot Tony Stewart out dueled him in the final ten races. Posting five wins to Edward’s zero in route to winning the championship in a tie breaker.
Many experts picked Edwards to once again compete and be a major contender for the 2012 championship, but 2012 has been a mixed bag of results for the Columbia, Missouri native.
The 2012 season started off with winning the pole for the Daytona 500 and a very solid eighth place finish in the race. But from that point on, it has been a mixed bag at best for Edwards as he has only recorded two top fives and nine top 10 finishes in 19 races this season, with a best finish of fifth at Las Vegas in March and Auto Club later in the same month. The biggest heartbreak came at Richmond in April where Edwards started second and dominated the race, leading 206 of the 400 laps but to have it all go for not on lap 318 when NASCAR officials determined Edwards jumped the restart resulting in a black flag and relegating him to a 10th place finish.
Looking at the broad spectrum of things here in 2012, it would be considered a banner year for some teams to have Edwards’ numbers. But for a team that has raced for championships, it has been an awfully tough pill to swallow.
Bob Osborne, the man who has been Carl’s crew chief since 2004, stepped down after the race in Loudon, New Hampshire, leading to Chad Norris taking over crew chief duties heading into the most important month and a half of the No. 99 team’s season.
The plan is simple for the No. 99 team starting this weekend at Indianapolis and that plan is to win at least one race to put themselves in a position to earn one of the two wild card spots for the chase. Judging by the remaining races on the schedule, Edwards should find tons of success heading down the stretch. He has earned nine wins, 33 top fives, and 52 top-10 finishes combined at the seven tracks that represent the home stretch towards the chase.
So the 2012 season boils down to a seven race season and the goal is simple – Victory Lane or bust for the No. 99 team. One thing you can count on there is no quit in this team and no quit in Edwards. If I were a betting man, we will more than likely see at least one signature Carl Edwards backflip in these next 7 races and that one backflip could be the one that springboards him back in the championship hunt.
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: MICHAEL WALTRIP TO MAKE A SPECIAL DELIVERY TO DENVER
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[/media-credit]Despite being very busy overseeing his three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams at Indianapolis on Sunday, Michael Waltrip will be be spending Friday and Saturday night in Denver-Colorado for a very special reason. He’s coming to the Colorado National Speedway to help the American Red Cross in their effort to raise funds to assist victims of the wild fires that recently plagued the state.
Waltrip and his friends from NAPA Auto Parts will be making a special delivery for this special cause Saturday night. During pre-race ceremonies, before the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event, Waltrip will present the American Red Cross with a check for $25,000 from the NAPA Knows How To Care program. An additional check will also be presented from the proceeds raised by online, local NAPA store efforts and at track fundraising.
Waltrip and his Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr have been asking race fans to consider making a donation to the NAPA Knows How To Care program to help the victims of the wildfires that swept through Colorado last month. Fans can participate by making Pay Pal donations to the American Red Cross at www.michaelwaltripracing.com through Sunday, July 29th. There is also the option of texting “RED CROSS” to the number 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Waltrip will be attending a fan meet and greet on Friday, from 5 to 8 pm, at the NAPA Denver Distribution Center, located at 2101 Highway 224 in Denver. Napa will be providing free hamburgers, hot dogs and sodas to the fans who will be asked to consider making a $5 contribution to the relief fund.
On Saturday night, Waltrip will be at the Colorado National Speedway with the idea of placing some extra F-U-N in fundraising by driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West NAPA-Toyota 150. Waltrip will be driving the #99 NAPA Knows How To Care Toyota.
Commenting on the big weekend, Waltrip said: “I love racing in the K&N West Series events and it’s a big weekend for Napa which will be hosting almost 700 guests there. We wanted to do more than just race, we wanted to help heal. We are racing in Denver and have the opportunity to show the great people of that region what NASCAR is all about. We will be collecting donations from fans and partners and can deliver a message of support. Those fires cost more than $60 million to fight and burned more than 225,000 acres of land and they need our help.”
NAPA has done some great things helping families with the NAPA KNOWS HOW TO CARE program and I’m really proud to be able to join in helping the people of Colorado,” Martin Truex Jr said adding “we have race fans all over the country and I know that some of our fans lost their homes and personal belongings. They will have to rebuild and this is our small way of helping out. ”
Providing some powerful insight from a local perspective was Will Rogers, District Manager of the NAPA Auto Parts Denver Distribution Center, who said: “the wildfires have had a big impact on our state. Many of our friends and customers lives have been changed by this tragedy. This event is NAPA Auto Parts’ way of helping those in need and saying thank you to those who risked their lives fighting these fires.”
Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Launches PSA Featuring Richard Childress
