NASCAR's savior?
NASCAR's most popular driver wears a new white racing suit these days, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't want anyone to view him as the sport's knight in shining armor, riding in to slay the dragon of declining attendance and TV ratings.
Brian France cast him in that role in late November, when the NASCAR chairman and CEO said Earnhardt's failure to win a race or make the Chase in 2007 was "unhelpful if you're trying to build ratings."
"I can't tell you whether that's why the television ratings are down," Earnhardt said Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway. "It would be nice to think you had that kind of influence, but at the same time, I don't want to be the downfall or the reason for it. . . . I don't feel comfortable really taking any credit one way or the other."
In his first extensive interview of 2008, Earnhardt also told reporters he's hesitant to gush about his new team, Hendrick Motorsports, because he doesn't want to cast his old one, Dale Earnhardt Inc., in a bad light.
"I really was proud of where I came from and proud of the team that I had last year," he said.
He would rather limit discussion of his new surroundings, he added, "because I don't want anyone that I've worked with in the past to get the impression that I am in a much better place and (am happier) and I've got better people, because it really just comes down to the tools and how you use them."
He has been impressed by Hendrick's tools. "They have more stuff," he said. "They have more of everything."
Referring to CNC machines, which are computer-controlled devices used to fabricate metal parts, he said Hendrick has "20-something" of them, "cranking stuff out all the time, and DEI has nine. Or they had nine - I don't know how many they have now."
Earnhardt is off to a fast start in his first season in Hendrick machinery. His No. 88 Chevy was second-fastest in the morning and afternoon testing sessions on Monday, his first day on the track. On Tuesday morning, he was first in the morning, 10th in the afternoon in the draft.
"We've had great speed in the car," Earnhardt said, noting that he has driven one car raced last year by Hendrick teammate Casey Mears and another newly built Chevy. "We're real happy with both of them."
Other drivers have noticed. "I think a lot of pressure is probably put on him from a media standpoint to do well, but he's going to do well," Kevin Harvick said. "He's got a great organization around him, he's got good people, he's got everything that he needs."
Earnhardt is a year removed from one of the most trying times of his life, when he was embroiled in a contract dispute with his stepmother. He wanted controlling interest in DEI. When Teresa Earnhardt refused to yield it, he shopped himself to other teams, eventually settling on Hendrick.
"It's been pretty nice to be able to concentrate on the things that are important right now," he said. "Testing and working and getting to know the guys."
He said he doesn't feel pressure to succeed, even though in the past three seasons he has won only twice and has made the Chase only once. If the expectations of others affect your performance on the race track, he said, "then you're not a good race car driver."
(He did say, with a straight face, "I didn't have to worry about job security when I was over at my other job, but I've got to worry about that now.")
Pressure, said Earnhardt, 33, is trying to qualify for your first Cup race, as he did in Charlotte in 1999.
"I was so scared and I wanted to get out of the car," he said, "but it was too late. I already told them I'd drive it."
One of the things he enjoys most about his new surroundings is "not being the son of the boss anymore." When he first started working for the company his father founded, "you could get away with saying things and being quoted certain ways and be able to get away with it.
Working for Rick Hendrick, "My job now is to stay out of Rick's office as much as I can," he said.
"It's sort of refreshing to not have that safety net, you know?"
He refused to speculate on how many races he might win this year.
"We'll win some races," he said, "and I expect to win soon. I'm a good driver with a good team, and if we don't make mistakes on a Sunday, we should have some great finishes and win some races."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is hesitant to talk about his new team, because he does not want to say anything bad about his old team. 'I really was proud of where I came from and proud of the team that I had last year,' he said.
See more at www.palmbeachpost.com
