by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Junior and the ‘injuns. Y’all know the saying, “opinions are like a**holes, we all got’em?” Last week there were plenty of them out there, opinions and a**holes. Every NASCAR chat site and web page chatted away about how Dale Earnhardt Jr. is having ‘injun troubles this, his last year at DEI. Even the dang NASCAR writers and commentators got their ideas about what’s going on, but I don’t think any of these thoughts make a viable reason. I think the motors keep breaking, but until I say what I think, maybe we need to look back at his previous years. I’m going to do figures from IROC, Busch and Cup races starting back in 1996 up until 2006 so we can first see how things where before his leaving DEI was announced.
Junior has had 4 IROC races with one engine listed and in Busch there were 92 races with 4 engine problems and one transmission, which was the reason he was out of the race. If you look at those facts there does not seem to be a real big deal going on with either. It’s like I said last week about his ‘injuns, “s**t happens.” Now for Dale’s Cup races, there were 255 of them with just 3 blown motors and still no big numbers, just real racin’, that’s all. Well now we get to the 2007 season and, even before the decision about DEI came to light, Junior had 2 pukers in his car. I take that into consideration when I come up with my reasoning why this year is a bad ‘injun year for him.
Counting those two and the other three (my ninth grade math teacher Miss Whaley will be really proud of me) makes FIVE little ‘injuns Earnhardt has had go south on him so far, and the year ain’t done yet. The Bible says, “Come now, let us reason together” and this can fit in right here because we need to try to understand just what is going on with the parties involved. DEI, or rather Teresa Earnhardt, has got to be many things about Jr. leaving her team, including mad, let-down, relieved and many other things we could come up with. I can’t see where she would be vindictive or vengeful in the matter, cause it would be too dang obvious to everyone and give her even worse of a public image.
Would she have the knowledge to be able to sabotage the #8 car all by her lonesome? If she hired or told someone to do it, then she’d have to worry about that person telling the public about it. Well I guess she could have that person killed, but then she’s got to worry about that and so on and so on. So where’s the logic behind her being the reason the ‘injuns die on Junior? It Ain’t DEI or Teresa Earnhardt that is behind all of this, but just a minute, let’s reason some more before I tell y’all what or who the real culprit is. Y’all are going to read right here something I don’t do often, but when I am wrong, I am the biggest apologizer in the world. I apologize for blaming s**t, when I said “s**I happens” about the ‘injuns blowing. It is not s**t’s fault. Not one little tiny bit. NO WAY!
Of all the people that have had the public’s sympathy throughout this whole big deal, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team have been the good guys and it’s just awful how that nasty b**ch is doing them. I never felt that way, and I still don’t, but man I am in the minority when I say that. It’s not that I don’t like him or feel that he doesn’t deserve a piece of DEI, but come on, 51% is too strong. Little pieces, Junior, little bites, not a great big ole chunk all at once, dude. Teresa’s been in charge for a long time and she and Dale started the biz, so, man, you should have nibbled at it and it would have been (and still one day may be) all yours. Anyway, back to our reasoning together, with Jr. having all this pity and support and now a new big-time team, he’s going to think he can do no wrong, or at least until he is caught.
Here’s the way I believe it is, and if y’all think about it, I am right about why Earnhardt’s ‘injuns are dying at such a rate this season compared to all his other years of racing. Junior has made his deal with another team and probably will take his whole tribe with him, so to make their ex-employer look bad and to gain even more sympathy from people, they are the ones causing the troubles. Say you get a gas man to slip a little something in a can before it is used to fill the car, any crew member could do it. Any of the guys would do like their told because they are all mad at DEI and it ain’t coming back to them. Like Michael Waltrip trying so hard to find out who spiked the fuel at Daytona. For weeks afterward he pledged to find the culprit, but when was the last time he mentioned the inquiry?
NASCAR racecar teams are families and no one does a thing without the driver or crew chief knowing what’s going on. Is Tony slipping the #8 Bud car a Mickey Finn before a race or getting one of the team to do it? There’s just one other person that you might consider, and that is the ‘injun-builder. Who picks the car’s motors? Yeah, he probably does. Now that might be our guy, the evil builder. Whoever it is, they are in cahoots with Junior. There is still one question that must be answered. (Dad burn it all, I got to use that word I am really starting to hate, “drama.”) With all of the drama about just who to blame for the bad ‘injuns this final year, I said it was Junior and now I ask you, which Junior?
Lots of stuff is supposed to be announced soon, like who is going to be Kasey Kahne’s new sponsor? Dodge has come out and said they are happy with them, so is it Bud or what? When will GEM and Petty let their big deal out of the bag? Will Joe and Sterling win the law suit against Bobby Ginn and DEI? Come on guys, just how much does Ginn owe ya’ and why would you drag DEI into the suit when they didn’t have anything to do with y’alls’ contracts? I guess it’s like the lawyers do, “follow the money, follow the money.”
Well the first race of the Chase is done and 4th to 12th place has had monster changes, but the top three stayed the same. Clint Bowyer moved eight spots Sunday with his win, but don’t be looking for that in the next nine races, I’m still picking Gordon to win the championship. Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin took beatings with Kurt, the worst at a 7 position dropped to 12th place. Little brother Kyle, on the other hand, slipped up to fifth. A fourber gain. Y’all might want to pay attention to see if NASCAR will adjust the Chase again next year because they are talking about doing something, but not necessarily to the actual Chase itself. If Brian France does anymore “tweaking” to it he can jump up and kiss my a** cause I am damn sick and tired of him trying please everybody except the fans.
Boy, I bet I hear from the Junior fans, but when you do write, please specify Dale or Tony, ok? I am so out of here for this week. Me mate Pete from Australia and his lovely wife Deb will be in Jacksonville this week and we’ll have them as our guest for 4 days. Man are we going to have some fun. I will tell y’all about it next week, so stayed tuned. You can reach me at tinynascars@yahoo.com. Remember, If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!!
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