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| Earnhardt has reason to smile |
Dale
Earnhardt, Jr., went to Victory Lane for the third time this season at Pocono
Raceway Sunday, and all is well in Earnhardt Nation.
The
third-generation Kannapolis, NC driver now stands second in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
points – trailing only Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon – and if the
2014 Chase began today, Earnhardt would own the top seed. For legions of loyal
fans, it looks like 2014 could finally be the year for Earnhardt to fulfill
their expectations and grab the brass ring.
Ever
since Earnhardt first decided to follow in his father’s cavernous footsteps,
driving race cars on the short tracks of North and South Carolina, there have
been expectations. Lofty expectations, unfair expectations that he should somehow
manage to equal – or even surpass – the accomplishments of a man recognized by
many as the greatest stock car racer who ever lived.
A
pair of championships in what is now the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 1998 and
1999 shone the spotlight even brighter, and when Earnhardt the elder lost his
life in a tragic crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the weight of
a nation fell squarely on his son’s shoulders.
Earnhardt,
Jr. bore that weight admirably, returning to The World Center of Racing and
winning at the track that had taken his father’s life just five months before. NASCAR
Nation celebrated that victory like few before or since, then raised their
expectations even further. If Earnhardt could prevail in such a fairytale
fashion, they reasoned, anything must be possible.
More
wins will surely follow, they thought. Championships, as well. Even seven
championships, just like his legendary father.
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| Junior has matured |
Eventually,
the weight of those expectations became too much for even an Earnhardt to bear.
A messy split with stepmother Teresa hung much of the family’s dirty laundry
out to dry, and left DEI’s colossal “Garage Mahal” an empty shell of its once
bustling self.
Even
a move to Hendrick Motorsports failed to make Earnhardt a big winner. The wins
and championships failed to materialize, buried instead under an avalanche of questions
about the talent, focus and desire of the man annually crowned NASCAR’s Most
Popular Driver.
Earnhardt
often confounded those closest to him, climbing from race cars and retreating to
the privacy of his motor home, more interested in video games than NASCAR
championships. Sure, he did his duty, facing the cameras and microphones and delivering
sincere, well considered answers to the inevitable questions about his untapped
potential. But only this season has NASCAR’s Chosen One finally seemed capable
of climbing to the summit of the sport by winning the coveted Sprint Cup Series
championship.
What
has changed? How has Earnhardt finally made peace with his demons – both personal
and professional – and learned to embrace the demands, expectations and
pressure of contending for a NASCAR championship?
The
answers are both numerous and simple.
After
years of buying into the criticism of strangers and questioning his own
ability, Earnhardt now says 2014 could be the best year or his life, on and off
the race track.
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| Earnhardt and Reimann: in sync. |
“Everything
about life right now is great,” said Earnhardt to reporters Sunday, following a
raucous Victory Lane celebration at Pocono Raceway. “I’ve got my professional
life good, and the personal life’s doing good. I’ve learned and grown a lot in
the last four or five years, working with this group. It’s been a big thing.”
After
Sundays race, Earnhardt compared this 2014 season to his previous high-water
mark; a 2004 campaign that saw him win six Cup Series races – including the
Daytona 500 -- with a tightknit Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team that included his
uncle, Tony Eury, Sr. and cousin, Tony Eury, Jr.
“I
was really close to the guys on the 8 team (at DEI),” he said. “Obviously, a
lot of those guys are family and I still have great relationships with them.
But I think I’m smarter about my friendships now. When I was younger, it was
more about `how can this help me?’
“I
was not as concerned about helping them and being their friend as I was about them
being my friend. I think I’m better at being a friend these days (and) I’ve
never been as close to my team. The relationships me, Steve, Jason, Kevin and
all the guys on the team have, I’ve never had relationships work this well.”
Earnhardt
has won three times in 21 starts this season – as many victories as he managed
in 2006 through 2013 combined – and seems to be a happier, more relaxed, more
centered driver than ever before. He attributed that happiness to simple joys,
listing, “Amy, the Redskins, my family (and) drinking a cold beer...” as prime
motivators of his season to date.
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| Junior and Letarte: zen-like |
Those
are simple pleasures, indeed.
Simple
pleasures for a simple man; albeit one entrenched in a complicated, high-octane
profession where your best is often not enough.
Earnhardt’s
relationship with crew chief Steve Letarte now borders on Zen-like, with little
of the “You’re good, you’re talented, you can do it” cheerleading that highlighted
their early time together. Earnhardt has bought into Letarte’s “work hard, trust
completely, win often” philosophy, and has evolved – slowly but surely – into the
kind of focused, professional driver that is capable of winning multiple races
and championships.
Those
close to Earnhardt say his longtime girlfriend, Amy Reimann, has added a degree
of stability to his personal life, as well, serving as a reliable anchor in an
often-turbulent sea. “My personal life’s great,” admitted Earnhardt Sunday. “Me
and Amy have got a great relationship and a good home life.”
And
after years of underachievement, Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports Nationwide Series team
has emerged as a leading candidate to claim the 2014 championship, with drivers
Chase Elliott and Regan Smith ranking first and second in the title chase. As
is often the case with the Earnhardts, JRM’s ascension came only after with a
healthy share of heartache associated with the decision to purge the Eurys from
the team, focusing instead on a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports that has
paid tremendous dividends.
It
hasn’t come easily, not a bit of it. But in the end, what’s a fairytale finish
without a few trials and tribulations thrown in along the way?
Whether
he wins the 2014 Sprint Cup Series championship or not, Dale Junior finally seems
to have found his center.
