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Dale Earnhardt, jr. was and is one of the most popular athletes in all of not only NASCAR history but also sports history as a whole. With that being said it bears noting that the results he got in many years of his career did not match up to the popularity, especially in the early years of his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports. Today we are going to look back at this odd time and see why Dale Jr. was so bad at NASCAR's best team. This is the oddity of Dale Jr.'s 4 Year Winless Streak.
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Outro Song:
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Songs:
Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration by Chris Zabriskie on the YouTube Audio Library
39 comments
What is your favorite Dale Jr. moment?
win at daytona night race 2001
His 2001 Pepsi 400 win, that one was awesome
When he retired
The Pepsi 400 really was something we all needed. Seeing Mikey holding everyone back from getting to Jr. and then the celebration in the middle of the in Field for all to see, nothing in NASCAR can get better than that moment right there. #8 #15
2001 win at Daytona
Oh boy, back when we were wondering when Jr will win another Cup race…
Those were insane times!
I always assumed it was the concussions that slowed him down
Dale Jr breaking his 143 race winless streak at Michigan and winning the 2014 Daytona 500 were my favorite moments
Same
I wonder what is gonna be the case for Brad Keselowski. Last race he won was in April 2021.
I’ll never forget when he ran outta gas and Harvick won. My son cried. I almost did too.
@Big Handsucks seeing Roush still struggling.
@LS_812they won at Richmond this past Sunday with Chris Buescher. Plus, he has multiple top 10 and 5 finishes this season. Keslowski is getting better too
The greatest moment of the drought was the 2011 Coke 600, where he ran out of fuel on the last turn of the last lap and lost the race to Kevin Harvick. A great finish, just not for Dale.
That broke me as a fan.
There were many heartbreaking losses in his career but most of them probably came during this winless streak. Watching the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 live will always be a fond memory for me.
Yeah with 10 laps to go I had to go out on the porch I couldn’t watch came in with a lap and a half left. Good to see. He drove the hell away from Stewart that day
The fact that he went 4 years without winning is just crazy.
Anybody else would have got fired
@Thomas StewartTerry Labonte went 156 races and didnt get fired.
Say what you want, but the last two years at DEI were a sh**show, and Lance McGrew (2009, 2010 HMS) is possible the worst crew chief of all time. 2011 was such a magical year for us Jr. fans. We saw the spark back. The 2014 Daytona 500 was the pinnacle of the comeback. Thank you Steve Letarte!
I don’t remember if it was when he was still at DEI or right after he went to Hendrick… But I remember an in-car radio of him asking Eury Jr. what was wrong with the car, and if there was anything that could be done, and Eury Jr just said, “Deal with it, we can’t do anything with the car until we get back to the shop.” That has to be one of the worst things you can hear as a driver. Really, the last few years at DEI up to Steve Letarte becoming his crew chief were bad…
I got into NASCAR in 2008, what a time to get into the sport to see the most popular driver not winning!
I really liked his 2001 season with all the adversity he faced the 1st half of the year and he broke through in the 2nd half and probably was one of the best performers during the 2nd half
I don’t think anything can compete with the 01 Pepsi 400, but winning Daytona in 2014 stands out for me as well, because of how many big names he had to fend off to win that race.
08-12 had to be the most mentally exhausting times in one of the most well respected athletes of our generation’s life. The bickering, the losing streak and impending loss of confidence, the stress of losing the family business weighing on his mind, but there’s one big thing to say; Rick Hendrick didnt give up on him. He worked with him, helped him through things, gave him stability his own family was refusing and it helped and it showed. As many inept or down right awful owners as there have been in NASCAR, Rick Hendrick is a beacon in that wretch. Not indifferent to Dale Sr at DEI even
Hendrick didn’t bring in Jr. to win. He had other drivers for that. He brought him in to sell merchandise and make his other drivers more palatable in the public eye.
@Matt B. 3 crew chief changes in 5 years, including the original one being Jr’s cousin. Yeah, definitely about social stigmata and not competitive racing
My favorite moments were when he won at Daytona in 2001, when he showed great sportsmanship by checking on his teammate Steve Park after their 2002 Pocono wreck, and when he hugged Rick Hendrick at the end of his last cup race.
On a side note, my top 5 Jr paint schemes:
1.) 1999-2002 Budweiser
2.) 2001 Budweiser All-Star game
3.) 2008 AMP/National Guard
4.) 1998-1999 AC Delco
5.) 2017 Nationwide
See not only did Dale Jr help a wounded fanbase recover after losing one of the greatest drivers of all time he also maintained a humble attitude which is why so many people love him still today. Not to mention the efforts he has gone (ex. Podcast) to preserve history and promote NASCAR. Even though he made not have won as much as his dad… WE STILL LOVE HIM!!!
Preach
Amen
I thought the 08 michigan win was going to be the last win for jr. Coming from a jr fan those 4 years was hard, but in 2011 he was running up front gave us jr nation something to hope for
Just imagine if Jr had Steve Letarte in 2009 rather than Lance. He and Jr actually had chemistry and it was a fun relationship to watch
As a Gordon fan I approve, Hendrick rejuvenated 2 of his 3 drivers career with Gordon and Jr. Letarte didn’t have good chemistry with Jeff and thr back injury didn’t help.
The most fulfilling moment for me is his 2nd Pocono win. Great car, great driver, great strategy, and final laps drama holding off Harvick. I’ve replayed that one at least a couple dozen times.
This guy’s carreer, and life as a whole is a rollercoaster, and he’s always managed to get over every challenge on his route. That’s why we love him. Glad he’s happy nowadays, he’s at a point in his career where he can do whatever he wants to.
Junior really struggled with the Car of Tommorow outside of plate tracks. It would have been interesting to see him at Hendrick (or a more functional DEI) in the Gen 4 car in an alternative universe with no CoT car.