I agree with you. I am a big Dale fan but he is off his game this year. I am happy that at lest one Dale fan is able to see it yhe way I do. Keep up the good work.

In defense of Jr, he is not the only driver struggling with the COT. Tony Eury Sr and Tony, Jr are a couple of the best crew chiefs in the business. Eury, Jr, like other cc's that are trying to find the right setups,does not have years of data anymore to draw from.

Some teams and drivers are catching on quicker than some others. For everyone, (including Goodyear!)the COT is a blunder in progress.

Lets be honest. Junior IS the most overrated Nascar driver of all time! I am not saying he is the least talented driver ever, but his results do not back up the hype! His fans will be happy to know that he is the best t-shirt seller in the garage though...

I believe Teresa Earnhardt said basically JR needed to decide whether he wanted to be a racecar driver or a public personality, and I agree. I have seen more TV footage of JR’s new bar, and JR tearing down his house to build a new one and JR arguing with Tony JR then I have of JR winning….. For a guy who makes more $$$ then any other driver to not produce just doesn’t seem right. I’d like to see JR tighten up the seat belts, get on the wheel and drive his way to a win! How can you not like Dale JR, he’s a great guy. Just because we don’t have a P.O. Box in JR nation or a #8 Bud tattoo that has been doctored up to say 88 Amp, doesn’t mean we are not fans, we just don’t believe the hype.

You are FREAKING CRAZY!!! Busch is NOTHING like Dale Earnhardt!!! He happen to step into a team this year that "found" something the other teams don't have yet, where was all this "talent" the last few years??? It's the cars, especially in the Nationwide Series, where anybody can win in them!!! Yes, the #18 team is holding out on the #11 & #20 teams, that's why they're not as good.

Hey Darrel, Boogity your butt on off here, nobody cares what a washed-up has-been has to say!!! LOL

Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick, ALL winless this year? It's the piece of JUNK called the COT!!!

Obviously your Wranglers are a little tight Joe and are messing with your ability to think clearly or maybe you have a little too much Skoal packed in your cheek at the moment. All the teams are dealing with the same car here. JR and Gordon’s teammate Johnson doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. Kenseth’s teammates Biffle and Edwards don’t seem to have a problem either. Kyle Busch, do I need to even say it?? Maybe these guys need to get after it a little harder! When is the last time we saw JR try a move like Edwards tried this weekend?

I will probably get alot of crap for this but here goes... I have been a race fan since I was a little girl. Being born and raised in Georgia it is in your blood so to speak. My parents were both Dale Sr. fans and when Junior came into racing he became one of our drivers as well. Junior is still number one in this house but my other driver is Kyle Busch. Trust me I go rounds every weekend with Mama about this! She's always talking about his attitude,the way he drives and his arrogance. Then I remind her of the attitude,the driving tactics and the occasional arrogance displayed by the late Dale Sr.and the fact that when it was him she was right there cheering him on! I'm not saying that Kyle Busch IS Dale Sr.,but nobody can take away the fact that he can drive the H E Double Fiddle Sticks out of a race car and it doesn't matter who it is in his way! Even the mention of a possible escort from police or security out of a track for his protection doesn't seem to rattle him. After all he is out there to win races NOT make friends! Do I like the fact that he has knocked Junior around some this year? No I don't but if Junior can take it as that's just racing and figure what comes around goes around then hey,that's just the way it is. Well,Kyle is getting his turn at bad luck,karma,payback... Whatever you want to call it he's getting his. His season opener was fantastic,unfortunately for Kyle the ending doesn't appear to be what he was expecting. I hope that he can take the good with the bad in stride and come back next year even stronger. As for Junior and all that he has learned this year. I hope he too will take all of that in and burn it up next year! I will enjoy the rest of the 2008 season and when it is over start the countdown to green for 2009! Who knows maybe one of my 2 favorite drivers will emerge a champion next year! I am not asking anyone to agree with me on this, I know there will be tons of people who don't. That's fine....I just wanted to express the way I feel.

Wow, I can't believe I actually agree with what Darrell Waltrip is saying. You're right on. Makes me want to go to Taco Bell to celebrate this monumental day.

If Dale Sr had the car issues Kyle's had these past three races I can guarantee you wouldn't have heard him say 'doesnt matter'. And please don't tell me it was right after he got out of the car cause he'd already changed into his street clothes when he made the statement.

One reason we like Junior is that despite how he does he's there to give credit to those who worked their butts off even when he missed the Chase last year at Richmond, he still met with the media and offered polite interviews.

In some ways I wish Kyle were more like Sr. It's pretty obvious that in that respect Jr is much more like his daddy than Kyle.

If Earnhardt crashed and a reporter asked him what happened his answer would be “I wrecked”

darrel back off JR. HE IS THE ONE DOING THE WORK. THE YEAR ISN'T OVER. DON'T SHUT THE BOOK TELL YOU READ THE LAST PAGE.

Yes, you are right, Junior's fans can be a bit over the top but they are passionate about the man. Maybe you just need to not take the comments people generate to you so personally. Continue, writing what you want and the fans will too. In this case, I think people are taking Junior’s radio conversations out of proportion and blowing them out of shape. I listen to his radio chatter every week and yes, he can get a little heated but that is because he is so passionate about racing and wants to win too just like Kyle Busch. Until any of us get in a 3500 pound race car and drive at 200 MPH, we have no right to judge him. And believe me sister, his fans do tell him what the think and they will be the first to tell junior to stop being a butt head, if that is how he is acting. Maybe you do not know his fans like you think you do. I also disagree with you about Kyle Busch, Yes the BOY and I mean boy is a talent racer no doubt; he can race almost anything I give him that BUT Dale Sr he is and never will be. He does not even race like Sr or does he have the man's charm or charisma and attitude, so in this case I feel you are wrong but keep writing what you want it makes for interesting reading. Just remember opinions vary and your is not the only one out there.

Toby
You must have been too busy skipping to the end of your book to see if JR turned his season around to realize YOUR CAPS BUTTON IS STUCK ON. I agree JR is doing the work…opening night clubs and building houses. All I am saying is, I don’t believe the JR hype, not saying I don’t like him, heck I even read “Driver 8” I just think maybe he should skip a night of video games and a night or two from Whiskey River and get to bed a little earlier so he can focus a little more on race day. There’s not doubt he can drive. And sure he works hard on weekends, but maybe he needs to concentrate a little harder during the week to get himself to the next level. The only thing that has changed in his program is a different team, time to look into changing something else. Maybe he has too much on his plate right now. We don’t hear about Johnson or Edwards running around doing a million other things besides trying to win a championship. Where are those guys sitting in the Chase right now?

Kyle is like Dale Sr. And if anyone had an attitude, it was Dale Sr until his later racing years. He was booed just like Kyle when he began racing and he would have taken out his own mother to win. You could always count on him making a race exciting even if whatever he did was not so good.

Any new driver to Nascar that wins everything has always been disliked. Jeff Gordon still gets his share of booing. And if you have an "in your face" attitude like Dale Sr, DW, or Kyle Busch, you are really going to hear it.

Wow. JR blog comments again. It is good that this blog is active. However, when is the weekend racing ahead going to be discussed. Talladeaga! Bring it on. Jenn, where are you??

Jeff Gordon unveiled his new car paint scheme this morning on the Today Show. The video can be seen on the Today Show website.

what?? im a jj fan i like kyle busch but... are you for real? what a joke kyle busch is like dale sr.?? not now not ever!! hes a cocky punk who cheats!! now he got caught were has he been? jr. rocks thats final and the bloggers are very confused..pick a driver and stay with them thick or thin!!!

Do Jr. fans know that Jr. Is a Republican. He was interviewed a few year ago by John Roberts @ that time he stated to John he was a Republican.

Does Jr. fans know that he is a Republican. He stated in a interview a few years ago with John Roberts that he was a Republican.

I like Dale Jr. and want him to win every race,or have a decent finish.However,I agree Junior hasn't been what he was at the beginning of the season.Maybe he has too much on his plate,maybe sponsors and people close to Junior expect too much out of him.He has his name on so many different things,I think the only thing he is involved in ouside of the 88 team and truly cares about is JR Motorsports and his foundation on helping sick or disabled children.All the other things are just an investment to building a bigger empire and are business decisions.I can't see him doing the business part and getting involved in all these deals.He just has his name on it and promotes it,and considering all he's involved in,it is taking away his time to devote on the 88 team.As for him being a partier,and living it up,I have no idea because I don't know him personally.But I believe people who work with him have given Junior a image and thats just it,an image.I like him because from what I see and hear he's a nice guy who is down to earth and has his ups and downs like most normal people have.He cares about what people think about him,and that's good,but maybe trying to please too many people who are not having his best interest at heart can be tiring for him.