Re: Dale Jr. and Ginn, take two ...

On Wed, 30 May 2007 20:18:46 GMT, "JerseyMike"
<clamdigger724@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"Greg Bailey" <nowhereman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:c8udnUrG88eXPsDbnZ2dnUVZ_vKunZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I've spent about 24 hours trying to come up with the proper words to toss
this thought out with, so here goes.

I said yesterday I thought the Ginn option might not be the sexiest option
or the option that most of the fans want for Jr., but it might be the best
overall option for him.

This is the question that must be asked ... does Jr., after what had to
have
been a wrenching and emotional decision to leave his father's team, want
to
immediately unleash the whirlwind that would be caused by going right into
his father's seat. And yes, I know that technically Harvick has his
father's
seat, but who do you really think will make that distinction? In
everyone's
eyes he will be going into his father's seat. And even down the road, does
Jr. want the pressure that will be unleashed and will never ease if he
takes
over his father's seat? Because what can he ever do in that ride that will
be good enough, other than allowing a segment of fans to relive something
that ended forever on 2/18/01? And how would he ever, EVER, carve out his
own identity as a man and as a race driver in that particular situation.?

You have to give Ginn credit, he's at least taking the initiative and
making
contact and going after Jr., and what do they say about the early bird
getting the worm? Plus he's apparently willing to go to the mat and has
the
green stuff in his pocket to do it with. I like the guy's style and the
way
he's going about building a team ... I understand a seven-point shaker
machine is on the way to his shop. He reminds me a lot of a car dealer who
showed up in 1984 and started making a few waves on the circuit.




Jr. needs to be somewhere people aren't afraid of his retaliation. in the
past he has openly been very critical of his team when things didn't go his
way, and now he seems to be turning the page and been very supportive and
appreciative of a good car, but he needs to be with a team, not a group of
people that coddle him and cower when he gets pissed. that's the impression
i get of the situation at DEI. it seems as though he demands respect for
who he is and his *presumed* ability but he really doesn't have anything to
back it up. is his lack of wins due to real lack of ability or crappy
equiptment and team at DEI.? it is a combo of both? comapre to
JG,JJ,MK,K.Busch,Newman and others who have won recent championships i don't
believe that those guys are more talented than Jr. but they had the *whole
package* when they were winning and champions.


Junior has the whole package. You don't win 2 NBS titles, or 6 Cup
races in a year as recent as 2004 and not. But what he doesn't have is
support from his owner to make the whole organization and individual
teams therein better. So I understand his "grass is greener" elsewhere
mentality. And his demands on his team boil down to nothing more than
the desire to win, it has nothing to do with "who he is" as you put
it. I certainly didn't see any of that "know who I am" attitude in his
press conference. I saw a humbled kid, that wants to do well, and
wanted to do it well at DEI and came to the realization that it just
wasn't happening.

Jr. has a huge following but being m,ost popular doesn't help win
championships or races.


No, but he has talent. His fans and the unclouded thinkers in the
audience know this. Again, you don't win 17 times on tour and have two
Busch Cups at home without the talent to finish out both races and
championship runs. Actually, he won a track championship at Myrtle
Beach at a fairly young age too. He has the skills, and has for some
time, regardless how much y'all like to throw stones at him.

Jr. needs someone with the experience of running teams and handling drivers
and team members for him to really be successful. an owner who can group
people and make them a unit not a crew and a driver. an owner who can get
the driver and crew to work together, respect each other and pull each other
up when needed. RCR does seem to fill that criteria, but is Jr. ready to
really follow his daddy's footsteps. IMO there is more pressure to succeed
at RCR than at DEI, but, again IMO if there's an owner out there who can
gell a team for Jr. it is RChildress. afterall, RC has know Jr. his whole
life and i'm sure he can push the right buttons that will make Jr. tick and
see what it is to really be part of a team instead of the bosses kid.

the question is what does Jr. *really want* from an owner, team and career,
and the only one who knows that is him.


He wants to find success again, because he feels like his fans are due
equal success to the amount of adoration they put forth for him. He
hasn't forgotten how to drive, and has the ability that everyone seems
to be questioning lately. If he ends up with the right team, this will
all look just like what it is, a bunch of basically clueless
assertions about a situation that very few people really seem to
grasp.


mike.............

.

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