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


"SimRacer" <NOsimracer68@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:8p2u535llmtetkejkgm89vhh8e277ec1li@xxxxxxxxxx
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. *had* the whole package when running Busch and 2 years ago isn't present
day DEI. IMO, his power play for 51% of DEI was something concocted...maybe
by his sister, i don't know. but it seems like he feels with his name,
popularity rating and his sponsor he could make a demand something and get
it. when Teresa said he'd have to buy the 51% for $51 Million, negoitations
stopped. what i saw in the press conference was a guy who was called on his
poker hand now having to play his last card by making the announcement that
he was a free agent. to save face, Jr. had no choice but to make that
announcemnt and go the route he is now.





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.


in my OP, i said that i don't believe that Jr. is less talented than any
other past champ, but clearly lacks the *whole package* recent champions
have the pleasure of. i like Jr, i'm a fan and i'm not throwing stones. i
wish him the best of luck.

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.


i'm just calling it like i see it. i don't doubt he wants to win. hell why
even race if you don't want to win, but first you have to want to race for
yourself before anything else.

again like i said in my OP, IMO the best choice for what i believe Jr. is
looking for would be from RCR. my reasons for that are Hendrick has already
said no, Gibbs doesn't seem interested (Gibbs was my origional landing spot
for Jr., *not* RCR) Ginn seems like a reasonable choice, but there's no
history there. there's no car owner there who knows what to do when things
get tough. the guy seems to have deep pockets, but it takes more than that
to keep a driver and crew happy as well as put up wins and T5's
consistently.

RCR hit a rough patch after '01 but they are hitting on all eight now and
have 3 drivers in the T10. RChildress may be up there in years, but RCR is
established and looks like it could be here for another decade. Ginn is up
and coming and for Jr. to step forward and try to have a successful career
there is worse than staying at DEI. Dale Sr. went to Childress when he
needed a ride, but Childress knew racing. for Jr. to follow those footsteps
w/ Ginn, from the outside looks bleek and more pressure filled than going to
RCR. maybe Jr. thrives on pressure and Ginn will do for him what RCR did
for his dad.

mike........


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