[We're bringing you a few guest posts this week. First up, this Junior offering from Stock Car Spin's Ben Montedonico. --JB]
It's no secret that NASCAR's "Most Popular Driver" has been struggling this season. You don't have to look at his results. You don't have to pay attention to his demeanor. All you have to do is watch the weekly reaction shown by Junior Nation.
Yes, Junior Nation appears to be a disgruntled people. It has even gotten to the point where it appears that Junior Nation's numbers are shrinking. But while NASCAR's largest nation continues to dwindle in size, one citizen of this nation appears to have a bright outlook on NASCAR life.
I recently had the chance to interview this citizen. Ruel, who hails from the great city of Atlanta, says he has been a Junior fan "since he jumped into a race car."
The interview, below ...
Ben: What was it about Junior that made you decide he was the guy you wanted to pull for?
Ruel: I am sure that most of Junior's fans that have been into the sport for a while were fans of his dad. A lot of people like to point this out. "He wouldn't be anything without his famous father" and so forth. Well, that may be true. However, he did win two championships in the Nationwide series. The next progression for any driver would be to move up to Cup. He got a cup ride with "Dear Old Dad" and did really well. He won 3 or so races his rookie year, and the All Star Race. So quite naturally he developed an enormous fan base.
Then he lost his father in the crash at Daytona. This is probably overlooked by most haters. This was a tremendous loss to him. He lost more than a father; he lost his mentor and someone that he admired so much and wanted to please. He idolized his dad to the point of always comparing him to a "John Wayne." I think he lost some drive after that...not sure, that is just my opinion. There was immediate pressure on him to "fill a void". All of Dale Sr.'s fans looked to him to carry the torch and be a replacement for his dad. This is a lot to live up to.
So, yes, I like a lot about Junior by looking at all that he has had to deal with and how he has carried himself. The thing that most people make fun of ... I like. I love his interviews, they just seem more genuine and not the same old rehearsed polished speeches. He seems very real to me. I think this is why he appeals to a lot of blue collar fans.
So, why was I a Dale Sr. fan? Well, this is where it gets a little complicated. I was a Nascar neophyte. I went to my first race at Atlanta back in 1990 or so. I was into Chevys and was with people that were explaining the sport to me and were Dale Sr. fans. Naturally I was persuaded to notice the "3" car. I liked the car, the sponsor and the way he drove it. So, it may sound shallow, but I just started following him and continued. This led me to be a Junior fan.
Ben: When did you begin getting frustrated with his performance?
Ruel: I would say about the time Eury Sr. turned everything over to Eury Jr. The numbers don't lie. He had better seasons and more wins with Sr. He was a back to back Nationwide (Busch) champion with Sr. not Jr. You can see how hard that is to accomplish nowadays.
Ben: Which part of this season has been most frustrating for you as a fan?
Ruel: I am frustrated with the races where he is not able to race with the big boys. I don't like watching him race in the back of the pack with the 20-35 place teams. To get outrun by un-sponsored single car teams is ridiculous. That's not too fun to watch.
Ben: Was getting rid of Tony Eury Jr. the right move in your eyes?
Ruel: Yes, I am not blaming Eury Jr. for all the problems, I just think that family may not create the best chemistry at the race track. I think it worked better with Eury Sr. because Dale Jr. had more respect for him and his decisions. I listen to most in-car audio with Raceview, so I hear the exchanges every week. Tony Jr. and Dale Jr. couldn't seem to get on the same page without a ton of second guessing and bantering back and forth. They seen to always take an okay car and make it worse by the end of the race. "Just fix the #%$& car" is not good communication.
Ben: Have you considered switching drivers, or will you remain loyal to the end? Ruel: Not really, there is no one that stands out that I might be interested in. I guess I will remain loyal to the end. Then again, I was the only one at the Braves games before the 90s, and that worked out. Maybe I'll switch to Harvick, he is doing worst but no one's writing articles everyday about his troubles. You can see the pressure differences.
Ben: As a fan, have you noticed an improvement in his performance? How much?
Ruel: Most definitely, it is mainly in the communication. Lance is making the calls. Junior still puts in his suggestions, but the calls are being made on the pit box. I think every decision should come from the pit box; they get a lot of data from the tires that they can use to balance the car. Junior actually ran well at Sonoma and he rarely runs well on the road courses. I think that he may be a better driver than his haters would admit. He just needs to continue to work on communicating with Lance on what the car is doing and not try to make the calls from the car. I think that he is under so much pressure that he feels that he needs to get more involved. Just drive the car!!!
Ben: If you were Rick Hendrick, what is one thing you would change about the #88 team?
Ruel: I think I would do what I feel Rick is going to do. Just let these changes play out ‘till the end of the year and see how it goes. There is definitely improvement. Rick came on the radio after the Sonoma race and told the team how proud he was of their performance, even though they had got taken out. They had a solid day at Loudon. Pocono wasn't so good, but they will get another shot soon to figure that one out.
So while it seems that the numbers of Junior Nation are dwindling, and the times are bleak, one citizen of Junior Nation has a very positive outlook on NASCAR life.
I'd like to thank Ruel for agreeing to do the interview. He did an excellent job breaking down the team and driver's issues, made some excellent points, and brought into the light a promising forecast for the future of Junior Nation.
Things might not be so bad for them, after all.
[Thanks to Ben for the interview. Visit Stock Car Spin and check out more of his work!]
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