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If NASCAR's fortunes truly depend on the success of Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2008 looks like it will be a very good year.
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| Junior celebrates his Shootout victory. (US Presswire) |
"It would have helped if he would have been competitive," France said. "He didn't win an event, and he certainly didn't make our playoffs. And that's unhelpful if you're trying to build ratings."
France believes a renaissance season for Earnhardt will help bring the sport out of the doldrums.
"If Dale has a big year, that will help," France said. "He's got the biggest fan base. It will energize that fan base, no question. But we're a sport. He's got to earn that. I don't think anybody wants to have success any more than he does. If he does, it will benefit us."
Earnhardt scoffs at the premise, believing the success of NASCAR goes beyond the rise or fall of one driver.
"I don't need any kind of pressure like that," Earnhardt said. "I'm lucky enough to have a big base of fans and of course we want to do well for them, our team and our sponsors. I just don't think the success of the sport rides on how good or bad we do."
But there's no denying that despite a wealth of talented and colorful personalities including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards, Earnhardt remains the biggest name and the driver who transcends the sport.
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"If you ask the average guy on the street to name a NASCAR driver, someone who doesn't follow the sport on a regular basis but at least knows what stock car racing is, 99 percent of them will say Earnhardt," said Kyle Petty, who knows something about having a famous surname associated with NASCAR.
Earnhardt maintains he's under no pressure to succeed for the good of the sport. But that doesn't mean he's stress-free, even as he moves from the soap opera days of DEI to his new Hendrick Motorsports home.
"I don't know, I never felt like I had a monkey on my back," he said. "I've always raced with pressure. I've always raced and worked and lived in tumultuous situations and I just got used to it I guess."
It may be hard for some to imagine Earnhardt dealing with the high expectations that came with moving to the Hendrick powerhouse. But Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout win was a big help in relieving some of the pressure that had been building during the transition.
"This is exactly what we needed coming out of the gate," an elated Earnhardt said. "We've had such a long offseason, and this really made it worth it."
But team owner Rick Hendrick sees a bigger picture beyond just Earnhardt's initial win for the team.
"I think as much as the win, the test we had in Atlanta, the tests in Vegas and California; the way Tony Eury Jr. has interacted with the other crew chiefs and engineers, the way that Dale has worked with the other drivers, one of the things I was concerned about was chemistry more than winning," Hendrick said. "Because, I felt like we can win and I felt like we would be competitive, you know you have to get in a position to win. I think they went to the top of the board in Vegas right off the start, it feels good to answer the question 'Can we win?' OK, we have done that. It takes a big load off."
That load will lessen if Earnhardt continues to be successful in his new surroundings. Having family support, particularly from cousin and crew chief Eury, has been instrumental to Earnhardt's peace of mind and success in his career.
"Tony working with me, side-by-side, we grew up through it even before we got to this level, life wasn't easy," Earnhardt said. "And it wasn't ever a golden road and easy to travel. But it is what it is. There is a lot of pressure, I think, for us. But we've always delivered. And I hope we will continue."
