Dale Earnhardt Junior

He has been the driver I cheer for every week since his Cup debut. I loved seeing the bond between him and his father. Because of the bond that was shown, I even started rooting for his dad (something that NEVER happened before Junior entered Cup).

Rarely have I rooted for Gordon or Johnson (known by a friend of mine as Gordon, Jr). I don’t root for them, not because I don’t like them as drivers, not because I don’t think they have talent or deserve to be where they are (they are both great drivers and drive clean – for the most part, just like most of the other drivers). I don’t root for them because my parents root for them and I have a bad habit of enjoying rooting against people just to needle them about it. Call it a character flaw (whatever!). I enjoy it, and they enjoy needling me about my drivers. I have NEVER cheered for Bush (or shrub as some people call Kyle). I have, however, cheered for Casey Mears (known by my friend as Gordon’s grandson). Having Junior in the Hendricks stable isn’t going to change any of that for me.

I will ALWAYS be a Dale Earnhardt Junior fan! No matter where he goes, what manufacturer he drives, what sponsors are on his car, or who he drives for/with. He IS MY DRIVER!

I think this move is the BEST move Junior could make. Hendrick is a winner. He has winners under his roof. He has championships under his belt (most important, they’re recent ones too!). The biggest reason I think this is the best move for Junior is because he is HAPPY. He was the happiest during this announcement than I have seen him in a LONG time. This is the JUNIOR that I LOVE! He was laughing, he had the twinkle back in his eyes. He’s BACK! Even in the written transcript of that announcement, the media felt it necessary to write (laughter) whenever he or Hendrick laughed. They have a comraderie that has been missing in DEI for a VERY long time.

Great job, Junior. Congratulations on your new ride. I’ll be rooting for you EVERY week.