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Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008

Earnhardt will be 2008's biggest story

It is very hard to predict what will happen on the track once the NASCAR season takes the green flag next month at Daytona.

Things like Jimmie Johnson's chances of winning his third consecutive Sprint Cup championship or how much help Joe Gibbs Racing will give Toyota's NASCAR effort are tough to prognosticate.

There is, however, one certainty.

That is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will receive an enormous amount of exposure this season, regardless of how he fares in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports.

Is it fair for Earnhardt to get an enormous amount of coverage on a day when he barely finishes in the top 10 if a lesser-known driver such as Scott Riggs or Brian Vickers contends for the win but barely gets a mention during the race broadcast on TV?

Absolutely not.

But that's the landscape of NASCAR right now: From week to week, there are plenty of interesting story lines.

But the biggest story, at least for now, is Earnhardt, whom NASCAR CEO Brian France noted may have caused a decline in TV ratings because of his lack of success on the track in 2007.

"If Dale Jr. has a big year, that will help," France said during a news conference Monday. "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 went to Hendrick Motorsports because it gave him the best chance to win championships on the Cup level.

With a team like Hendrick, one with a few more gadgets, toys and personnel, it will be easy to see how good of a driver Earnhardt really is.

Is he a good driver who managed to win races despite a mediocre DEI organization? Is he a driver with an opportunity to drive because his father is Dale Earnhardt Sr.? Those answers will be known this season.

The truth of the issue is that right now, the success or failure of NASCAR's most popular driver at Hendrick is a very compelling story line. It is something that has been anticipated ever since he announced his plans to drive for the team referred to Monday by France as "the New England Patriots of NASCAR."

Will there be much to talk about this season other than Earnhardt? Absolutely.

Jeff Gordon will still be seeking his fifth championship after Hendrick Motorsports dominated the competition last year, painting a really big bull's-eye on its back for the rest of the garage to shoot at. Practically every team in the garage area will enter the year feeling it has a great chance to make it into the Chase for the championship this year.

Plus, it is only a matter of time before Tony Stewart becomes the usual Tony Stewart and complains about either NASCAR or one of his fellow drivers, perhaps new teammate Kyle Busch.

Still, Earnhardt is the biggest thing to watch for going into the season, so fans would be well-served by getting used to hearing about him more than they may like.