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April 26, 2007

Earnhardt Nation Needs a Sedative
By Dennis Michelsen
www.racetalkradio.com
As the old saying goes there are some people you just can't please no matter how hard you try! Last week at Phoenix International Raceway Jeff Gordon won his 76th race to tie Dale Earnhardt at sixth place on the all time win list at the NASCAR Cup level. Gordon decided to honor Dale by running a victory lap displaying a No. 3 flag. How cool was that? Any time a current driver pays homage to one of his fallen comrades it is a moving experience! The crowd seemed to love it but on Monday morning Earnhardt Nation went on the rampage. I think it is time for Earnhardt Nation to take a sedative.

Nothing Can Diminish Dale's Greatness
Records are made to be broken. Will breaking the all time homerun record in major league baseball mean that Barry Bonds is a better baseball player than Hank Aaron? In the same way even though Jeff Gordon will pass Dale Earnhardt in total wins it doesn't diminish the importance of Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR history! Even though their careers overlapped, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon represent two different eras in the sport. Trying to compare drivers of different eras is impossible. Total wins are just one measuring stick to use. Jeff Gordon will pass Dale Earnhardt in total wins and someday could even pass David Pearson to grab second place overall. Does that mean Jeff Gordon is the second best driver of all time? Does Dale Earnhardt being in sixth place mean he was the sixth best of all time? No and no are the simple answers to those questions! Let the debate continue on who is the greatest race of all time.

FAN-ATICAL to a Fault
No other group of fans in NASCAR is more fanatical than Earnhardt Nation! I should know because I am a card-carrying member. Sam Bass artwork of Big E and Little E adorn the walls of my office. But I also acknowledge that Jeff Gordon is also a great driver. Some Earnhardt fans attack Gordon's ability saying that he had the best car on the track each and every year he raced due to Hendrick Motorsports dominance. So what? Richard Childress Racing as top dog when Dale was winning all those championships just like Petty Racing was when Richard Petty was winning his titles. Each and every driver that has won a NASCAR championship is a great driver! Which one is the best of all time? That is what is so great about racing that we get to have that debate!

Here's Your Sign
Why is it that the lowest common denominator of fan-dome for a driver can define that group in such a negative way? Last season the infamous "Gunner's Dad" tape on You Tube was hilarious! It was so funny because we all KNOW an Earnhardt fan like that! Then there are the idiots all Bud-ed up at Talladega that pitched the beer cans too. Let's face it folks…there is more than one world-class driver in NASCAR! Dale Earnhardt deserves to be on that short list for the "Greatest Driver" debate but he isn't the only one on that list. Like him or hate him you have to admire what Jeff Gordon has done in his career. Last week Jeff tried to show the Earnhardt Clan some love. Junior appreciated the move and his fans should show that same class each and every week!

Great Race Driver Not Divine Deity
Not even Dale Earnhardt walked on water! Dale Earnhardt Jr is a great driver but he also doesn't deserve the fanatical nuttiness that his fans show for him. Why was the commercial showing Junior talking about changing his number so funny? Because we all KNOW an Earnhardt fan that has carved a "3" or "8" into their scalp or on a cool tattoo! It is a great thing that Earnhardt fans show so much passion towards their guys. But let's remember that in the end Dale and Junior are just racecar drivers not the second coming of Christ! Accept a gesture such as the "3 Flag" at Phoenix as the compliment it was supposed to be. Perhaps it is time for Earnhardt Nation to take a sedative before Gordon wins number seventy-seven at Talladega this weekend so we don't have a riot!

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