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Time isn't waiting for Junior

Dale Earnhardt Jr., 27, wants to be a great driver and team owner. It won't happen overnight.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 20, 2002

His image is everywhere, from convenience store checkouts to cologne counters, but NASCAR's newest icon is struggling to find his place in the world.

Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. cannot outrace time.

Forced to grow up quickly when his father died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. yearns to be a leader in the company his father founded, a respected voice in the Winston Cup garage and a championship driver.

Unfortunately, it takes time.

"That's everybody's goal in life, to gain authority and gain power," the 27-year-old said recently. "I think I've got a lot more things to offer than just winning a couple of races here and there and having a couple of cool articles in a few cool magazines. Hopefully, as I get several more years under my belt and a few more people find me a little more credible, we'll find out."

The Winston Cup title is up for grabs at the halfway point in the 36-race schedule, but Earnhardt Jr. is not a contender. In an inconsistent season he is 14th in the standings, 463 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Is he trying to do too much?

If his father were alive, Earnhardt Jr.'s sole focus would be driving the No.8 Chevrolet. Instead, he is dabbling in the decisionmaking process at Dale Earnhardt Inc., making suggestions to vice president Ty Norris, offering opinions on his teammates, making himself available to employees and starting a Busch Grand National team.

"I don't think I will ever be able to fill a fraction of the role my dad played in the company," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But he was the kind of guy that we don't have anymore, who the employees could come up to and say, 'Man, I really wanted to get these couple of days vacation, what can I do to make it up or make it happen?' Those personal issues and maybe questions about decisions we made at the racetrack.

"I try to be that when and if I can. It's so early to tell right now. You want to snap your fingers and be the man, but I think the best thing for our future (is) we eventually have to bring somebody in that can be the president of the company that can make major decisions."

Michael Waltrip, driver of DEI's No.15 and a close friend of Earnhardt Sr., has seen the son take an active interest in the workings of the company in the past six months. He senses Earnhardt Jr. is itching to put his stamp on something.

"I think he wants to know more and do more and be involved, a lot more than a year ago," said Waltrip, who recently signed a two-year contract extension with DEI. "He's got to earn it. It's a big issue as we go forward, for sure."

Earnhardt Jr. and his stepmother, DEI chairwoman Teresa Earnhardt, will co-own a BGN team that will compete in several races in 2003, some with Earnhardt Jr. at the wheel. He hoped to own the team alone, but Norris and Teresa convinced him an affiliation with DEI made more sense.

"I'm going to have a lot of input on the personnel that works within the team and how the cars are built kind of down to the brass specifics of what goes on with the team," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I'll try to learn a little bit about what DEI is all about and try to, without putting my driving career in trouble, learn more about being a car owner."

Ah, yes, the catch. While few would question Earnhardt Jr.'s potential to one day run the family business, his quest seems at odds lately with the only title he currently holds at DEI: driver.

Since cracking the top five in the standings with a victory in April at Talladega, his only win of the season, Earnhardt Jr. has struggled to achieve consistency.

"We've got areas just like other race teams that could use some polishing," said Earnhardt Jr., who is running away with NASCAR's most popular driver voting. "I just can't figure out why we can't be competitive every week. I don't know what it is and how to get that. ... Our highs are so high and our lows are so low, so it kind of takes its toll on you after a while."

A low was California, where Earnhardt hit the outside wall at an estimated 130 mph, one of his hardest crashes. Over the next seven races, he posted two top 30s and fell 11 places in points.

Hoping to turn things around at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, one of Earnhardt Jr.'s favorite tracks, his interest in DEI seemed to interfere. Running second to Waltrip, he had to be persuaded by crew members to make a move for the lead in the closing laps. He finished sixth.

But he is learning.

"I'm only in my third season," he said. "I am the son of one of the greatest drivers. I'm not quite one of the greatest drivers yet."

In time, perhaps.

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