Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to benefit from Federal spending

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 Nat'l Guard car

It seemed almost certain that the U.S. House of Representatives would nix federal spending in the form of military sponsorships in NASCAR.

After all, a House committee in a bi-partisan effort voted to ban such multi-million dollar frivolities. At the eleventh hour though, the amendment was withdrawn and spending for NASCAR sponsorships were allowed to continue.

While Dale Earnhardt, Jr. whose #88 car is sponsored by the National Guard, was a major beneficiary of the House of Representatives' change in thinking, that wasn't the case with Ryan Newman's #39 U.S. Army-sponsored race car.

Too late for Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman's #39 U.S. Army carJust a week before the final vote was taken on Capital Hill, the U.S. Army decided to withdraw sponsorship at Stewart-Haas Racing, the team that fields Newman's car, at the end of this season.

It is true that Junior's season has been the best he's had in recent years. He even won a race in June at Michigan, the first since 2008. He has shown consistency this season, evident by his being in second place in the points standings.

It is also true that even though Newman won at Martinsville in April, he has been in a slump since then.

Junior has one thing Newman will never have though--his infamous father. Dale Earnhardt has arguably been called the greatest NASCAR driver ever. He was certainly the most popular driver, which is a title his son has inherited.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has received benefits before because of his last name. He is looked upon as the golden boy. NASCAR announcers rarely miss an opportunity to sing his praises, sometimes when they are not even deserved.

Newman is the polar opposite; his achievements often go unnoticed.

I make no accusations, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that a little lobbying by NASCAR brass on Junior's behalf could have taken place just to keep him in the National Guard car. This wouldn't be the first time NASCAR has exerted favortism Junior's way.

The bottom line is that Newman is again the guy on the outside looking in--the one who has to try harder, just to achieve that equal footing. Not only is the loss of the U.S. Army as a sponsor troublesome for Newman, but the loss could be career-changing. Newman's contract is up at the end of this season. He has already been warned that if sponsorship cannot be found for next year, he may lose his ride at Stewart-Haas Racing.

There are certainly places he could go, and with his driving abilityt, he would be able to land a premier ride, but if nothing else, such uncertainty is a major distraction for someone on the border line of not making the top 12 in the NASCAR points ranking.

As a Newman fan, this is all just disheartening, especially since I know what my favorite driver is capable of. There remains plenty of time to turn it around before the Chase for the Championship is set. I can only feel for what Newman must be going through.

Junior won at Michigan; he won it for himself, not for his father

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on pit road

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for his win at Michigan International Speedway Sunday. He drove a good race, led plenty of laps, and held off Champion Tony Stewart for the win.

A Dale Earnhardt Jr. autograph (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maybe now everyone will get off Junior's back and leave the poor guy alone. I have for some time, felt sorry for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. In all the years I've watched NASCAR, and I admit I'm a newbie by most standards, at only eight years, but I have yet to see Junior live up to the enormous expectations and hype laid upon his head by fans, the pundits, and NASCAR brass. I'm not sure anyone could live up to that, (except maybe for Tony Stewart's herculean performance last year, when he won five out of ten races.)

So much pressure has been put on Junior that it has obviously had a negative effect. His name is evoked by announcers dozens of times during every race, pre-race, or post-race show, no matter what he does. Clearly, evoking Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s name is a mandate by NASCAR itself, since as a fan favorite, to NASCAR, that translates into dollars.

No matter what Junior does on the track, his name is mentioned--a lot! Excuses are made for his doing things like driving by his pit stall or making some other boneheaded move that only a rookie would make. After a few of those, the hype seemed to tone down a little. That all changed with Junior's latest run of obvious good luck. Junior has been running well, leading laps and being consistent enough to earn points. Finally NASCAR is getting what it wants. Maybe they will back off a little now that Junior has won a race.

Who am I kidding? They will never leave him alone. Now we will be hearing, and it has already begun, Junior can be the champion. There will likely be more pressure on him to not just win again, but to lead the points battle now and during the Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Yes, Junior has a big fan base, so he is NASCAR's favorite son. Let's face it--as the son of the late Big E, Junior will never be left alone to be his own person.

Not only does that affect him, but it also affects the other 42 drivers who are unable to compete on a level racetrack, so to speak. And it is so unfair to those of us who are not card-carrying members of Junior Nation.

We are called haters. We are not haters. We are just not blinded by the BS.

Funny, Junior's big win came on Father's Day, yet I didn't hear anything in post race interviews with Junior about winning this one for his father's memory, except by the media. It seems clear to me that Junior is very uncomfortable with the position he has been put into--living in his father's shadow. It has obviously been very difficult for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to live up to they hype. It would be difficult for anyone. I'd love it if they would leave him alone, for his sake as well as ours.