I was there, 7 years old. Also saw him win in 2012. Wish I knew the significance of this moment at that age. And damn look at them grand stands packed full
You know, it's got to be so damn frustrating for Jr. He has come so freaking close to a win, but just gets that bad luck and it all goes downhill. Examples: Martinsville, Charlotte, and Kansas. All of those times, I swear to god he was gonna win. Just can't get that break. Good luck in 2012 Jr. You're going to need it.
Remember this clear as day. Eating dinner at my grandparents house(RIP), with my family and we had this on the tiny tv in the dining room. I remember thinking I couldn't remember the last time Junior won, and then when that caution came out dad and I were Soo happy he finally won again.
I missed this race because i was at STL Cardinals Baseball game with my father and grandfather.... we won that day but the stadium scoreboard show that Dale Jr won the Michigan race and half of stadium cheered!
Notice how fast the caution came out, If it was anyone else leading they would be flipping out saying NO CAUTION NO CAUTION, and let them race as long as the wreck wasn't on the track. But the sport needed a win from Junior, and it needs it now too, I wish he would win again.
have a great feeling all damn week about sundays race. itll be 3 years since this win sunday and itll be fathers day again at michigan, JR IS GONNA WIN, i feel it!!!! i say hes gonna win every week but i have that feeling this week!! GO JR!!!!!!
Jr's been struggling the last 2 years but he started this year off good. If he didn't wreck at Daytona the 11th at Bristol would most likely be his worst finish of the year. He isn't quite good yet to win on another track besides Daytona or 'Dega but if he continues to improve he might end up in victory lane with a few breaks
@racefan0051 i totaly agree. i have loved the dale earnhardt racing family ever since i was 5. I'm 16 now. i'm a big earnhardt fan. when his dad died i loved him even more
@Carfire45 what about the Daytona 500 two years ago? He took out half the field singlehandedly due to his own negligence Although that did secure a victory for Matt Kenseth whom im also a fan of so happy days
@saintsrulz Oh, add Jamie McMurray to that list...puzzling, two wins last year, including the Daytona 500..but people still wanna write him off, oddly..
@TheGoaltender94 He signed a 5 year contract with HMS and his 1st season with them was 2008. 2012 is the last year of the contract. He moved to HMS for sole purpose to win a Sprint Cup title, but I felt like he could've done that with DEI. If he moves to MWR that would be a big boost for that organization because they have an experienced driver who can win races.
Lol no not really! I was pulling for Stewart (as I do every year lol) but I knew he didn't have a long run car. I was praying for a caution, but it was nice to see Jr. win in the Batman car this time!
Jr had skill on that restart to win this race but he threw that skill out the door at lowes this year GASING IT TOO MUCH to win it and had a straight away not enough. Had he NOT gunned it for a whole lap on that restart he'd of had enough and of been another first time lowes winner. He had that win sealed before the caution after but oh well. Hes still a awesome driver!
@racefan0051 i agree, i do he wll make the chase this year. and he will get at least 1 win. I know jr sucked last year. But look, he doing alot better than last year
Jr is not consistent. Yes, he has 18 wins, 2 busch series championships, and has been in the hunt for the .."sprint cup" (WINSTON CUP) championship, but he has never been consistent since the mid-2000s. That's why people say Jr sucks. He has high, peaking moments, and then he'll just flat out suck a month later. Not all of it is his fault, but let's face reality. He is not a closer. He has not won since 2008. Jr is not all that great
The last two have been on mileage......sheez. Look nobody wants to see him win like me, nobody knows what its like to be him, nobody knows what really happened at DEI, nobody knows, BUT .. if were JR racing, his cars, his motors, his team , it wouldnt stink as bad. As a 3 fan, you are suppose eat,sleep,breathe,race,bleed to out run hendrick, not work for the crookkid empire. Think Jr. could get his own sponsors ? a stack of resumes from the racing world organized to start his own dynasty ? Yep.
@TheGowbeast He was also the only driver in the entire chase to not win a single race. At least Kyle won a few times this season. ;) Unlike Dale who chokes during the chase AND regular season year after year. Personally, I'd feel utterly ashamed if I was the only person in the chase without a single win, and without a green flag win since 2006. If I were a Jr fan, I'd be wearing a paper bag over my head at races by now.
@SlayerPayback You keep on saying '8th in points', but are oblivious to the fact that NASCAR evened the playing field after the last regular season race (where Dale Jr was barely hanging on). Suddenly, there was only 12 points dividing the driver in the first place slot from the driver in the 12th place slot. So, they pretty much started from scratch, which means an 8th place is actually pretty bad. Compare standings after the races...the points went to 2012 (1st) to 2000 (12th.)
@SlayerPayback And you can say what you like, but so far...every prediction or talking point jr Nation has thrown out has been proven wrong. There was no tidal wave of wins, he's a mid-pack car AT BEST. And yes, he hasn't won under a green flag since 2006. And he's in his prime. That is the marks of a driver who is completely useless except for marketing because he has the name of some famous dead driver.
@SlayerPayback The simple notion that you think Jr even has a CHANCE is pretty much a laughing matter. He's only IN the chase because Brad just-JUST missed that top ten a few races ago, and of course, all the people running out of gas at Chicago. But Jr the Loser is plummeting again, and won't last very long. None of the people who analyze this sport think he even has a remote shot at it, and even the fanbase has voted him coming in 12th in the final standings. (Nascar.com)
@SlayerPayback So, you can't even spell 'write' and you're calling me a moron, eh? And actually, you can pretty much write (not 'wright') JJ off because he hasn't been winning this year (unless he does get another win), except for a single race. Nearly everyone else contending, you know, people who actually CAN win it. It's only a matter of time before Gordon or Kyle, or possibly even Brad get that next win or two. Then it's bye-bye JJ-and Ralphie, though I can't see him lasting two more races.
@PchanStitch No they wouldnt. He still gets top 10s. Hes still always up there in the top 15. He would be done if he was racing for 25th every week. If your so sure hed be done if he was someone else how come Joe Nemecheck raced for Hendrick for like 5 years and only finished int he top 15 in points once. Dave Blaney raced for RCR and never finished in the top 15 and he was there for like 8 years. You dont even know facts.
@saintsrulz As a fan of the sport and one who is tired of hearing people cumming at the very mention of Dale Jr's name, I can judge him as much as I darn well please. And then fine, if years are so complex, then let's just say in more than 180 starts (74 before this race, and at least 110 after it), he's gotten ONE win and it was ONLY because of a last lap caution, and he WOULD have lost if the caution did not come out. Any other driver would be considered -done- at this rate.
@dudeustupid A black flag would have essentially been a forfeiture as it would have took him from the lead and my point is that Junior gets this warning to not do it again while other drivers will not get that luxury. Its not like I'm just bein nitpicky about some bogus rule that didn't affect anything but the move was obviously done in a fashion that was strongly to Junior's advantage and he only got warned? I don't really care anyway. This is old news and I forgot I even posted this
Dale Junior has two wins since 5/6/2006 36 races a year.... Been with Hendrick Motorsports since 2008. Since 1994, Hendrick has won 4 Daytona 500's, 7 Brickyard 400's, over 6 Coke 600's, and most of all 8 Sprint Cup Championships What I'm saying is that Dale Jr. is the male-equivelent of Danica Patrick...
@SlayerPayback So, you're somehow trying to tell me that someone with only 23 top tens in three years (95 races), is in league with Gordon with 57 top tens in the same time frame or Kyle with 47. Does your brain actually -function-? 23 top tens in 95 races means...he's finishes mid-pack or worse in those other 72 races.
@saintsrulz Know who also still gets top tens and top fives? Bobby Labonte. Mark Martin. Kasey Khane. Brian Vickers. Yet, many consider them no longer factors and say they should retire, heck, Martin even got five wins a couple years ago. Why's Dale Jr still a factor and not them? By the way, if we've gotten to the point when a top 15 is something to boast..that's just sad.
@saintsrulz Uh, no it has not. This is his only win since 2005. Do the math....2011-2005 = 6. So this is his only win in that six year period. And also, DUH, I don't race, so telling me this is more than I'll ever get is like telling me that a great white biting a person in half is more than anyone I'd ever bite in half...
@saintsrulz And it is also very pathetic as well. That is his only win in the last...five years? Six? If in six straight years the one win you can boast was because you got lucky with a last lap caution, no matter what you call it...it's not exactly an achievement to be proud of like Jr Nation claims. If that was anyone else the same people would respond with 'big deal.'
More like a "win". If they race stayed green, he would have been out of gas and not won. His actual winless streak is well over 200 now, considering his last win under green was in 2006. The Jr era is over and he's going the way of Labonte, deal with it. He MAYBE, and that is a HUGE, GINORMOUS MAYBE, has about five wins left in his Sprint career.
@SlayerPayback well think about who his teammate was! Michael Waltrip! lol. This is mcmurrays first year in this car, new team, new car, and hes running flat out good. Oh and that 6 race season...didnt he win 3 restrictor plate races that year, thats about all he won due to DEI was overall dominant at restrictor plate tracks. hell even Waltrip was dominant lol
@SlayerPayback mcmurray is , montoya is, oh and they r actually winning races now..lol. Mcmurray is an inch from the chase, and if he has 2 races like hes been running he will probably make it. They r much better without him, and henderick will be better when he leaves. Good lord, hes only made the chase once since it was implemented
my God people, i look at the owners & think, look at their burden, hendrick rocks, & jr is set up with them, kyle was an idiot that only wrecked hendrick cars. & now tony stewart runs the same hendrick package on his owner/ driver status. it's gonna be some fierce racing, & you just gotta love all that dare to do it!
@PchanStitch If you win on luck thats still a win. NASCAR rules clearly state that if a caution comes out while the white flag is out than its over. Meaning the leader wins. Jr was the leader. SO Jr won. It was winning on fuel. No matter what you think that is a win.
What nobody talks about is that Dale Jr passed the Pace car under caution to keep his momentum for fuel milage which is illegal and should have resulted in forfeiture (see the Vickers interview about this). Obviously NASCAR would never punish the good ole boy Dale Jr.
@highway955 ok, heres another JR crybaby! lol. Like i said, i think its funny that he thought that he had to go to the most dominant nascar team just to win, but its all he can do to get a top20 finish and forget the chase, Hell even DEI is actually better without him
@redsoxguy617 lol ok i will stay out of it, but just because hes your favorite driver doesnt mean hes the best driver ever. I think its funny that he thought by going to Henderick, he was just going to start laying down wins. Hey Jr....lets try making the chase first lol
AND ANOTHER LEFT OH WAIT ANOTHER LEFT, ANOTHER LEFT ANOTHER LEFT, ANOTHER LEFTANOTHER LEFT, ANOTHER LEFTANOTHER LEFT, ANOTHER LEFTANOTHER LEFT, ANOTHER LEFT THIS IS SO FUN TO WATCH GO SHIT A CRASH AD CENTRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a Jr. fan today was Great,... means nothing, 1 out of a 144. At least he had somebody besides his sister to give him a kiss, but you see who he answered to first.. the very person he needs to separate from to ever be in victory lane on regular basis.
@TheGowbeast Not to mention he was only IN the chase due to the new wild card system. He finished the regular season in 12th. He'd be a no-go any other season. So he only, ONLY got 7th in points thanks to the reset and wild card system.
@saintsrulz He didn't HAVE enough fuel to finish under green. He didn't 'win' on fuel, he was bloody close to LOSING on fuel and got very, very, very, very lucky when that yellow flag flew. He would not have won at all if that didn't happen.
@SlayerPayback Put another way, there is a new field of 12 drivers. And in that field of 12 drivers with the 2000 to 2012 from-the-start points set up, Dale Jr is pretty close to LAST place in said field.
michael waltrip brought that last caution on purpose so that jr could win. thats a good thing. this 2011 season has been great for jr. i think he can win a race this year or two if he has the car to do it.
lol, the only way Jr can win anymore is by spinning other drivers or when Nascar gives it too him. Plus he passed the pace car two or three times under caution. Nascar will not do anything, because he is their golden boy.
@redsoxguy617 what exactly has he done for nascar! Just because he is the most popular driver doesnt mean he has done anything for the sport. All he did was use his last name to get rich
I'm a Matt kenseth fan however, Jr. honestly just has the worst luck out there on the track. He really doesn't do anything to cause wrecks he just gets caught into them
dale jr is awsome because his dad was famous and so is he today.and he finished 11 in points so thats bad but he had a good car all year and in the pratice.
@PchanStitch No its not? His last win before this one was in 2006. Than this win was in 2008. And I dont care. Dont judge someone who is more than you.
@blawilliams of course he planned on laying down wins with hendricks otherwise why would he go there? did you fall and hit your head on the butter churn?
