He may have been a second generation racer, but his father was gone before his career even really got started. He had some help along the way, but truly, he battled for every inch of ground he ever gained.
A lot of today’s young drivers have backgrounds that actually bear a greater resemblance to that of many Olympic athletes than a hardscrabble stroker trying to catch a break. The parents make personal sacrifices to get their prodigy’s career started, moving to whatever location necessary, spending whatever money was needed. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s pretty much how Jeff Gordon’s career was launched and Joey Logano followed a similar path. Quite simply, parents spotted a precocious talent and nurtured the best way they knew.
Others come to NASCAR with racing in their blood. David Ragan comes to mind, as do the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle. The most notable examples of such are no less than the sons of two (actually three) members of NASCAR’s first Hall Of Fame class- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty and Bill France Jr (not as a driver, but you get what I mean).
T You can’t change what family you were born into, but you can see where I’m going with this by now. What we don’t have is a notable young racer who battled and clawed to get to the top a la Dale Earnhardt. Not making it, for Earnhardt, meant becoming a "Linthead" at Fieldcrest Cannon.
Yeah, there are some guys who’ve trod a less than smooth path to get to the Cup level- but had Carl Edwards not made it racing cars, he’d likely be teaching somewhere. If Kurt Busch had not found NASCAR success, he’d likely be filling your prescription. I’m probably being a bit simplistic, but I think you see what I’m getting at: today’s NASCAR just doesn’t have that rough hewn survivor, fresh off the factory floor taking his one shot at glory.
I get the sense, that the Chase, the Car of Tomorrow and all the rule changes aside, that what NASCAR is really lacking is a folk hero, a driver of whom you can say, "He is one of us", like you could Earnhardt.
I don’t know if that’s possible, given the world in which we live. In a broader sense, our culture has changed. The youngest athletes, be it racing or football, have chosen a specialized road much earlier, becoming the new Jeff Gordon’s of their sport. That blue collar guy, well, there’s a lot fewer of him, as manufacturing jobs have gone overseas and technology has advanced.
Breaking in to racing has gotten more expensive than ever. The Hamlin’s sank nearly every penny they had in to getting Denny’s career off the ground. Thank goodness, for them, the investment paid off several times over. It’s not a pleasant thought to consider what would have happened had he failed at his endeavor. Look at all the fledgling teams trying to get off the ground. It’s been said more than once, that to make a small fortune in NASCAR, you have to start out with a large one.
I guess my point is summed up in this question: Could a young Dale Earnhardt have survived trying to break into today’s NASCAR? Can that driver with the humble beginnings, somehow claw and scrap his way in?
Please don’t misunderstand me. This is not a criticism of today’s driver, nor a criticism of today’s NASCAR. As they say, "It is what it is." You can’t make someone something that they’re not. A fabricated folk hero, such as you often see in politics, is worse than no folk hero at all.
Perhaps now, more than ever, I have an appreciation for those racers of days gone by, drivers that pretty much had to fight to get in on their own. Through no fault of their own, such drivers are becoming more and more rare.
So when asking the question, "Are there any Dales out there?", the answer is probably, "not likely." In the world in which we live, they’re harder to come by.
But it wouldn’t be cool if there were? Maybe somewhere- perhaps in an inner city, perhaps in some dying farm community somewhere- the next Dale Earnhardt is out there.
Do you know of anyone out there? Is there someone for whom we should be on the look out? If there is, the story has not yet been told.
And what a story that would be.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Kenny Brooks from Harrisburg NC son of Terry Brooks Sr.
a very sucsessful short track driver from this area. Kenny ran his first full season of latemodel stock at Motor Mile this year finishing
tenth in points. Anyone who has ever been to Motor MIle knows
week after week that is the strongest field of late model any where in the country. Kenny running his own mostly unsponsored car
ran all the races except one, some times changing motors before the race or rebuilding the car between raccs during the nights of twin 75 lappers. One night when the second 75 lapper was posponed untill Sunday they drove home fixed the motor and towed back in time to run the Sunday race.
I was very fortunate to work with Earnhardt Sr. during his early years on dirt and asphalt. I see a lot of the same characteristic in Kenny that Dale had. Time will only tell what Kenny’s career becomes. Someone may hire him, someone may sponsor him or he may continue to run his own equipment. Regardless of what takes place, in an time when good drivers are replace because someone else has some money for sponsorship
it is nice to see one doing it the old way. He is earning it.
So glad you asked. I write a column every week for a weekly news paper. I have been following the career of a young man named Peter Dance of Warren CT and he is the real deal. He is 16 and just won his 4th championship as a rookie. Every year for the past 4, he has moved up to the next division winning rookie and the championship. This season he raced a 1200 cc Mini Sprint at Whip City Speedway in Mass. He won 4 feature events and the title as a rookie. Next year he is planning on racing in the Empire Lightning Sprints. That series travels to different race tracks in NY and Vermont. This kid has a passion for racing like I have not seen in a long time. Someone should check him out.
@Tommy.
@Janine.
Thanks for your submissions. We’ll all watch with interest.
Nope if you don’t bring a suitcase full of money or a sponsor or look good on TV and have a rich family to help you start driving by the age of 5 it will be tough to do it anymore.
I disagree that these guys are gone from nascar. Look at David Reutimann’s career. I’ve watched him from the time he was racing short tracks in central/south Florida. His dad was driver and he was given the initial opportunity to drive a car on the local level, but from there on he earned every inch.
@TJ. I’d say that Reutimann’s story comes pretty darn close to it. The lone difference being I’m not sure I get that sense that there’s a “struggle for survival” within his story. By the same token, Beak is aptypical, and frankly, he’s one of the guys I like to see do well as a fan.
I’d argue that Tony Stewart is about as close to Dale Earnhardt that we have these days. He worked his way up thru the ranks and even drove a wrecker to help finance his racing dreams. He left home at 18 and attained his dream on his own. And, look at how successful he has become on his talent alone. He has surrounded himself with smart people and has benefitted greatly. Gotta love Tony! I sure do!
Brad Keselowski
Check out jcstout.com. When it comes to NASCAR, JC and the Stellar Quest Racing Team are a GROUP of blue collar guys trying their darndest to make in NASCAR.
I think many people are missing the point with comparing anyone to Dale Earnhardt Sr, it is not just the desire to race, which is a point that is subjective from person to person. The difference is the pure struggle to even make the race. The struggle is choosing to pay the light bill or put tires on the race car. Tommy Gray i have seen kenny brooks at motor mile and i will agree because he tows a open flatbed when everyone else has renegades, he can only buy one set of tires when the rest buy 2 or 3 to PRACTICE. That is an example of struggle that runs well.