Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's meal ticket, much the same as Sidney Crosby is to the NHL. Without them in the game people change the channel.
So it was Saturday night in the Budweiser Shootout which gave us more exciting racing that we have seen in a long time. Junior was back and forth at or near the top, partnering with whomever wanted to dance. The Daytona grandstand was like a popcorn popper with people jumping up and down in uncontrolled delight as cars hit 206 mph. Having Dale Jr. in the mix was the melted butter.
Then Carl Edwards decided to try and fit his race car into a space the size of a Cracker Jack box. Naturally he got nicked on the right side causing him to veer left into Jr's right rear fender and the result was a wreck that took out Edwards, Earnhardt and about a half dozen others.
Why would Edwards try such a bonehead move? The race had only just started again after the 50 lap mandatory break and there was a ton of racing left. You would think an experienced racer like that would show just a little more patience at that stage of the race. That maneuver is something you would only try with 200 yards to go to the finish line and a chance to win.
I don't have the answer but it is plain that Earnhardt has the worst luck of any driver in NASCAR. His car seems to be a magnet for guys who make mistakes and it isn't only him who pays the price but it's also the fans who lose out.
Now that Earnhardt has won the pole for the 500, he should pull over with some mechanical issue on Thursday in the Gatorade 150 lest some idiot take him in which case he would have to change cars and start at the back of the field on Sunday. There are two cars that have qualified for the Daytona 500 and neither one should be eliminated from their front row positions on Thursday just because everyone else is racing for a spot.
It would be in the best interests of NASCAR and their fans if boneheads became brainiacs and Dale Jr. gets a chance to win the 500 fair and square.