“You’re not allowed to compare anybody to Dale Earnhardt,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. responds to Clint Bowyer’s Kyle Busch-Dale Sr. comparison
Kyle Busch made his NASCAR debut (In the Truck Series) the same year Dale Earnhardt died in a tragic accident.
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Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years of dominance and two Cup titles to join rivals Richard Childress Racing in 2022. The veteran shattered all the expectations and has already established himself as a title contender in just two regular season races. Busch was a contender for wins in the LA Clash and season opener Daytona 500 but wasn’t fortunate enough to score a win. He was able to score his first RCR win in Fontana convincingly.
Busch is the most successful driver RCR has signed since Kevin Harvick left for SHR in 2014. Harvick replaced 7 times Cup champion Dale Earnhardt in 2001 after his tragic death and expanded the team’s legacy. The KBM owner is now responsible for returning RCR to the elite bracket. The Busch-Dale Sr. comparison is inevitable as the former continues his impressive runs. Fox NASCAR competitors like Clint Bowyer often use such comparisons while calling the races.
Dale Sr., son, and semi-retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. have responded to such comparisons, which he believes are unjustified if the exact context is not given. He added that Busch’s performance at Fontana resembles more of NASCAR legend David Pearson than his father.
“I think that the comparison ends at they’re winners and they’re champions, but there’s really nothing between the two. And I know both of them pretty well. There’s nothing else that reminds me of either one of them. I wonder why — Clint says that every broadcast very emphatically. I kind of wonder what he sees that maybe we don’t see,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in his Dale Jr. Download podcast.
“There are times when we compare drivers to David Pearson, Richard Petty, other greats because of the style. ‘You can’t just say, ‘Hey man, you’re not allowed to compare anybody to Dale Earnhardt.’ I don’t know exactly where I land on that because there are times when you know, this guy, he reminds me of David Pearson because the Silver Fox he was kind of always lurking, and then right at the end of the race he was the fastest thing going. Maybe Kyle Busch was like David Pearson this past weekend more than Dale Earnhardt,” Dale Jr. added.
In case you missed it: Richard Childress reveals the one thing RCR needs to do to ensure Kyle Busch a multi-race win season
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is conflicted when hearing Dale Sr.’s comparison
For die-hard Dale Sr. fans and someone like the JRM owner seeing the legend’s name being used as a gauge to measure greatness and success is conflicting. They are elated witnessing the respect the legend still has in the community. At the same time, they are disturbed that sometimes vague comparisons might tarnish the legacy Sr. has once written on track. Dale Jr. wants individuals to give more context to the comparisons.
“There’s a part of me that likes to hear dad’s name mentioned or hear him recognized or people think this guy that reminded me of him, but I think a little more detail — if you’re going to say Richard’s found his Dale Earnhardt, he’s found his winning driver, he’s found his champion. Earnhardt made RCR what it was, arguably. This guy can keep it going. He can do for the team the same thing going forward,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
Kyle Busch is the winningest driver in the sport’s history and is a definite Hall of Famer. But the 7 Championship wins Dale Sr. has is too big to match for the driver. The former Xfinity series champion can honor the legend by aiding RCRs’ return to the top and potentially getting them the driver’s championship, they crave.
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Justin P Joy
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