Driver's ed: a stick-and-ball fan's guide to NASCAR: why do so many fans love Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Sporting News, The, July 28, 2003 by Matt Crossman

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not NASCAR's most popular driver solely because of his name. Fans do feel an enormous amount of empathy for him because they watched as his dad died, and he has handled the public grief with remarkable class and grace, answering question after question about it with poise. It's hard to root against a guy who has gone through something like that. Still, Junior would be popular under any circumstances.

More than anything else, NASCAR fans want the objects of their affection to be nice, down-to-earth people they can relate to. On the surface, Junior is the furthest thing from that--he's a People magazine-caliber celebrity who drives 190 mph for a living. Who can relate to that?

But he comes across as just another 20-something who wears his hat backward and slaps on too much Drakkar. Even if he weren't a world-famous athlete, you still would want to hang out with him. He's charming and friendly. He's got plenty of personality and a great sense of humor (check out his wit during in-race conversations at www.sportingnews.com/nascar/junior/).

Outside the occasional criticism of his driving, the only bad thing you hear about Junior is that he likes to down a few cold ones and stay up late. Sound like anybody you know?