HAMPTON, Ga. – How much of NASCAR’s slump is directly attributable to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s?

            It would be pretty unfair to saddle Earnhardt – who is, after all, doing his best – with blame. It would also be unfair for NASCAR to intervene in his behalf. Should NASCAR be so inclined, it would be hard to do since there are so many eyes watching closely.

            As NASCAR frets about attendance and ratings that have peaked and drifted downward in recent years – not to mention profits, stock price and budgets – it has to be more than coincidence that the slump coincides with hard times in Junior Nation.

            From 2000 through 2004, Earnhardt won 15 races. In the five seasons since, he’s won three. In the past three, he’s won one.

            It was a shock to the Nation’s system that Earnhardt jumped to the Sprint Cup Series’ best team, Hendrick Motorsports, in 2008. Many of Earnhardt’s fans had previously cultivated a certain enmity toward the Team of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Dutifully, they set their differences aside. They accepted their hero’s decision to move his rear to the best seat in NASCAR.

            And … nothing much happened, which, understandably, was a major bummer.

            Many fans cite a growing, general indifference. Some happen to be wearing Earnhardt Jr. gear as they discuss it. They gripe about the racing not being as good, about the cars all looking alike … in fact, “alike” is a broadly used term of derision. Many NASCAR fans – or, to cite oft-used words, “former NASCAR fans” – think the cars are too much alike, the tracks too much alike and the drivers too much alike.

            But what many of them have against, say, Kyle Busch – who isn’t “just alike” with anyone else in history – is that he isn’t Dale Earnhardt Jr.

            This isn’t to say that all the other complaints don’t have validity. It’s to say that they might not be as apparent, or seem quite so important, if the preeminent driver in terms of popularity weren’t struggling.

            It’s entirely possible that some eyes that might not be watching otherwise – particularly in the comfort of their living rooms – will be watching today, in large part because Dale Earnhardt Jr. is starting on the pole.

            Inquiring minds want to see if he can win again, and to borrow from the lexicon of military commanders, the situation on the ground is starting to look promising again.

You may contact Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.