Last Lap: Double exposure

On numerous occasions, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has voiced sincere concern about being overexposed.

It is a legitimate concern for the 30-year-old driver. He's everywhere (except the top 10. Kidding, kidding...) and it's easy to see why: Budweiser. Wrangler. Enterprise. WinFuel. NAPA. Remington. Dominos. On and on and on.

	MARTY SMITH •   E-mail Marty •   Opinion Archive •   Store: 'I Agree With Marty' tee

If he shot just one promotional photograph and one commercial for each of them, it'd fill an entire day of ad space on SPEED Channel.

A network broadcast producer estimated Earnhardt is shown in 30 percent of television advertising during race broadcasts. That's roughly two of every six commercials shown. Sounds accurate to me.

In seasons past, fan feedback trickled in regarding the all-Junior-all-the-time phenomenon. But it was muffled, if not muted, by the adoration of NASCAR's deepest and most vocal fan base.

And the simple fact is Earnhardt was vying for wins and, last year, a championship. The coverage,while incessant, was warranted. And even if he was running 30th every week, that didn't change the fact that his sponsors were willing to foot the bill to promote him.

NASCAR's network television partners jumped on the Earnhardt Express immediately, showing as much Junior as they could stuff into a four-hour window. Newspapers, magazines and Internet outlets did the same.

Other drivers -- and I'll keep the names to myself -- have pondered whether NASCAR.COM should be renamed dalejr.com. One, a wily veteran, approached me last year frustrated at the inability to access in-car audio for drivers other than Earnhardt.

I had no answer for him as to why, other than the assumption that Junior is NASCAR's most-popular driver, and the demand for everything Earnhardt is higher than the demand for anything or anyone else. (That answer wasn't well-received, FYI.)

	Inside the Numbers Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2005 Event Start Finish Pos. Daytona 5 3 3 California 40 32 14 Las Vegas 34 42 27 Atlanta 35 24 26 Bristol 19 4 17 Martinsville 26 13 16 Texas 11 9 15 Phoenix 15 4 12 Talladega 36 15 9 Darlington 39 8 9 Richmond 27 14 11 Lowe's 15 33 15 Dover 15 22 15 Pocono 34 33 16 Michigan 41 17 17 Infineon 10 42 18 Daytona 39 3 16

That brings us to 2005: Zero wins. Four top-fives. An uphill battle just to qualify for the Chase. Yet Earnhardt is still the focal point of the coverage.

Saturday night during the Pepsi 400 broadcast, the promo for this weekend's event at Chicago focused on whether or not Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon could take another step towards Chase qualification.

Not Greg Biffle or Carl Edwards, both currently enjoying breakout seasons. Not Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, both inching towards the final laps of legendary careers.

Throughout the past week I've gotten a further understanding of the depth of the argument. In the wake of last Thursday's column regarding the fundamental decisions facing Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- one of which, signing Martin Truex Jr., to a contract extension, is finalized -- I received thousands of responses.

Some read "Hell yeah!" Some read "What the hell?"

Fans of virtually every driver -- Earnhardt included -- questioned why the media devotes so much ink to a guy who is 18th in the point standings (at the time of the article), has led just five laps all season and hasn't so much as sniffed Victory Lane.

Marty,
Am I the only one that noticed the over-coverage of Dale Jr? Now in the pre-race, I could understand. That's what the fans want etc, etc. However in the middle of the race, I noticed the cameras just following the Bud machine around.

It wasn't like he was in the middle of a big pack, just single file racing, and they constantly tracked his car. I wanted to see what the racing was like in other places on the track just not his. And this is coming from a lifelong Earnhardt fan. -- Ryan Bowman

Mr. Bowman isn't alone. Many Earnhardt supporters commented similarly. Some such responses contain more angst. (Settle in, this is a long one.)

Marty,
Why is it that Dale Jr. is mired back in wherever he is in the points (I'm not sure cuz I don't really care) but he is the only driver we hear about? Well, him and Danica Patrick, who isn't doing squat either. I bet John Andretti wishes he got that much attention for finishing in the top-5 at Indy.

Honestly man, this is Rusty and Mark's last year, and nobody seems to notice except DW and the guys on the pre-race show, and they are kickin' ass! I, for one, am gonna miss those guys like hell when they are gone, and will be stuck with no one to root for like a lot of fellow fans.

Honestly the Earnhardt army has gotten out of control. I understand that his Dad died, and he inherited a lot of his Dads fans. I watched his Dad die in that race just like everyone else, and it was impossible to not pull for him after that.

Dale Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. Credit: Autostock

I still like Junior, don't get me wrong, but it's his growing legion of fans that just make me wanna not root for him anymore. They are spoiled, they were used to his Daddy winning, and they got used to (Junior) winning, and if anyone else wins then it's the end of the world, and they gotta find someone's ass to kick.

BS, Marty. I watched every race between California '01 and Martinsville '04 -- Rusty's entire streak -- and maybe I was upset, cuz I had grown used to him winning at least 3-4 times a year. It was hard on me as a fan, but I stuck with him and I didn't jump ship.

Hell, I tried to root for Newman, but he screwed that up for me pretty good after the fall Martinsville race last year.

I loved to root against Dale Sr., but I've always rooted for Dale Jr. But now I must root against him too, because the same people have taken over, and everyone seems to think they are the "biggest Jr. fan ever" just like they thought they were the "biggest Sr. fan ever" and they all suck.

You know the ones I'm talking about, they're the same people who think Martin Truex Jr. will be the next first time winner in NNC. He doesn't even race in Nextel Cup! But I guess you don't have to race Nextel Cup to win in Nextel Cup, as long as you drive for DEI.

Sorry, Marty. I was just venting. -- Mike from Albuquerque

Mike's email is abrasive, but truth told the opening portion proves Earnhardt's point. He honestly fears overexposure for the wrong reasons, and once even told me he was tired of seeing himself.

That's not to say he isn't flattered. He appreciates the support of the Earnhardt Establishment. He appreciates the attention -- when it's warranted. But, as I said last week, he's a realist.

He has four top-fives. Some of the coverage is overkill.

And it won't change anytime soon. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the face of NASCAR. He is the story. (I just wrote about him again, didn't I?)

The guy is a racer, folks. He doesn't want Rusty Wallace fans and Mark Martin fans to boo him because they see him too much.

He wants Rusty Wallace fans and Mark Martin fans to boo him because he's smoking their favorite drivers on the racetrack.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.