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RICHMOND, Va. — The cyclical churn of talent in the NASCAR garage took another turn this week with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s announcement that 2017 will be his final year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. His impending departure follows those of household names Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards — all in short order since the end of the 2015 season.
In outlining his decision to leave the cockpit, Earnhardt was asked about NASCAR’s ability to reload with a new generational thrust in driver star power. He named Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott among the sport’s several young aces in waiting, offering assurance that the NASCAR roster remained vibrant and strong.
As for those young stars? Asked upon their Friday arrival at Richmond International Raceway about their readiness to assume the mantle, the newest and brightest of those newer drivers might not be waiting much longer.
“Although it’s sad that we have all our veterans and heroes retiring, I think NASCAR is in a great position with all the young talent that they have in the (Monster Energy) Series currently, and really in every feeder series below them, there’s a lot of young guys with great equipment and good backing,” said 24-year-old Kyle Larson, the series’ current points leader. “So, I think the competition will be good. And, there’s a lot of personalities, too, with people getting themselves out there on social media and stuff like that, showing their personalities. So, I feel like we’re in a good spot to have some new stars step up.”
Larson and Elliott — both 20-somethings — have already begun to make that push on the track, sitting 1-2 in the series standings. They’ve been joined by 23-year-old Ryan Blaney, plus rookies Erik Jones, 20, and Daniel Suarez, 25, as just some of the newest faces in the garage.
The current transition of the sport’s paradigm isn’t a new phenomenon. If the genealogy of NASCAR stardom read like the Book of Chronicles, it would include a traditional biblical list of “begats.”
The career of Lee Petty begat Richard Petty’s, Fireball Roberts’ and Ned Jarrett’s careers begat David Pearson’s, which begat Cale Yarborough’s, Bobby Allison’s and Darrell Waltrip’s. Then came Earnhardt and Elliott and Wallace, then Gordon, then Stewart and then Jimmie Johnson — all with a host of other dynamic personalities in between.
Mere mention as a part of that incoming next wave, with the potential to join a list of stars with Hall of Fame clout ranks as heady territory. Being singled out by the series’ 14-time Most Popular Driver as one of those candidates is too, something that Blaney — Earnhardt’s neighbor and friend — accepts with a degree of pride and reverence.
“He has a very big impact of what people think, whether it is fans or in the garage area,” Blaney said. “Him talking up younger drivers or the sport in general is going to get his fans excited about the future of going forward even though he won’t be driving next year. What he says will be very important. I know he has always said great things about the sport and drivers in it and been very positive, which makes him a great person and great ambassador for the sport. It means a lot to hear him say those things.
“Like I said, I know he says that about a lot of young drivers and try to set everything up for the future, but it is nice to be a part of that conversation when he speaks.”
Gracefully making the transition to stardom is a multi-pronged challenge, requiring both on-track performance and a proficiency in engaging with fans new and old. The former requires both raw talent and a full team effort. As for the latter, Suarez said there’s no secret code to making that connection.
“I think it’s very simple — it’s just being yourself,” said Suarez, in his first year of replacing Edwards at Joe Gibbs Racing. “I think every single driver out there in the garage has different personalities: Dale has his personality; Kyle has his personality; Jimmie Johnson has his personality; I have my personality; and everyone is different. When every single driver can go out there to be himself, I think that’s very cool, and the fans like that.
“You know, so far it’s what I’ve been doing and I think it’s the right thing to do. But like I said, overall, Dale has been more than a role model for the sport and it’s great what he has done.”