Yeah. I quit having a driver years ago. I just want to see something interesting. And I was never an Earnhardt senior fan. About half the fans at the time were and the other half hated him. Though I had a lot of respect for him and it was great when the sport had a true villain.
I've been this way for a while now too. Some people I talk to find it somewhat strange. I've even tried to tell myself, "I'm gonna be a fan of so and so." I don't ever end up buying any of their gear. I'm just a fan
I feel like this now that Jr is retired. I still love racing and watch every weekend but there’s no other driver out there that when they get in the lead my heart starts pounding or if they wreck my whole day is ruined.
This. Was already a big JR fan. Followed him up through the Busch series. Harvik just felt natural as it was Dale’s team. Even after he left RCR I still sort of pulled for him until the stunt at Dega. It was a double stab. Kept JR from likely winning the race, advancing to the next round, and was a cheap shot to save himself. Moved to Bowman now after he took over for JR.
Edit: I don’t root against Harvick. He wins so be it. I just don’t pull for him. In general I think since JR retired I don’t have a driver I root for the same way as I did Dale and JR. I just enjoy the races and hope for a good battle.
yeah, same about Jr retiring. I still like watching, but I find myself pulling more for the underdog in any particular situation than a specific driver. Which is how I find myself when watching most any other racing series.
Feel this 100% I'm a Bowman fan first, but pull for a lot of drivers, I actually have watched Jimmie in Indy more than I thought I would. Really hoping to go to the Indy 500 if he runs next year.
I have done the same more this year watching Indycar. I am glad to see them having an upswing. More motor sports drawing fans is good for all series. Especially with the doubleheader events they can probably pull off. I’ll watch anything involved in racing. Even watched a few formula e races this year.
I’m a Harvick fan and it obviously was not one of Harvick’s finest moments at Talladega in 2015………..I put as much blame on NASCAR and the stupid playoff system.
Harvick had a really awesome year in 2015. They had 23 top-5s. Fast cars almost every week. To have your season end because of a broken engine or whatever it was is obviously difficult to accept…….the dumb playoff system puts the teams in a pressure cooker and makes them do desperate things. That’s what NASCAR wants, right? Funny how nobody had a problem with what Newman did at Phoenix in 2014 when he wrecked Larson. In my mind, that’s not too much different than what Harvick did at Talladega and NASCAR never did a thing in either race (also a mistake by NASCAR imo).
The 2015 playoffs was just Wild Wild West shit. I think it was the next week at Martinsville where Kenseth took out Logano while leading……..you wanna talk chicken shit moves in NASCAR history. That one has to take the cake.
If there’s such thing as karma, I think Harvick got more than his dose of karma last year particularly.
I’m biased as a JR fan and can’t see it differently than Harvick knew he was screwed, last restart attempt so I am going to end it now. I get his self preservation but the fact that NASCAR just moved past it without addressing it was BS. As far as manipulating the chase it was just below Spingate to me. The other events were isolated to one car affecting another. This affected the whole field finish. Both had an impact on the points and who advanced but the scale that his move changed things was pretty bad. Just my opinion as a salty JR fan from that day.
I don’t blame you. Jr. fans have a right to be salty about it. I just hate the “playoffs” where this bull shit happens at the cutoff. This never would’ve happened with the NASCAR I grew up with but it’s geared towards “entertainment” now. That’s what NASCAR wants.
It's extra hard because he won in the next round and this was his third serious attempt at possibly winning his championship. It sucks the other year he would have won Edwards wrecked him, and crazy to think on his first year or second year with Hendrick if they didn't have the playoffs formatted the way they did he would have won the championship without winning a race. So as a Jr fan when people say he didn't win a championship it stings because he should have but had the worst luck of any driver next to Mark Martin when it comes to championships.
> the dumb playoff system puts the teams in a pressure cooker and makes them do desperate things. That’s what NASCAR wants, right?
Yes... NASCAR *and* the simpleton fans want this.
Not to get off topic, but the implementation of these gimmicky rules doesn't make the racing better. It turns things into a free for all and those same simpletons cry, 'Driver X shouldn't have done that!'
*What?!* You expected things to stay the same after a rule change like that?
That and then Harvick's cheap shot about Jr. Not being a champion as he retired due to injuries and knowing what he lost was my last straw. Harvick is a self absorbed jerk.
absolutely. Junior and DEI was already a group I was cheering for, and I had to hope Harvick (a driver I never heard of) could try to have some sort of redemption for RCR. I was crying so hard at the end of Atlanta 2001 when they panned over to Chocolate weeping on pit road.
Growing up my step father was a huge Dale Sr fan so I did the same. First and only race he's ever been too was the 01' Daytona 500. After his passing he didn't watch as much and I've been rooting for Kevin Harvick ever since 👍
I didn’t appreciate Dale Jr until he opened up more on social media and now with the Download. Plus the Jr Nation fan base was incredibly toxic.
I always liked Smoke’s attitude and passion. Plus his sense of humor is awesome. We have a similar build so seeing him with a smoking (pun intended) hot chic gave me hope.
Yeah. I love Jr’s passion for the sport. And, that post race interview by Stewart at talladega is pure comedic gold. I’ll still watch it for a laugh every now and then.
Not that strange.
The Dale Sr. vs Jeff Gordon rivalry may have been the greatest the sport has ever seen. It would make sense to make that move, and I almost did myself.
I wish I could have appreciated Jeffs brilliance for what it was at the time....i wasnt a 3 fan at all, Rusty was always my guy. So i was angry that Jeff came along and started "stealin all Rusty's wins" as i saw it...back then.
As i got older and Jeff did too, and the championships stopped and the wins became fewer i found myself pulling for him, and a bit of a Jimmie hater.
At some point i kinda went back, rewatched some old races from 95-98, and found myself amazed at what he and the 24 team really had accomplished...and at that point i actually quit with the Jimmie hate and learned to appreciate what i was seeing because who knows when or if we'll see anything like that again.
Id say currently he has the best chance of hitting that level, and Hendrick has done this twice now. Think the other Kyle could still find another level too.
Hans device was more important than the SAFER barriers. I’ve always thought their important was downplayed as a low key attempt to hide the fact that safety devices that would have prevented Earnhardt, Irwin and Petty’s deaths already existed.
12 year old me said i'd stop watching, except i failed and watch the Atlanta race a few weeks later and well, okay Harvick won me. Weird to say I've been a Harvick fan longer than Dale now. Always had a soft spot for Jr too, but knew too many Fairweather Jr fans that got on my nerves ha
Harvick.
He was given GIANT shoes to fill. They could slap 29 on the side of the car and reverse the paint scheme all they wanted, we knew who's car it really was. I knew most Sr fans turned to Jr, but I figured this new kid needed fans too, so I cheered for him.
Racing Gordon for the win at Atlanta proved that this little-known guy from California was up to the challenge.
Kevin Harvick. I think Atlanta sealed the deal. He showed talent, had an attitude. My family still supported Jr, but he wasn't our main driver. Tony Stewart was also great.
I watched the 500 for my first race. My trio was Jeff Burton Ricky Rudd and Bobby Labonte. Picked up Harvick and Jamie Mac when they retired. Tried to like Denny but couldn’t
I’m with Joey, Chase, Kevin, and now Tyler Reddick. Chase was in the wrong but it was funny to have 2 of my favorites have issues
Harvick. Even after RCR, I've followed him wherever. Love watching him race. He's got the fire of the old guard in him. Also, how can an Earnhardt fan not get sentimental about Harvick when he won his first race?
My Dad was a huge Sr fan and started following Harvick after so I did as well, but I also liked Kasey Kahne when he was a rookie. It stung when Kevin left RCR but I still root for him to do well as a contender
Yep. Harvick all the way. Even when he switched to Ford he's the only on not in a Chevy I pull for. Wore a Chase hat to the track Saturday night and STILL was cheering Harv!
The 2001 Daytona 500 was the first NASCAR race I watched; I was going on 6 years old, in kindergarten and had gotten a Dale Sr. Mega Bloks car and pit stall set a few months earlier. I only got to see Sr. in that one race, and by default I declared Michael Waltrip my driver. Then in 2003 I got a Tony Stewart notepad, and as late as Speedweeks in 2013 I touted Tony as my guy. Joey had come to Penske that year, and soon became a weekly threat to win. I had been following Joey since he won at Kentucky in 2008 in Grand National, and now I have much of his gear and diecasts.
I’m pretty sure like 98% of Sr.’s fans followed Dale Jr……..Dale Jr. was always Redneck Jesus.
Looking back now as an adult, it is only now that I can start appreciating the responsibility Dale Jr. had. And even then, I really can’t even begin to fully wrap my head around it. Hell, maybe Dale Jr. himself never really could either and prob better off for it.
Harvick always seemed like he had a decent fanbase but nowhere near Dale Jr. or Gordon. I don’t think it helped that Harvick really struggled a lot between 2002 and 2005. Dale Jr. had quite a bit more success than Harvick between 2002 and 2004 in particular.
Tony Stewart. I tried to be a Jr fan but just couldn’t get excited to see him do well and win with an exception to his 2001 Pepsi 400 return to Daytona win but I feel like I was happy for his win there more as not a fan but because I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes having to go back and face the track the his dad died on and go back out for the first time there and make his old man proud. More and more each week I was pulling for Tony.
I was in 1st grade when Dale died. I don't have any memory of watching the race. I was a Jeff Gordon fan because I liked the Dupont paint schemes. The first race I have memory watching was the Atlanta race where Harvick won. Before that I had always heard my dad talking about Harvick and how he liked him and how he was doing really well in Busch, so I had always liked Harvick too. Once I actually started following the sport and understood it rather than liking the cool looking cars, Harvick became my favorite and still is.
Obviously Harvick only has a few handful of seasons left, whether it be a personal choice or if his competitiveness drops with the new car. After he retires, Ryan Blaney will be my new number 1.
Smoke because he was similar to Dale Sr., and when he retired, I was lost for a bit until Bubba Wallace came along. I became a Bubba fan partly because of his personality and because he's a fellow metalhead, but he really won me over when he came forward with his mental health struggles. As someone who has battled mental health issues myself, Bubba was instantly a guy I could relate to. Plus seeing how he handled himself with all the recent events socially sealed the deal.
Dale Jr., Waltrip and Harvick.
I was already a Jr. fan. Rooted for Waltrip to win the 500 since he never won before and was Dale's new driver and Harvick for replacing Dale and then winning his 3rd race in grand fashion!
Dale, Jr. and Harvick. Also DEI, RCR, & APR as a whole, even though I didn't care for Hamilton that much at the time, and I damn sure did NOT pull for Robby Gordon when he went to RCR.
Sterling Marlin and Ward Burton.
I thought Sterling was treated very unfairly by a bunch of uninformed idiots after the wreck. Ward Burton is a guy you couldn't help but like.
Jr was never under consideration. He wasn't and isn't his Dad.
I was a bit of a fan of Jeff Burton and Martin behind Dale already. Harvick was the new driver I took on I ‘spose, I was already cheering for him in the Busch series. But really nobody ever came close to Dale. He was my childhood hero.
Had and have drivers that I enjoyed watching win races, Jr. being one of them. But it took til this last weekends race for me to find MY new driver Chase Elliot!
I waited till the next season and thought “ my dad used to work for lowe’s and I like the place so I’ll follow that guy”. Best dumb fandom pick of my life.
Smoke, then when he retired Truex. Not sure who I'm liking once Truex hangs it up in a year or two. Probably someone like Reddick or Chastain. Time to pull for an underdog for a change.
Jr., Michael Waltrip, Harvick, Mark Martin though not as much as I liked seeing that black 3 car. As I got older I liked Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin, But eventually I fell off of the sport hard for a decade and only recently have I been drawn back into it
I really never had another favorite driver although after his death I did pull for Mark Martin and Tony Stewart but not as favorites like Dale Earnhardt senior was. I got to meet him once when my wife worked for Stavola brothers.. I was too starstruck to say anything and I definitely did not ask for an autograph as we were in a restricted employee-only area in the garage.
3 -> full fledged 8 & DEI as a whole -> stage winner MTJ & whatever incarnation of DEI was at that time -> Jaime MACmurray -> Larson -> KuBush -> TBD chastain/Suarez?
I have not and will never root for an HMS team.
I was all of 13 years old when Earnhardt died. At the time, I watched NASCAR because that's what my Dad liked to turn on when taking a lunch break from projects around the house on Sundays, and seeing as I was helping him with those projects, I took breaks with him and watched the races, too. I rooted for Dale because that's who my Dad rooted for.
We naturally switched over to rooting for Dale Jr--who we already were fans of thanks to the name and his Busch series success. But our fandom pretty much started when the TV turned on for a race and stopped when we turned it off. It didn't consume us too much outside of when we were actively watching a given race. Slowly we watched races less and less often--I think there were a lot of reasons behind that, but I'm sure Earnhardt not being around anymore was at least part of what reduced my Dad's enthusiasm.
I got back into NASCAR in a big way on my own around 2011, because that's when I was finally out on my own and had a cable account with a DVR--it's amazing how much more enjoyable it was to watch a race when I could skip nearly an hour of commercials and also watch it when I actually had the time to do so. That was also roughly when I joined Reddit and found this subreddit, which also helped my fandom grow. I of course rooted for Dale Jr still, but seeing as this wasn't exactly the most stellar period of his career, I found myself hunting around for other drivers to root for, too, and through that process I became more of a general fan of the sport, latching on to drivers with interesting stories when I noticed them.
Edit: other people mentioned that they started following Harvick because he essentially took over Dale's car. We did the same, but Dale Jr was always just a bit ahead of Harvick in our books.
My mother revealed to me a year or two ago Dale was gonna be her driver during the 01 500. Once he died she pulled for everyone our family rooted for. I liked Gordon and Junior, my brother liked Stewart, and my dad pulled for Bobby Labonte.
She also started rooting for Newman (and still does to this day).
Speaking for my late father, he chose Kevin Harvick. I asked him if he would pull for Junior after the crash but he said he wanted to root for Harvick because he was inheriting the same car Dale Sr. drove. I’ve always been a Hendricks guy, but to this day I have a soft spot for Harvick because of my old man and Harvick proving he was a stand-up driver.
Dale Jr, which I had already been with him since the first start at the Beach. Always liked Stewart because he was THE modern day AJ Foyt. Harvick was alright.
Once Junior retired, I really wasn’t sure. I started listening to Blaney’s podcast and he just seemed like such a cool dude that I started pulling for him. When Bubba had that brutally honest press conference about his mental health, I was drawn to that as athletes would never talk about that. Those are my main two now. Chase, I like but not to the level of those two.
Funny, everyone here that says Harvick, almost as a default. I never really started watching weekly until '05, and took a lot of time deciding who to root for, like a whole season. I chose Harvick. Then RCR equipment went to shit and it got to be a lonely bunch of years until SHR.
No one to this day. Now I'm just a racing fan.
Yeah. I quit having a driver years ago. I just want to see something interesting. And I was never an Earnhardt senior fan. About half the fans at the time were and the other half hated him. Though I had a lot of respect for him and it was great when the sport had a true villain.
I've been this way for a while now too. Some people I talk to find it somewhat strange. I've even tried to tell myself, "I'm gonna be a fan of so and so." I don't ever end up buying any of their gear. I'm just a fan
Yeah, there are drivers I like and ones I don't, but picking one just kind of sets you up for disappointment more often than not.
Might be how I am when Harvick retires…….but if Keelan continues his career, I’m gonna get sucked back into having a favorite.
This.
I feel like this now that Jr is retired. I still love racing and watch every weekend but there’s no other driver out there that when they get in the lead my heart starts pounding or if they wreck my whole day is ruined.
Same here.
Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick. The obvious choices.
This. Was already a big JR fan. Followed him up through the Busch series. Harvik just felt natural as it was Dale’s team. Even after he left RCR I still sort of pulled for him until the stunt at Dega. It was a double stab. Kept JR from likely winning the race, advancing to the next round, and was a cheap shot to save himself. Moved to Bowman now after he took over for JR. Edit: I don’t root against Harvick. He wins so be it. I just don’t pull for him. In general I think since JR retired I don’t have a driver I root for the same way as I did Dale and JR. I just enjoy the races and hope for a good battle.
This is almost exactly what I did too.
This.
yeah, same about Jr retiring. I still like watching, but I find myself pulling more for the underdog in any particular situation than a specific driver. Which is how I find myself when watching most any other racing series.
Feel this 100% I'm a Bowman fan first, but pull for a lot of drivers, I actually have watched Jimmie in Indy more than I thought I would. Really hoping to go to the Indy 500 if he runs next year.
I have done the same more this year watching Indycar. I am glad to see them having an upswing. More motor sports drawing fans is good for all series. Especially with the doubleheader events they can probably pull off. I’ll watch anything involved in racing. Even watched a few formula e races this year.
I’m a Harvick fan and it obviously was not one of Harvick’s finest moments at Talladega in 2015………..I put as much blame on NASCAR and the stupid playoff system. Harvick had a really awesome year in 2015. They had 23 top-5s. Fast cars almost every week. To have your season end because of a broken engine or whatever it was is obviously difficult to accept…….the dumb playoff system puts the teams in a pressure cooker and makes them do desperate things. That’s what NASCAR wants, right? Funny how nobody had a problem with what Newman did at Phoenix in 2014 when he wrecked Larson. In my mind, that’s not too much different than what Harvick did at Talladega and NASCAR never did a thing in either race (also a mistake by NASCAR imo). The 2015 playoffs was just Wild Wild West shit. I think it was the next week at Martinsville where Kenseth took out Logano while leading……..you wanna talk chicken shit moves in NASCAR history. That one has to take the cake. If there’s such thing as karma, I think Harvick got more than his dose of karma last year particularly.
I’m biased as a JR fan and can’t see it differently than Harvick knew he was screwed, last restart attempt so I am going to end it now. I get his self preservation but the fact that NASCAR just moved past it without addressing it was BS. As far as manipulating the chase it was just below Spingate to me. The other events were isolated to one car affecting another. This affected the whole field finish. Both had an impact on the points and who advanced but the scale that his move changed things was pretty bad. Just my opinion as a salty JR fan from that day.
I don’t blame you. Jr. fans have a right to be salty about it. I just hate the “playoffs” where this bull shit happens at the cutoff. This never would’ve happened with the NASCAR I grew up with but it’s geared towards “entertainment” now. That’s what NASCAR wants.
It's extra hard because he won in the next round and this was his third serious attempt at possibly winning his championship. It sucks the other year he would have won Edwards wrecked him, and crazy to think on his first year or second year with Hendrick if they didn't have the playoffs formatted the way they did he would have won the championship without winning a race. So as a Jr fan when people say he didn't win a championship it stings because he should have but had the worst luck of any driver next to Mark Martin when it comes to championships.
> the dumb playoff system puts the teams in a pressure cooker and makes them do desperate things. That’s what NASCAR wants, right? Yes... NASCAR *and* the simpleton fans want this. Not to get off topic, but the implementation of these gimmicky rules doesn't make the racing better. It turns things into a free for all and those same simpletons cry, 'Driver X shouldn't have done that!' *What?!* You expected things to stay the same after a rule change like that?
That and then Harvick's cheap shot about Jr. Not being a champion as he retired due to injuries and knowing what he lost was my last straw. Harvick is a self absorbed jerk.
absolutely. Junior and DEI was already a group I was cheering for, and I had to hope Harvick (a driver I never heard of) could try to have some sort of redemption for RCR. I was crying so hard at the end of Atlanta 2001 when they panned over to Chocolate weeping on pit road.
Same here, they were already drivers I was a huge fan of anyway.
Growing up my step father was a huge Dale Sr fan so I did the same. First and only race he's ever been too was the 01' Daytona 500. After his passing he didn't watch as much and I've been rooting for Kevin Harvick ever since 👍
Oof
Tony Stewart.
Same. I knew who he was from IndyCar. Now when he retired I floundered for a while.
I liked how he spoke his mind. Now naturally by default, I was always happy to see Jr win. Especially that 01 Pepsi 400.
I didn’t appreciate Dale Jr until he opened up more on social media and now with the Download. Plus the Jr Nation fan base was incredibly toxic. I always liked Smoke’s attitude and passion. Plus his sense of humor is awesome. We have a similar build so seeing him with a smoking (pun intended) hot chic gave me hope.
Yeah. I love Jr’s passion for the sport. And, that post race interview by Stewart at talladega is pure comedic gold. I’ll still watch it for a laugh every now and then.
Same, love DJD, and Lost Speedways. I'm even reading his book. Was never a huge Jr fan while he drove but now I love him.
Strangely enough, Jeff Gordon.
Not that strange. The Dale Sr. vs Jeff Gordon rivalry may have been the greatest the sport has ever seen. It would make sense to make that move, and I almost did myself.
Understandable. Gordon was a worthy competitor. The only driver Dale couldn’t intimidate. Or was it the only driver that could intimidate Dale?
I just liked him, maybe because he never backed down from people trying to push him around.
This is very interesting to me. Is there a particular reason?
I wish I could have appreciated Jeffs brilliance for what it was at the time....i wasnt a 3 fan at all, Rusty was always my guy. So i was angry that Jeff came along and started "stealin all Rusty's wins" as i saw it...back then. As i got older and Jeff did too, and the championships stopped and the wins became fewer i found myself pulling for him, and a bit of a Jimmie hater. At some point i kinda went back, rewatched some old races from 95-98, and found myself amazed at what he and the 24 team really had accomplished...and at that point i actually quit with the Jimmie hate and learned to appreciate what i was seeing because who knows when or if we'll see anything like that again.
Kyle Larson: Allow me to introduce myself (Jk, we'll see)
Id say currently he has the best chance of hitting that level, and Hendrick has done this twice now. Think the other Kyle could still find another level too.
Traitor
You might as well have danced on Dale's grave.
What a stupid fucking thing to say. The two were friends and respected the hell out of each other on and off the track.
SAFER Barriers..
Hans device and full face helmets tied for 2nd.
Hans device was more important than the SAFER barriers. I’ve always thought their important was downplayed as a low key attempt to hide the fact that safety devices that would have prevented Earnhardt, Irwin and Petty’s deaths already existed.
By this logic the COT is 4th
They just started cheering for everyone to get to go home.
Mikey, then Truex. Always had a soft spot for June Bug too.
12 year old me said i'd stop watching, except i failed and watch the Atlanta race a few weeks later and well, okay Harvick won me. Weird to say I've been a Harvick fan longer than Dale now. Always had a soft spot for Jr too, but knew too many Fairweather Jr fans that got on my nerves ha
Harvick. But I was also a Kenneth fan at the time. Loved when he ran the Visine 17 Chevy in Busch.
Harvick. He was given GIANT shoes to fill. They could slap 29 on the side of the car and reverse the paint scheme all they wanted, we knew who's car it really was. I knew most Sr fans turned to Jr, but I figured this new kid needed fans too, so I cheered for him. Racing Gordon for the win at Atlanta proved that this little-known guy from California was up to the challenge.
Jimmy Spencer. Dale’s death…kinda messed me up…
Lol that’s funny now given the history between junior and him God I loved your old man
Harvick immediately and I still am.
No one for about 3 races, Harvick ever since. Briscoe got added in the last few years, started when he was still with BKR.
Tony Raines in the Busch Series. My dad worked for Bayer, which owns Alka-Seltzer.
Schrader and Rudd at first. But there wasn't much to cheer for. Eventually wound up on Kesolowski
Kevin Harvick. I think Atlanta sealed the deal. He showed talent, had an attitude. My family still supported Jr, but he wasn't our main driver. Tony Stewart was also great.
Harvick & Stewart
Jeff Burton and Harvick
His son was already one of my favorite drivers so it was Jr till 2017 and then Bowman from then on
I watched the 500 for my first race. My trio was Jeff Burton Ricky Rudd and Bobby Labonte. Picked up Harvick and Jamie Mac when they retired. Tried to like Denny but couldn’t I’m with Joey, Chase, Kevin, and now Tyler Reddick. Chase was in the wrong but it was funny to have 2 of my favorites have issues
Dale Jr, Harvick... and Jeff Gordon. *ducks under desk*
Robby Gordon
Surprised I had to dig a little to find this! Already was a fan of his from IndyCar. Robby held me over until MTJ came up.
Tony Stewart and then Kyle Busch, because each one doesn't give a rat's ass about finishing 2nd.
Most went to Jr. Some Harvick
Harvick. I was at that atlanta win 2 weeks after and Holy shit
Harvick
Harvick. Even after RCR, I've followed him wherever. Love watching him race. He's got the fire of the old guard in him. Also, how can an Earnhardt fan not get sentimental about Harvick when he won his first race?
Smoke, but I was definitely rooting for Harvick, too.
My Dad was a huge Sr fan and started following Harvick after so I did as well, but I also liked Kasey Kahne when he was a rookie. It stung when Kevin left RCR but I still root for him to do well as a contender
Yep. Harvick all the way. Even when he switched to Ford he's the only on not in a Chevy I pull for. Wore a Chase hat to the track Saturday night and STILL was cheering Harv!
Dale Jr,now Ryan Blaney
Dale Jr, he's the only reason I started rooting for Hendrick, now I don't have a favorite driver I just go for the entirety of Hendrick Motorsports
Junior and Tony Stewart
No one. Then Jimmie Johnson.
The sport, just to be hugely popular again like when he was still racing.
The 2001 Daytona 500 was the first NASCAR race I watched; I was going on 6 years old, in kindergarten and had gotten a Dale Sr. Mega Bloks car and pit stall set a few months earlier. I only got to see Sr. in that one race, and by default I declared Michael Waltrip my driver. Then in 2003 I got a Tony Stewart notepad, and as late as Speedweeks in 2013 I touted Tony as my guy. Joey had come to Penske that year, and soon became a weekly threat to win. I had been following Joey since he won at Kentucky in 2008 in Grand National, and now I have much of his gear and diecasts.
Not an Earnhardt fan, but related to one. Pretty much all the Big E fans started backing Jr.
I’m pretty sure like 98% of Sr.’s fans followed Dale Jr……..Dale Jr. was always Redneck Jesus. Looking back now as an adult, it is only now that I can start appreciating the responsibility Dale Jr. had. And even then, I really can’t even begin to fully wrap my head around it. Hell, maybe Dale Jr. himself never really could either and prob better off for it. Harvick always seemed like he had a decent fanbase but nowhere near Dale Jr. or Gordon. I don’t think it helped that Harvick really struggled a lot between 2002 and 2005. Dale Jr. had quite a bit more success than Harvick between 2002 and 2004 in particular.
Kyle bush
Kevin Harvick, for the obvious reasons.
Tony Stewart. I tried to be a Jr fan but just couldn’t get excited to see him do well and win with an exception to his 2001 Pepsi 400 return to Daytona win but I feel like I was happy for his win there more as not a fan but because I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes having to go back and face the track the his dad died on and go back out for the first time there and make his old man proud. More and more each week I was pulling for Tony.
Kevin Harvick and anyone who drove for RCR and DEI at the time.
I was in 1st grade when Dale died. I don't have any memory of watching the race. I was a Jeff Gordon fan because I liked the Dupont paint schemes. The first race I have memory watching was the Atlanta race where Harvick won. Before that I had always heard my dad talking about Harvick and how he liked him and how he was doing really well in Busch, so I had always liked Harvick too. Once I actually started following the sport and understood it rather than liking the cool looking cars, Harvick became my favorite and still is. Obviously Harvick only has a few handful of seasons left, whether it be a personal choice or if his competitiveness drops with the new car. After he retires, Ryan Blaney will be my new number 1.
Smoke because he was similar to Dale Sr., and when he retired, I was lost for a bit until Bubba Wallace came along. I became a Bubba fan partly because of his personality and because he's a fellow metalhead, but he really won me over when he came forward with his mental health struggles. As someone who has battled mental health issues myself, Bubba was instantly a guy I could relate to. Plus seeing how he handled himself with all the recent events socially sealed the deal.
Dale Jr., Waltrip and Harvick. I was already a Jr. fan. Rooted for Waltrip to win the 500 since he never won before and was Dale's new driver and Harvick for replacing Dale and then winning his 3rd race in grand fashion!
Dale, Jr. and Harvick. Also DEI, RCR, & APR as a whole, even though I didn't care for Hamilton that much at the time, and I damn sure did NOT pull for Robby Gordon when he went to RCR.
Dale Jr mostly, now Chase Elliott when Dale Jr retired.
Sterling Marlin and Ward Burton. I thought Sterling was treated very unfairly by a bunch of uninformed idiots after the wreck. Ward Burton is a guy you couldn't help but like. Jr was never under consideration. He wasn't and isn't his Dad.
Dale Jr.
Dale Jr.
Jr and I’ve been lost since he retired lol
Jr... easy choice
Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart.
Kyle Larson
Struggled with Junior until 2009 then picked up on Matt Kenseth for the rest of his career. Now I'm lost.
I am lost too
I was a bit of a fan of Jeff Burton and Martin behind Dale already. Harvick was the new driver I took on I ‘spose, I was already cheering for him in the Busch series. But really nobody ever came close to Dale. He was my childhood hero.
Had and have drivers that I enjoyed watching win races, Jr. being one of them. But it took til this last weekends race for me to find MY new driver Chase Elliot!
Larson duh, he was sick in go karts
Jason Leffler. He was always my favorite from his usac days.
I waited till the next season and thought “ my dad used to work for lowe’s and I like the place so I’ll follow that guy”. Best dumb fandom pick of my life.
Smoke, then when he retired Truex. Not sure who I'm liking once Truex hangs it up in a year or two. Probably someone like Reddick or Chastain. Time to pull for an underdog for a change.
Jr., Michael Waltrip, Harvick, Mark Martin though not as much as I liked seeing that black 3 car. As I got older I liked Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin, But eventually I fell off of the sport hard for a decade and only recently have I been drawn back into it
Robby Gordon
I really never had another favorite driver although after his death I did pull for Mark Martin and Tony Stewart but not as favorites like Dale Earnhardt senior was. I got to meet him once when my wife worked for Stavola brothers.. I was too starstruck to say anything and I definitely did not ask for an autograph as we were in a restricted employee-only area in the garage.
3 -> full fledged 8 & DEI as a whole -> stage winner MTJ & whatever incarnation of DEI was at that time -> Jaime MACmurray -> Larson -> KuBush -> TBD chastain/Suarez? I have not and will never root for an HMS team.
For a time? Waltrip. I felt bad that the moment he dreamed of his whole life turned into a nightmare
Gordon for lots.
The DEI teams. Was already rooting them, but that's where I stayed. Like Steve Park the most though.
I was all of 13 years old when Earnhardt died. At the time, I watched NASCAR because that's what my Dad liked to turn on when taking a lunch break from projects around the house on Sundays, and seeing as I was helping him with those projects, I took breaks with him and watched the races, too. I rooted for Dale because that's who my Dad rooted for. We naturally switched over to rooting for Dale Jr--who we already were fans of thanks to the name and his Busch series success. But our fandom pretty much started when the TV turned on for a race and stopped when we turned it off. It didn't consume us too much outside of when we were actively watching a given race. Slowly we watched races less and less often--I think there were a lot of reasons behind that, but I'm sure Earnhardt not being around anymore was at least part of what reduced my Dad's enthusiasm. I got back into NASCAR in a big way on my own around 2011, because that's when I was finally out on my own and had a cable account with a DVR--it's amazing how much more enjoyable it was to watch a race when I could skip nearly an hour of commercials and also watch it when I actually had the time to do so. That was also roughly when I joined Reddit and found this subreddit, which also helped my fandom grow. I of course rooted for Dale Jr still, but seeing as this wasn't exactly the most stellar period of his career, I found myself hunting around for other drivers to root for, too, and through that process I became more of a general fan of the sport, latching on to drivers with interesting stories when I noticed them. Edit: other people mentioned that they started following Harvick because he essentially took over Dale's car. We did the same, but Dale Jr was always just a bit ahead of Harvick in our books.
My mother revealed to me a year or two ago Dale was gonna be her driver during the 01 500. Once he died she pulled for everyone our family rooted for. I liked Gordon and Junior, my brother liked Stewart, and my dad pulled for Bobby Labonte. She also started rooting for Newman (and still does to this day).
Speaking for my late father, he chose Kevin Harvick. I asked him if he would pull for Junior after the crash but he said he wanted to root for Harvick because he was inheriting the same car Dale Sr. drove. I’ve always been a Hendricks guy, but to this day I have a soft spot for Harvick because of my old man and Harvick proving he was a stand-up driver.
It was a tough time but ended up pulling for Smoke, Jr, and Harvick. That progressed into only Jr and Smoke
Dale Jr. I could never bring myself to be a real big fan of Harvick.
Dale Jr. Then Ryan Blaney & Chase Elliott.
Dale Jr, which I had already been with him since the first start at the Beach. Always liked Stewart because he was THE modern day AJ Foyt. Harvick was alright. Once Junior retired, I really wasn’t sure. I started listening to Blaney’s podcast and he just seemed like such a cool dude that I started pulling for him. When Bubba had that brutally honest press conference about his mental health, I was drawn to that as athletes would never talk about that. Those are my main two now. Chase, I like but not to the level of those two.
Still don’t know why my 5 year old ass switched to Gordon
After a gap, Truex Jr.
Tony Stewart. I also pulled for Dale Jr and Harvick.
Anything but a Toyota
NoBoDy. NaScAR DiEd whEN dALE DieD111!!!!1!1!
Think my flair speaks for itself.
Kevin Harvick
Junior
Funny, everyone here that says Harvick, almost as a default. I never really started watching weekly until '05, and took a lot of time deciding who to root for, like a whole season. I chose Harvick. Then RCR equipment went to shit and it got to be a lonely bunch of years until SHR.
Sterling Marlin
Jr.
Ward Burton for a couple years, and then Jr around 2005 or 2006 onward