OPINION: Does Dale Jr have what it takes anymore?

     Lets take a walk down memory lane, and step back all the way into 2003. Who was the man everyone thought would be running for the championship? Dale Jr. And he did. He finished a career high of 3rd in points, making fans across the nation happily bleed Budweiser red. In 2004, he kicked it off with a Daytona 500 win, and 5 other wins along with it. He made the inaugural chase, and finished 5th in points. Then, 2005 hit...

     I don't think I need to recap what happened in 2005...2007...2009...or 2010. There were a few glimpses of hope in 2006, where he made the chase, but wasn't a real championship contender, and in 2009 when he first put his hands in a Hendrick Motorsports auto mobile. Why did the excitement stop in 2005? The media, fans, and even outsiders have tried to find out what happened to "Little E". He had no significant changes personally, nor did he severely change psychologically. There has only been one thing that really changed besides the Hendrick Motorsports move. ( The downfall started prior to the move to Rick Hendricks team) His crew chief.
     For most of Dale Jr's career, he has had one crew chief. Tony Eury Sr. He has had many others, including his cousin Tony Eury Jr, the one that just got taken off the #88 pit box, Lance McGrew, and his new one, Steve Letarte. Dale Jr has not had a season with multiple wins since his last season with Tony Eury Sr. Nor has he been the same over the radio. You can clearly hear (and Dale Jr fans, realize I'm not saying this in a rude way, you know its true) he is much crankier, frustrated, and has a hard time trying to communicate with anyone other than his Uncle.

     Dale Jr just became too accompanied to the way him an his Uncle communicated. This is NOT a bad thing though. For some reason, myself and other NASCAR fans are the only ones that have thought that. If thats what works best, then you don't break up good communication between people. Throwing more crew chiefs at Dale is not the answer. They need to bring back the old to bring in new hardware from victory lane.
     Steve Letarte is a very talented crew chief, but hes not aggressive enough to fit with Dales racing style. Tony Eury Sr. is one of the few people in the world who won't take any ones crap, even Dale Jr's. Hes strong, and even if Jr doesn't agree with a decision Tony Eury Sr. is making, he trusts it. Trust is essential in ANY driver/crew chief relationship. You have clearly seen that Dale Jr didn't fully trust Tony Jr, nor did he trust Lance McGrew.
     Overall, I just had to let this out. If you know me as a fan, you know that I have a strong dislike for Dale Jr, but I can't stand seeing someone fail year after year. I know its no fun, and I don't like seeing another fan hurt by it when there is a simple solution that many fans agree with.