Top 5 Most Overrated Nascar Drivers

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Top 5 Most Overrated Nascar Drivers

By: Graham Novak

1.Michael Waltrip:

Michael Waltrip is a victim of his extrovert personality and frequent television presence. Because he is highly recognizable due to his camera presence coupled with the lack of stock car credentials in NASCAR’s highest form of racing, the majority of fans consider him as solely a marketing machine as opposed to a skilled driver. However, anyone who is involved in auto racing knows that it takes a profusion of skill to pilot a go-kart, much less a stock car. With that said, out of the 43 drivers that consistently qualify for the races, Waltrip is on the lower end of the talent spectrum. Still, that is not a bad thing considering that thousands of men and women pilot stock cars on all sorts of tracks throughout the United States.

Waltrip’s racing talent and achievements will never match his camera presence and marketing ability.

2.Kasey Kahne:

It is not as if Kasey Kahne lacks talent behind the wheel. Clearly, he is a gifted young driver. Nevertheless, of all young drivers in their twenties, who would you hire as a driver if you were starting your own Sprint Cup operation based solely on talent? Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr., or Kasey Kahne? Kahne would likely fall towards the bottom of this wish list. Kahne is a marketable driver, considering he is a hit with the ladies, but he has failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed before him when he replaced Bill Elliott in the famed number 9 Dodge. He has recorded nine career victories since 2005, but six occurred in 2006, his only solid season in Sprint Cup. Eight of his nine victories occurred on tracks considered intermediate, which most in the garage will credit the car more so than the driver. He struggles at NASCAR’s tougher venues such as the short tracks and road courses.

Kahne is marketable and has a sizeable fan base, mostly women. He is among the top five drivers in souvenir sales each year. The other four drivers are Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson. Kahne should never be mentioned in the same breath as three of those four drivers.

3.Elliott Sadler:

Elliott Sadler has yet to display any sort of stability or consistency in his Sprint Cup career. While he is talented, there are probably more talented drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series. His only respectable season in Sprint Cup racing was in 2004, when he won twice and qualified for the Chase for the Championship. He left the fledgling Yates Racing operation for Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2006, and has yet to improve. In fact, his numbers are far inferior to Jeremy Mayfield, who he replaced in 2006. Sadler is a fan friendly driver with a convivial personality. He is popular among other drivers in the garage area. He just lacks the fire that would add him to the list of elite drivers. As he approaches his tenth season in Sprint Cup, it is likely that his best days have already passed.

Like Michael Waltrip, Elliott Sadler is better suited for the camera than the cockpit.

4.Casey Mears:

Casey Mears has one career victory since he began racing full-time in Sprint Cup competition in 2003. He began is career with Chip Ganassi Racing, who at the time, was much more formidable than they are now. Mears joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2006, hoping to jumpstart his career. While he won his first race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last May, it was by virtue of fuel mileage, and he has yet to win since. In fact, he rarely contends for wins. Despite underachieving with arguably NASCAR’s premier organization, Mears will join Richard Childress Racing, another powerhouse operation, in 2009. The reason for Mears’ hype is due in large part to his last name. His is the nephew of open-wheel luminary Rick Mears. Additionally, Mears is a genuinely nice guy and extremely marketable.

Time will tell if Mears can thrive with Richard Childress Racing, but judging by his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, this could be his last stop in Sprint Cup racing.

5.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.:

Fans will detest me for this. However, if you compare his popularity with his achievements, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is somewhat overrated. While Earnhardt, Jr. is a top twelve driver, top ten at best, in Sprint Cup racing, his popularity and exposure are second to none. A driver with Earnhardt, Jr.’s following should own seven championship rings and 150 career wins. That is not going to happen for Earnhardt, Jr. in this lifetime. Earnhardt, Jr. developed a solid fan base while he was a young buck in the Nationwide Series, and even a rookie in the Sprint Cup Series. He appealed to the younger generation while NASCAR was just beginning to escalate in popularity. When his father passed away, he inherited the majority of his father’s fans. As interest continued to peak, the casual fans were drawn to Earnhardt, Jr. due to the familiarity of his name. He is an affable driver, and he really cannot help how popular he is, unless he just goes out and purposely makes a hind-end of himself.

Earnhardt, Jr. has the potential to be a championship in Sprint Cup, especially now that he is driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Until he wins the title, he will be considered by the majority as an overrated competitor. Even some of his own devoted fans admit that he is a tad bit overrated.