IN MY OPINION

Joyous roar greets jolly green giant

TOM SORENSEN

The Charlotte Observer

Friday, Feb. 15, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There's that sound. It spills from the grandstands and the infield at Daytona Motor Speedway, fills the air above the track. For a few seconds it's louder than the engines. Maybe you heard it where you were.

The best way to describe the sound is hopeful. It implies that, at least for a few seconds, all was right with the world.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. is good, all is right for NASCAR and its fans. And Earnhardt Jr. has been exceptional in Daytona this week. He won the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday. He took the lead in the first of Thursday's Gatorade Duels, triggering the outrageous roar from fans, and stayed, winning.

If there's an athlete such as Earnhardt Jr. in any other sport, I'm not aware of him. He's like Tiger Woods in that people who care little about golf care deeply about him. But Tiger dominates. Earnhardt Jr. has never finished better than third in the Cup championship. He has won only two Cup races since 2005 and was shut out last season.

After the first Duel on Thursday, several drivers walked to the garage. Four or five fans but never more than 10 chased after most of the drivers. Where was the important driver? Here he comes, the front end of his 25-deep entourage showing up before he does. It of course is -- Kenny Wallace, the Sprint Cup Series' most popular part-time driver.

We know why fans love Wallace. He's hilarious and outgoing and a TV star. But why is Earnhardt Jr. such a big deal?

"Mystique," Wallace says. "He's like James Dean."

Dean died young. So did Dale Earnhardt. So did John Kennedy.

Earnhardt Jr. "has always reminded me of JFK Jr.," Wallace said. "He has the family history. He's also a helluva driver.

"But I go back to, he's very mystique. He doesn't let you see everything."

Earnhardt Jr. has shown enough this week, his first driving for Rick Hendrick. Told that he's been walking around Florida with a smile, Earnhardt Jr. says, "Well, I think everybody knows if you go into something with a poor attitude you typically have poor results or you have a miserable time anyways.

"That ain't saying that I go to all these tracks with a smile on my face. But I do enjoy being in Daytona. I have enjoyed this relationship. Up to this point, it's been great, more than we ever could have dreamed of as far as the success we're having. I'm proud. I'm just happy that we're able to have this and am thankful for it."

Here's something for which fans ought to be thankful.

Earnhardt switched this season from red to green. He drives a car the color of an evergreen and wears a driver's suit the color of a fairway.

Green is not a color you associate with speed. Even Jeff Green didn't drive a green race car. But Daytona this week looks like a testament to John Deere. Perhaps the track has become environmentally aware. Is racing ready for the Sierra Club 500?

More likely it will do anything to be like Junior.

So why should fans be thankful?

They should be thankful he didn't choose pink.

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