Think about this, if you will: If Janet Jackson had never shown her boobies at the Super Bowl, would Dale Earnhardt Jr. be a Sprint Cup Series champion?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Thinks Two-Car Drafts At Talladega Are ‘Crap,’ But OK With Janet Jackson’s Boobies
“Come again?” Earnhardt Jr. said Saturday. “Did you say, ‘boobies?’”
Bear with me for just a second – or “bare,” if you’re Janet Jackson – before you dismiss the connection.
During halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl, Jackson infamously flashed one of her breasts at America – and the world. Ultimately, it prompted an over-reaction from NASCAR to show stock-car racing was a family-friendly sport, and NASCAR President Mike Helton warned drivers at the start of the 2004 racing season to watch their language (among other things).
Earnhardt Jr. didn’t watch his language, though, after he won the 2004 Chase race at Talladega – taking over the points lead at the time – and was docked 25 points for saying the word “shit” in a Victory Lane interview.
”It don’t mean shit right now – Daddy’s won here 10 times!” Earnhardt Jr. said in a moment of exuberance when asked about where his win stacked up in his family’s ‘Dega history.
NASCAR’s penalty knocked Earnhardt Jr. from the points lead, and he never led again. He ultimately finished fifth in the Chase that year, ending up 138 points behind champ Kurt Busch.
So that was my question: Did Earnhardt Jr. ever wonder if things would have gone differently had Jackson not shown her boobies on international television?
“Hell naw, man!” Earnhardt Jr. said, laughing. “That’s a hell of a...”
...Stretch. Yeah, I know.
"I might have beat Mark Martin for position for points that year, that's about it," he said. "We sucked at Homestead and weren't going to be able to battle whoever won the championship that year. But me and Mark battled it out that day, for fourth in points."
Still, you never know. With two races to go that year, Earnhardt Jr. was behind by 47 points and trailed by just 72 heading into Homestead. Would things have been different if he’d had a fighting chance that day?
Anyway, it was clear Earnhardt Jr. had no ill will toward Jackson or her boobies – but there was something he was pissed about: The two-car drafts at Talladega.
During his media session on Saturday morning, he called the two-car drafts “silly,” “strange,” “a mess” and “crap.”
“Everybody thinks it’s cool now, because it’s neat and everybody’s like, ‘Look what’s going on,’” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Everybody’s getting a big kick out of it. But over the long haul, man, it’s not the best. It’s not as good as 40 dudes in one pack racing like hell trying to get to the front. It’s not anywhere as good as that! Give me that any day over this.
Earnhardt Jr. said when the novelty of the two-car drafts wear off, everyone will long for the big pack racing (and, by the way, I'm not so sure people aren't longing for it already). NASCAR's most popular driver said he didn't know how to change it, but said he wished someone would.
"I think NASCAR is doing what they think is right," he said. "I don't want to say what they're doing is wrong, because I don't know. I don't know whether I'm right or wrong. I just know what I prefer, what I like. It's my opinion. I'm entitled to one, everybody's got one."
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