What's in a Name?

By Nikki Gonzales
May 5, 2000 - People talk about generation drivers rather frequently in NASCAR, but does having a famous or even recognizable last name lend more talent? Shakespeare's Juliet once asked, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So what about talent, would an Earnhardt, Petty, Jarrett, any other Jr still be as talented by any other name?

The last two seasons in the Busch series provides a good example, since "a rising son" and a "relative unknown", AKA Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Matt Kenseth dominated them. Out of 63 starts, Earnhardt Jr had 44 top tens, with Kenseth scoring 43. Earnhardt Jr was expected to live up to the driving talents of his father, and he did with two back-to-back Busch Grand National Championships. However Kenseth came out of nowhere with a last name that was mainly known only by Wisconsin racing fans, and managed to storm into the top 3 both seasons.

NASCAR will never lack family ties, this season alone we have the Labontes, Hamiltons, Marlins, and the list goes on and on. Having a name that is well established cannot only be a blessing for the help it provides, but it can also be a curse for the expectations and labels that are attached. Yet being the son of, the brother of, or even the nephew of, automatically places expectations upon the relative. Anticipations and expectancies that would not be there if they were not a generation driver.

Take Jason Jarrett, when he lost his ride with BACE Motorsports, some whispered he only landed the ride due to his father and grandfather. Never mind he drove successfully at Hickory, winning "Rookie of the Year" and finishing fifth overall in his first year of competition at the track. Not to mention that he first appeared in Busch in 1997 before starting with BACE in 1999. Jason does not deserve the fans adoration simply since his father is the reigning Winston Cup Champion. Instead he, like the other forty or fifty- some drivers in the series, has to earn it on his own merits.

Of course now more people will take notice of Jason and anticipate his carrying on the family tradition of winning. But whether he falls out of public view or takes that coveted trip to victory lane, Jason and his team will be the ones responsible. Since he alone straps into the car not his dad, grandfather, uncle, or any other family member. Granted he is driving for a family team, but so does Wayne Grubb, Hank Parker Jr, and Ashton Lewis, among others.

Being the family sport that NASCAR is, people expect the family to be close knit. Father helps son, brother advises brother, uncle assists nephew, and so forth. On the other hand, racing against your brother helps provide more determination. Since the thrill of beating your sibling is always a plus, you are able to gauge your performance on one another.

Look at the Burton brothers, both are successful on the Winston Cup circuit, but with Ward finishing second to his younger brother Jeff twice thus far, his desire for a win must have been running on high. Especially since with age is supposed to come wisdom. More often than not, we see the younger sibling outshining the eldest. Ward recently had his moment in the spotlight with a win at Darlington, which came two weeks after Jeff's win at Las Vegas. Their statistics are extremely similar this season. Jeff has three more top fives than Ward but they are tied for top tens, with seven. Almost weekly both are competitive on track. So talent must be genetic right?

Before you say yes, look at the Sadler brothers. Elliot Sadler is enjoying his sophomore season in the Cup series with the Wood Brothers Racing team, gaining more and more track experience. While Hermie recently lost his primary ride in the Busch series with Innovative Motorsports. Or take Kerry Earnhardt, when was the last time he raced Busch? Not that one brother is better then the other one is, it is just the way the cookie crumbles.

Racing ability may or may not come from a hereditary gene, although everyone knows racing is in the blood, but each "famous" name had to start somewhere. Yes even the Pettys and the Earnhardts were unknowns at one point or another in history. Casey Atwood, driver of the # 27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet, has been noted as making a name for himself by becoming the youngest driver to win on the Busch circuit.

Atwood visited victory lane twice last season, with two Bud Poles, five top fives, nine top tens, and finishing 13th overall. Atwood was noticed, not just by fans, but from owners, sponsors, and other teams as well. So if a Casey Jr ever comes across the track people are going to expect to see the talent of his father. Lest they say he only got a ride since he was an Atwood.

So where does talent come from? I guess it's like the answer to age-old question of "How many licks does it take to get the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?" The world may never know.

Well that's it for this report. Until next time race fans, take care and remember Safety First!!!

Nikki

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