NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Faces a Pivotal 2012 Season

When will Dale Earnhardt Jr. win again?Will he ever be a factor in the Chase?Does he still have the talent worthy of driving a Hendrick Motorsports race car? As NASCAR heads into 2012, there are—as usual—a multitude of questions swirling around the sport's most popular driver. Naysayers are out in full force, voicing doubts over Dale Jr.'s ability to live up to expectations that, at times, have been sky-high. Several years of underwhelming performance have given Junior's critics plenty of ammunition. Comparing him to Dale Sr., they denigrate his abilities and claim he is a failure. Of course Junior will never be a seven-time champion like his father, but his reputation could certainly use bolstering. And that process ne...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - Motorsports
Article is property of BleacherReport.com