Little E finished 2 places ahead of Elliott. Hardly "alot better". They both had 2 wins, but Earnhardts were both at restrictor plate tracks, and he had significant help from Waltrip. He should be doing better than he is, IMO, especially with the team, sponsors and money he has in his corner. He is getting better, though, and should be in contention for the title within 5 years.
Elliott is a legend. He was the first driver to ever win a million. He owns the fastest recorded time in a stock car, qualifying for the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega with a speed of 212.809 mph. He won a single-season record 11 superspeedway races in 1985. He won the championship in 1988, and has finished second in the points 3 other times, including the closest finish ever, when he lost to Kulwicki by 10 points in 1991. This year, he won 5 Bud Poles, and won back to back races at Pocono and Indy, which are both difficult tracks. He's also running with Dodge, which is still trying to work the bugs out of their new program. He has won the most popular driver 16 times in the past 18 years, including 10 years in a row. He also happens to be one hell of a nice guy. If you ever met him, you'd vote for him, too.
Little E would be nothing if he wasn't big E's son. So many fans felt robbed when Dale sr. died, they just latched onto junior like their own lives depended on it. Don't get me wrong, I like junior, but he's no where near worthy of a title like Most Popular Driver. At least not yet.
Take care,
~Chris
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