The head Hatfield is moving in with the McCoys.
That may be the sentiment echoed by several residents of NASCAR Nation after last week.
Just weeks after saying he would leave the organization his late father started, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he will drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year. That's Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR's Evil Empire. The home of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, the Dr. Evil and Mini Me of stock car racing.
At least, these are the views of most of Junior's fans, not Junior himself. Those people who chose to pelt Gordon with trash for waving a Dale Senior flag after tying him in wins and then surpassing him one his favorite track at Talledega.
It didn't matter that Gordon and the elder Dale were friends off the track. Will it matter now that his son will be in the same garage?
Can the members of Junior Nation continue to give their boy a number one salute while giving his new teammates the other finger?
There's little doubt they would have preferred Junior going to Joe Gibbs Racing and drive beside Tony Stewart. Check any car with a Junior sticker and if there's another driver on there, it's likely Stewart.
Then there are those who dreamed of him going to Richard Childress and seeing that black No. 3 back on the track. Like that wouldn't add even more pressure on him to win.
Ultimately, that's what it came down to - winning. Junior went with the group that would give him the best chance at winning a championship.
Of course, that's the other reason his boss draws so much ire. It's as easy for race fans to hate Rick Hendrick as it is for baseball fans to hate the Yankees. It's easy to say Hendrick cars win because they have money and resources that other teams can't even hope for.
It's so much more than that. Hendrick Motorsports works harder than anyone else. Hendrick drivers have dominated in the Car of Tomorrow, which was supposed to level the playing field, because they spent the previous year working with the car instead of griping about it.
Their teams show the best teamwork and communication with one another. While some wonder if Junior can win without Ton Eury Jr calling the shots, Gordon is primed to win his fifth championship with his third crew chief.
Beyond all that, Rick Hendrick creates an atmosphere where people want to drive and win for him. Ask anyone who has.
Ask Darrell Waltrip, who went to Hendrick after winning three championships with Junior Johnson.
Dale Junior interviewed with other organizations and saw them as just organizations. He saw Hendrick Motorsports as a family.
All this is why he'll be driving with Jeff and Jimmie next year.
Dale's on board. Hopefully, his nation will too.
