Filling Earnhardt's Shoes Impossible Task

By ESPN

I have always enjoyed a mixture of music.

A quick peek inside my iPhone reveals everything from Chris Stapleton to U2; I enjoy Stevie Nicks as well as Lord Huron.

As I grow older, I appreciate more of the words and meaning from the music I listen to.

If I were to pick a song that best represents my view of NASCAR today, it would be this one: "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" sung by George Jones.

The past couple of years I've been occupied with trying to identify the next generation of great talent. We are on the cusp of saying goodbye to Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a competitor in NASCAR's premier series. It marks the third consecutive year we have said goodbye to a marquee name. Of course I'm referring to Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.

Not far behind will be Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.

George Jones' song begins with:

You know this old world is full of singers

But just a few are chosen

To tear your heart out when they sing

Imagine life without them

All your radio heroes

Like the outlaw that walks through Jesse's dream

No there will never be another

Red-Headed Stranger

A Man in Black and Folsom Prison Blues

The Okie from Muskogee

Or Hello Darling

Lord, I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes

I believe the song is referencing Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty.

I like the second line of "just a few are chosen."

You know that I competed against each of the drivers I mentioned above, I shared the race track with them week after week after week, I'm proud of the fact that I'm one of 23 drivers that won in each of NASCAR's top three divisions. I worked hard to achieve that. I'm going to confess to you that I wasn't one of the chosen few, but I'm qualified to tell you which drivers are.

Stewart, Gordon, Kenseth, Harvick and Johnson are among the chosen few of this generation of NASCAR drivers.

I did not have their level of talent, at least not throughout my career. Their championships validate them as being the equivalent of the country music singers I just referenced, but the song that seemed so meaningful to an audience in the 1980s barely exists to this generation of country music fans.

You see, it's the same way from my parents' perspective on NASCAR.

Our sport was most meaningful to them during my career, but the prime for them probably would have been the 1970s and '80s.

This same discussion from their perspective would have included five other names that they couldn't imagine being replaceable.

Their definition of "who's going to fill their shoes" would have included Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip.

Now I fast-forward to my son's generation -- he just turned 21, a junior at South Carolina -- and he and his buddies are destined for Darlington in a few weeks.

If they become as committed to NASCAR as we all have, who will they identify 20 years from now to fill the shoes ? Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, perhaps Erik Jones or Ryan Blaney?

I don't think NASCAR's in any great risk of identifying who carries the torch going forward, not more than any other sport. It's painful for those of us in the moment to say goodbye to Gordon, Rusty Wallace or a Mark Martin, to think of life without Stewart circling the track, or Bill Elliott.

Sometimes we give too much thought to the things we have too little control over, and other times not enough consideration is directed toward those deserving of it.

Another verse in the song goes like this...

God bless the boys from Memphis

Blue Suede Shoes and Elvis

Much too soon he left this world in tears

They tore up the Fifties

Old Jerry Lee and Charlie

And Go Cat Go still echoes through the years

The final verse of my story this week goes like this.

We cross paths in life was some amazing people, most are replaceable, but a small amount are not.

Dale Earnhardt was Elvis Presley, a hero of mine. I envied his ability to wrestle speed from a race car. Like Elvis, we will never ever see another Dale Earnhardt -- much too soon he left this world in tears.

Thank God we inherited his son.

Like Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr., we've gotten to see a second act. They were different from one another, but equally rewarding.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 13 races away from hanging up his helmet. I watched him work extremely hard to win his dad's approval as a race car driver. I can't imagine the difficulty of measuring up to a legend while living in his shadow.

I admire the hell out of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for many, many, reasons, but most of all because he is his own man, he never turned his back on our sport, and he has left an indelible mark -- and our sport is better because of everything he gave us.

There will never be another Red-Headed Stranger.

John Andretti Begins New Round of Chemotherapy

John Andretti has started another round of chemotherapy.

The former NASCAR and IndyCar driver used Twitter on Monday to provide an update on his fight against colon cancer: "Same cocktail with an added twist. Only 3 months to go."

The 54-year-old Andretti made his diagnosis public in early May and has relied on social media to keep fans abreast of his condition.

In late June, he Tweeted that doctors found that his spleen and gall bladder were cancer free. Andretti continues to encourage others to get preventative screenings.

Andretti started 49 consecutive IndyCar races from 1990-92 before moving to NASCAR, where he made 29 or more starts every year from 1994-2003. He was the first driver to attempt the Memorial Day double.