You have to agree prior to his father's death and the fiery crash in the corvette series, Jr. was his own man on the race track. Both incidents I believe placed a mental strain upon him that he seems to be overcoming this year. With 17 races completed this year, 13 of those top tens and 7 top fives, he's definitely not riding coat tails.
But I'm not here to change your mind, just like his father you either love him or hate him. Ironically I hated his father (I was a Rusty fan), but have come to enjoy Jr's candor and interview prowess.