Dale Jr remembers favorite career highlight
Quote selected text Published May 2nd, 2007 in NASCAR News
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races and captured two NASCAR Busch Series championships.
There have been many special moments during the third-generation racer’s career, including his emotional triumph in July 2001 at Daytona International Speedway, the track where his legendary father was killed just six months earlier.
So it was interesting when stock car racing’s most popular driver revealed during a recent press conference at Lowe’s Motor Speedway that his favorite moment is actually one that isn’t even included among his career statistics.
“That win here in the All-Star race was, and still is, the favorite moment of my career-being in victory lane with my dad,” Earnhardt Jr. said about the night in 2000 when, as a rookie, he drove the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet to victory in what is now the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.
“The wins that I had before, he (Dale Earnhardt) would come in and shake everybody’s hand and take off. That was the only victory lane that he stood in the entire time-he was there for the whole half-hour, 45 minutes we were there, even as the car was taken off for inspection he continued to stay,” Earnhardt Jr. recalled. “He was talking to his brother, Danny, and the guys on the team. He was really enjoying not only the father-son relationship, but I think he was enjoying the fact that he had built a team that was the winner of the All-Star race.
“That was a big, important race to him. It’s the best of the best. There are no points, there is no reason to be conservative,” Earnhardt Jr. continued about the race that returns to Lowe’s Motor Speedway Saturday night, May 19. “There is no excuse for not having your A game for that race. It ain’t, ‘Well, I took a fourth or a top-five because it was a great points day.’ or whatever. It’s all out-there are no excuses and you come with your A game, you run hard and that’s what you get in the end. That was your best that night.
“That was a race and a format that dad really admired,” Earnhardt Jr. said about his father who won the All-Star race three times. “I think what he wanted as a driver-it meant the most to him. It was right up there with winning the (Daytona) 500. I think winning it as a car owner was something he never really imagined, so that was pretty cool to see him enjoy that moment that night.”
Bookmark to:
- 2007 Final top 12 in Chase for the Cup
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=] Simply put, there’s a reason beyond his ability that he’s my
favorite.
I don’t think this should come as a surprise to anybody. This says that Jr can look past racing and appreciate moments in life that will still matter once his racing career is over. That win was obviously special to him for more reasons than just taking the checkered flag. Jr doesn’t walk the line that these other corporate robotic drivers do, and actually lets you in to part of who he is in interviews. When he’s interviewed he’s less pitchman and more genuine person. That’s the real reason behind his mass appeal, he’s not worried about who he is or who is judging and watching him.
Dale Jr is Awesome, on & off the track….Miss Dale Sr. so much.
Go Dale Jr Go kick some butt this weekend………Hugs, Kelly n Texas
I can understand why this day ment so much to Dale Jr. His Dad was so proud that day & he showed it, it was the best…..
Dale Jr has what it takes to get the job done & he will