Hey, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Happy Anniversary! No, it’s not Earnhardt’s wedding anniversary (which is December 31). But it is almost as momentous an anniversary as his nuptials, as April 2 marked the 25th anniversary of Earnhardt’s first-ever NASCAR Cup win.
Advertisement
It’s a day I remember well, as I was there in-person at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, and witnessed everything first-hand as a columnist and editor. I had recently been promoted to managing editor for GoRacing.com (now defunct) and this was my first event in charge of the entire site.
Admittedly, it was hard to be a neutral observer, as the post-race excitement and atmosphere was so electric that if you could have harnessed that kind of power, it might have lit up Fort Worth for the next year, it was so spectacular.
Junior’s outstanding achievement seemed to inspire not only the 150,000 fans in attendance, but also virtually the entire media corps of probably close to 500 (including the entire TV crew). That was back in the day when the NASCAR beat was one of the most coveted and prestigious in any form of sport.
As I watched the race unfold and then saw the checkered flag wave, my memory of what was simply known as “The DirecTV 500” is as sharp as if the event happened yesterday, instead of 25 years ago. Driving the red No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Budweiser Chevrolet, Dale Jr. dominated the 334-lap event, leading a race-high 106 laps, including the final 53 circuits around the 1.5-mile high speed oval.
While there was great joy in Earnhardt’s pit immediately after he took the checkered flag, what made this event all the more memorable to me was when Junior drove into victory lane, his car was being pushed in celebration not only by his crew, but also by his father, Dale Sr., still wearing his own firesuit after finishing seventh in the race. Father reached into the car and grabbed his son’s head, as if to say, “Boy, you done good! You’re now not just a Cup driver, you’re a Cup winner!”
As he climbed out of his car, Junior was asked by NBC announcer Ken Squier what he was feeling, to which Junior simply replied, “It’s pretty special!”
Indeed, it was special and would launch a career that would go down in NASCAR history.
Shortly after Junior’s interview with NBC, Dale Sr. was asked about his reaction to his son’s accomplishment.
“I tell you, he’s something else,” the father said of son. “He was talking about coming to Texas to win his first Cup race. He won his first Busch race here. We knew the kid could do it.”
And Junior did do it.
What a party there was deep in the heart of Texas
The celebration and post-win party seemed to go on for hours, punctuated at the outset when Junior climbed out of his winning race car, the senior Earnhardt gave his son what Dale Jr. has said several times over the years, was “the biggest damn old bear hug I’ve ever had.”
The elder Earnhardt, who finished seventh in that race, wasn’t there to steal his son’s thunder. On the contrary, the elder Earnhardt knew all too well the excitement and jubilation his son was feeling, having enjoyed 76 visits to NASCAR Cup victory lane himself, most while he was behind the wheel of his iconic black No. 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet.
But watching and being part of his son’s first of what would eventually be 26 career Cup wins probably ranked equally to the biggest win of the elder Earnhardt’s career, his momentous win in the 1998 Daytona 500.
Yet even with all the celebration, the congratulatory backslapping and beer-doused victory lane — it was Budweiser, of course — April 2, 2000, would also prove to be one of the greatest memories we’d have for the father-son duo.
Sadly, just 10 months and 16 days later, the senior Earnhardt would be killed in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500.
I’ll never forget how Junior stumbled around the infield, ready to accompany his father to a nearby hospital where, exactly one hour after the ambulance arrived, then-NASCAR president Mike Helton took to the podium and addressed the media throng, saying sadly and succinctly, “We’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”
Over the following 25 years, Dale Jr. — it’s still hard to believe he’s now 50 years old and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame – would visit victory lane 25 more times after that sunny day deep in the heart of Texas.
And Junior’s loyal fan base — as well as the additional countless fans he inherited from his late father — would spend the next 25 years literally watching Junior grow up. He’d go from an admittedly young cocky kid and early heavy partying days to become an extremely responsible husband and father, and an intelligent, strongly observant TV analyst, still as popular as ever.
He went from being his father’s son, proudly strutting and knowing the power and aura he conveyed from dear old Dad, to doing things many of his fellow competitors couldn’t do, including six wins at Talladega Superspeedway.
A lifetime of celebration and angst, success and sadness
But there was also conflict after his father’s passing, most notably the future of Dale Earnhardt Inc. A long-simmering dispute with his stepmother exploded in 2007, leading Junior to leave DEI and move on to a place where he felt welcome and one that supported him, Hendrick Motorsports, where he’d earn 9 of his 26 Cup wins.
Yes, we watched Junior grow up over the last quarter century. And while he bested his father with two Daytona 500 wins (2004 and 2014) to Dale Sr.’s lone victory in The Great American Race, one thing Junior was never quite able to achieve was a NASCAR Cup championship (although he did win two Busch Series — now the Xfinity Series — titles). Dale Sr., of course, is tied with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson for most Cup championships, each with seven crowns.
So much has changed in the world of NASCAR since Junior’s first Cup win 25 years ago and so many people have left both the sport and this world.
It’s unclear if Junior remembered or celebrated the 25th anniversary of his first Cup win earlier this week, but one thing is certain: we’ll likely never forget what would begin a legacy that is still going strong so many years later.
