When Kyle Larson wins a race and his children are trackside, he often takes his son for a celebratory lap around the circuit. Joey Logano has many a time marked his wins by bringing his wife and children into the celebration, while Chase Briscoe famously grew emotional last year when his son witnessed him take the checkered flag. This heartwarming trend of drivers sharing post-race celebrations with their kids has struck a chord with fans, and veteran driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is firmly behind it.
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Recently, when Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsports team swept the top two positions at the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway, he wasn’t at the track initially. Instead, he was back home in North Carolina, attending his daughters’ dance recital before jetting to Middle Tennessee.
There, he watched his driver, Justin Allgaier, mark his Nashville win by loading his daughters, Harper and Willow, into the winning car and steering them into victory lane.
Reflecting on this, Dale Jr. noted, “It’s kind of this new trend where drivers are encouraged to have their kids be a part of that front straightaway interview (after winning). It’s a great moment, it really is if you are a father.”
While Dale Jr. himself never had that experience as a driver, he appreciates seeing fellow competitors display a more personal side, offering moments that resonate with fans. However, he also acknowledged the strategic aspect of these gestures.
“It’s become protocol at this level, where I’m at. I don’t know if it’s protocol down there,” he remarked, recognizing the added media appeal such scenes create.
With Justin Allgaier driving both daughters to victory lane, I asked Dale Jr. how that hits him since he never got the chance to do so in #NASCAR and what it would mean to do so with his daughters after a Late Model win. He also provides a hint at the future in his response pic.twitter.com/41KQbDuxbv
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 1, 2025
When asked whether he would embrace this tradition if he were to return to victory lane, Dale Jr. admitted he would love to, though he quipped that by the time a Late Model Stock Car Racing checkered flag falls, his daughters would likely be asleep ahead of school the next day.
Nonetheless, he hinted he might not be entirely finished with Xfinity Series racing, raising the possibility that a future Xfinity win could offer Dale Jr.’s girls a glimpse of their father’s racing legacy.
Allgaier, meanwhile, remains hopeful his boss will seize that opportunity. “I hope he comes out of retirement because he’s been really good at it,” he remarked. Imagining Dale Jr. alongside his wife Amy and their two daughters on pit road for a victory celebration would indeed be a scene to savor.
