‘It Gives Me Chills’: Dale Earnhardt’s Impact Transcends the NASCAR World as Proven by Supercross Champion Aaron Plessinger

NASCAR’s history cannot be retold without a million mentions of Dale Earnhardt Sr. The Intimidator single-handedly created a lasting impact on the sport and every stakeholder in it. A recent conversation between his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and motocross driver Aaron Plessinger revealed that Senior’s reach spread far beyond just stock car racing.

29-year-old Plessinger is a fan favorite rider on 250s in both motocross and supercross. He is currently one of Red Bull KTM’s AMA Supercross title contenders. Appearing as a guest on the recent episode of Dale Jr. Download, he spoke about the greatness of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and how he came to develop such admiration for him.

Back in March, Plessinger had honored Earnhardt after securing a podium finish at the Daytona International Speedway. Junior brought this up during their talk and admitted that he did not expect someone this young to have such love for his father. The biker shared the reasons with a short trip back to the past.

Plessinger’s father was a huge NASCAR buff and would always watch the races on Sunday. As a kid running around the house, Plessinger was always attracted to the No. 3 and wanted to see it in Victory Lane. He was born in 1996 and didn’t get to see Earnhardt race a lot, but he watched videos of vintage races as he grew up to develop an affinity.

He said, “I just thought it was his want to win. His will to get by somebody to win. That mentality, it gives me chills because I am the opposite. I will do everything I can to be nice to somebody and get around them. It’s like opposites attract. I was so attracted to how your dad got to the front and how bad he wanted to win.”

Plessinger’s tribute to Dale Earnhardt at Daytona

The rider’s tribute to Earnhardt at Daytona came in the aftermath of his first podium of the season. Curious about what led him to do it, Junior asked him to detail his thoughts. After Plessinger won the first podium of his career in 2021, he abruptly coined the phrase ‘Do it for Dale’ at the end of an interview. He had received huge roars of support in return.

This made him realise the power that the ‘Intimidator’ carried in this part of the country, and he decided to keep the ball rolling. He said, “This year, I had the No. 3 shirt with me. I was like, ‘Alright. I don’t care if I get in trouble. Don’t care what anybody says. I’m wearing this if I get on the podium.’ And I ended up getting on the podium.”

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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