It’s impossible for a NASCAR fan to be oblivious to the Earnhardt family and especially to the name Dale Earnhardt. Incredibly, Dale Earnhardt Jr was scared that the fans would forget the impact that ‘The Intimidator’ had on the sport after his tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500.
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Despite his father being only one of only three drivers to win 7-Cup titles in the sport’s history, Dale Earnhardt Jr was scared that other drivers would break his dad’s records. He never wanted anyone to match his dad’s greatness. Indeed, when Earnhardt died, every media house covered the unfortunate event extensively, but Junior felt like it would all go away one day.
“I was just always scared,” said Dale Earnhardt, “Man, I hope they will never forget the essence of him and his personality and his impact, what it felt like when he walked in a room and what it felt like when he was out on the track and he just had this air; he changed the mood.”
“I don’t wanna people to beat his records, I don’t like when anybody’s compared to him. It’s under my skin when somebody says he’s the next Dale Earnhardt. There’s never another Dale Earnhardt! I’m protective of it a bit, I think,” he added.
Luckily, that didn’t happen. Dale Earnhardt’s legacy has lived on and people still do remember him. Interestingly, Dale Earnhardt himself knew what he had to do to make his name indelible in the books of NASCAR history.
Dale Earnhardt’s mantra to stay alive forever in the hearts of the fans
In an exclusive podcast with his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller at the Bojangles Studio, Dale Junior brought out a scrapbook that held several clippers penned down by their dad. As he read through the pages of those priceless anecdotes, fans were thrilled to get that inside scoop into the life of Dale Earnhardt.
But how did Dale Earnhardt maintain proximity with the mainstream media, so much so that they sing praises of him even decades after his demise? Dale Earnhardt Jr read, “Dad says you’ve really got to spend time with the fans and potential sponsors and the press guys. If you don’t they’ll soon forget who you are.”
For Kelley Earnhardt Miller, it was intriguing to imagine what it looked like when someone called someone on the telephone in 1979, with the quotes to type it down and get it to the printing press. “This is a process of time after events and after things are happening,” she exclaimed.
Junior admitted having imagined this entire process happening between his father and veteran sports writer Joe Whitlock, as the former went over to the latter’s place, sat down churning every piece of information, while Whitlock wrote them down.
