Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been through it all at Daytona International Speedway.
The 50-year-old was twice a winner in the Daytona 500, the race his father won seven times and where the elder Earnhardt was killed in a crash.
As a team owner of JR Motorsports, Dale Jr. saw Justin Allgaier qualify for the “Great American Race.”
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NASCAR team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Peter Casey/Imagn Images)
Holding back tears after Allgaier qualified at the track, Dale Jr. said he could not “believe that we get to race on Sunday.”
Earnhardt Jr. has been back to Daytona International numerous times since his father Dale was killed after crashing on the final lap of the 2001 race. It’s safe to assume it was not easy for him to return.
However, Dale Jr. said Thursday night that following in his father’s footsteps, he needed to learn to be OK with returning.
He did that and more. Although, he did joke that he needs “a psychiatrist” to describe his emotions.
Dale Earnhardt (David Taylor/Allsport)
“Daddy loved Daytona,” Earnhardt said. “Loved winning here. Just loved to win any race here. He loved to add to that number whatever it was (34). Gosh, I loved coming here as a kid. Just a lot of great memories. So, when he passed away, I had to make a decision. I had a career in front of me, and I was coming back multiple times. I had to figure out a way to be OK with it.
“I knew that it wasn’t the track that took him. I knew that, wherever he was, he still felt the same about Daytona. So, I’ve embraced it. Him losing his life in this property brought this property closer to me. That doesn’t work the same with other people and tragedy, but, for me, knowing I had to keep coming here, I made some peace with it, embraced the track and loved it.”
Allgaier won his first Xfinity title last season. He finished second in 2020 and 2023 and has blossomed into one of the most popular drivers during his 14 seasons on the Xfinity series.
Earnhardt won two Daytona 500s, in 2004 and 2014, and 26 races overall. But he never won a Cup championship or came close to matching the achievements of his late Hall of Fame father, who won seven titles and was known as “The Intimidator.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the Verizon 200 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in Indianapolis July 31, 2022. (Marc Lebryk/USA Today Sports)
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Now, he’s going for his first as a team owner.
“We get to push a car on the grid Sunday for the first time ever,” Earnhardt said, “in the biggest, most important race that I’ve ever known. And I can’t wait.”
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