Life sometimes takes a while for things to work out. In racing, when you have the last name of a great driver that has already made a name for themselves in the sport, living up to those expectations is even more difficult.
Davey Allison had to follow the footsteps of his father, Bobby, and if he hadn’t passed away suddenly in 1993, could’ve shown he was just as good as his father.
Kyle Petty had the absolute difficult task of having his father be “The King”, Richard, and instead carved his own path into the sport, one that he was ultimately proud to do.
But, when you have the name of Earnhardt, it is an even bigger challenge.
Ever since his death in 2001, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has constantly been compared to his father, and if he could live up to what he did in his career. For such a young man who had experienced the toughest loss in his life, that kind of expectation was unrealistic, and possibly unwarranted. Sure, he was running for the company his father started, but trying to compare him to a man nicknamed the “Intimidator” was something that ultimately was hard to escape from.
As the years went on, life got back to normal. He raced, and won, but still the comparisons were there. At the end of 2007, unable to work out a contract that not only would keep him with the team, but also give him control of it, he decided to be his own man and make a move. The move was joining Hendrick Motorsports.
It took years for him to feel comfortable, winning only two races between 2008 and 2013. Finally, last season, he showed that he was capable of being a winner on a consistent basis, but not because of his last name. His crew, his team, and who he was finally came together. Outside of the track, things away from racing were coming together. For the last few years, he’s had a steady girlfriend, who joined him in victory lane last year in Daytona and every race afterward. He’s happy, genuinely.
Earnhardt Jr. came to Talladega on Sunday knowing he could win, but also with what would have been his dad’s 64th birthday on Wednesday, it made what he was hoping to accomplish more special.
He’s always had a connection to this place, and understood what it took to win here. But not doing so since 2004 made it more emotional on Sunday. When the No. 88 took the checkered flag, Earnhardt Jr. took the gloves off on his cool down lap, and rather than do donuts or burn down the tires, he simply unbuckled his belts, grabbed the checkered flag, and waved to the fans. That area, and truly that track, is the center of “Earnhardt Country” in Alabama. Fans knew what his father did at the track, and were there when he won his final race. To see the man, who is now 40, continue in the sport, but rather than follow exactly what his dad did, write his own storybook, it means something more.
The is no more living in the shadow of “The Man in Black” and there’s no intimidating a driver nicknamed “Junior.” This young man is writing a new story in NASCAR with the Earnhardt name. He’s doing it his way, on his own terms.
Sure, it took a while, but finally, in his career and his life, he’s happy.
RESULTS: 1-Earnhardt Jr. 2-Johnson 3-Menard 4-Blaney 5-Truex Jr. 6-Hornish Jr. 7-Newman 8-Harvick 9-Hamlin 10-Wise
NOTABLE FINISHES: 12-Busch 19-Stewart 22-Keselowski 25-Kenseth 31-Gordon 33-Logano
CAUTIONS: 6 for 23 laps. Lap 20-24 (#55, 33 Accident-T1 ); 48-51 (#83,42,17,51,16,18,40,22,6,5,10,7,62,43,4 Accident- Backstretch [Red Flag-11 Mins, 32 Secs.]); 56-58 (Debris-Backstretch); 92-95 (#62 Accident-Turn 2); 116-118 (Debris-Turn 3); 159-162 (Fluid On Track From #3).
LEAD CHANGES: 27 among 15 drivers. Gordon 1-3, Kahne 4-6, Stewart 7-11, Earnhardt Jr. 12-15, Gordon 16-19, Harvick 20, Allgaier 21, Labonte 22, Gordon 23-48, Busch 49, Johnson 50-91, Gilliland 92, Wise 93, Gordon 94-95, Johnson 96-103, Earnhardt Jr. 104, Hamlin 105-106, Earnhardt Jr. 107-110, Gordon 111-115, Mears 116, Gordon 117-123, Earnhardt Jr. 124-147, Stewart 148, Earnhardt Jr. 149-155, Hamlin 156-158, Stenhouse Jr. 159, Whitt 160-161, Earnhardt Jr. 162-188.
TIME OF RACE: 3 Hrs, 8 Mins, 8 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 159.487 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.158 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS: 1. Harvick, 394 points*; 2. Truex Jr, -40; 3. Johnson, -52*; 4. Logano, -59*; 5. Earnhardt Jr, -75*; 6. Keselowski, -89*; 7. McMurray, -97; 8. Kenseth, -102*; 9. Kahne, -108; 10. Hamlin, -113*
*Chase Eligible
Other Chase Drivers: Kurt Busch (15th, 1 win)