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Dale Jr, the crown prince of the Earnhardt Nation. Dale Jr is the heir to the greatest racing family in history. Dale Jr may not be the oldest Earnhardt but Dale Jr is the most popular. Jr is to NASCAR®, what Elvis was to Rock and Roll. With all due respect to King Richard, Dale Jr is the face of the sport and the reigning leader of the Earnhardt Nation. | |
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Dale Earnhardt Jr
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (born October 10, 1974 in Kannapolis, North Carolina). He is the son of Dale Senior and Brenda Gee. He has a sister Kelley, a half brother Kerry and a half sister Taylor Nicole. His nicknames include "Dale Jr" "Junior", "Little E",or "Junebug". Earnhardt Jr. began his driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first racecar was a 1978 Monte Carlo that he brother Kerry owned. Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt had joined the Late Model Stock Car division. There, Dale Jr developed a feel for chassis setup and car prep, while racing against Kerry and their sister Kelley. Dale Jr. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 over rival Matt Kenseth. Dale Earnhardt Jr. competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. His primary competitor for the award was again his friend Kenseth. Kenseth got lucky and finished ahead of Junior in the season-opening Daytona 500. Dale Jr came back with wins at the Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. He also become the first rookie to win the All-Star exhibition race. Kenseth ended up Rookie of the Year despite Dale's great season. The Earnhardts recreated one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when Dale Jr competed with his father, Dale Sr and brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. That was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.
In 2001 Dale Jr. came into the season thinking he would face a sophomore slump, but the year as we all know couldn't have been worse. After Daytona and what we know happened there Dale Jr raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but crashed on the first lap and finished in 43rd-place. Earnhardt rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega, as well as an emotional win in The Pepsi 400 at Daytona, finishing eighth in points for the year. How he did that can only be explained by he had a copilot dressed in black when he raced. Those people who say he is not as tough as his Dad might want to remember that year. The Talladega victory earned Dale Jr a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. The season of despair produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles. To live through his dad's misfortune and still race is one thing. But to race like that can only be summed up with one word, Earnhardt. Dale Jr is the greatest and most popular driver in the world. We think 2008 is the year he will prove it by winning the SPRINT CUP. He will show them that last year was a fluke. He will give his new team - Hendrick's Motorsports - the most formible racing stable ever assembled. With his team mates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears the question will not be, which owner will win the cup? It will be, which Hendrick's driver will win the cup? We believe the answer is Dale Jr.
The red car and the Bud logos may be gone but Dale Jr will once again move to the front - in either his green Amp Energy car or his blue National Guard car - and we will cheer. Our sea of red may be a wave of many colors but you can bet your last dollar Dale Jr will have the fans standing and the checkered flag waving in 2008.
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