It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a decade since Dale Earnhardt, Jr. came onto the scene as a then Winston Cup rookie with a heck of a name to live up to. He was a likeable young kid who liked to party and have a good time and race on Sunday. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to grow up, and that was okay. He was determined to be his own person, free of the shadow of his father, a seven-time Cup champion and a racing legend.
But Dale Earnhardt cast a long shadow, and his death in February 2001 forced Junior to grow up overnight. Driving for the organization his father built for him, Earnhardt, Jr. proved his prowess on the racetrack with seventeen wins to date. After his father’s death, Junior wanted to uphold the reputation of Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated on the track and was successful, as were teammates Steve Park and Michael Waltrip. Everything was turning up roses, and there was no reason to believe that the Earnhardt name on the sign outside wouldn’t be carried on inside the shop as well for years to come, with Junior racing the red No. 8 for as long as he wanted to race at NASCAR’s top level.
And so it comes to this: the white flag lap for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. It will be very different next year not seeing that red No. 8 on track, the number itself looking awfully like a three that had simply come full circle. But that eight was upright, not the imagined infinity symbol at all, and the magic had grown tired. While DEI will always be the place where Junior grew up, it was apparent that it was no longer the place for him that it had once been. So Junior will turn that last lap and then walk away.
But he walks away as the person he always wanted to be: his own man, but a man who wears the family legacy well. His father gave him roots at DEI. It turns out he also gave him wings. Amy Henderson, FrontStretch.com
I must admit I dread Sunday. I worry about his emotions. When he climbs out that last time will those that know him best tell him job well done and wish him well? Will his DEI home at least pat him on the back and thank him for helping to keep them afloat all these years. Do they remember he was the one pushed out to face the media while they mourned in privacy? Will NASCAR appreciate the fact that he basically carried them on his back during those darkest days that followed February 18, 2001?
Or will they let him climb out of that car for the last time and walk away without even a wave? Will someone please just acknowledge what he means to this sport? Please someone tell him job well done. Diane Dale, CupScene.com
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