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Junior, new car garner praise
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A lot of questions were answered Friday night during the Subway Jalapeno 250 at the Daytona International Speedway.
First, Dale Earnhardt Jr. proved he can still win races.
Second, NASCAR proved its new car for the Nationwide Series is the real deal.
And third, the race proved again its roots run deep in history and tradition.
Earnhardt revived the No. 3 and the Wrangler sponsorship his father made famous early in his career. It was a stirring throwback to the elder Earnhardt's heyday with Richard Childress Racing, and only the third time the son used his father's racing number since he died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
The tribute wasn't complete until Earnhardt Jr. led the final 33 laps, holding off Joey Logano in a green-white-checkered finish and triggering a rush of emotion all along pit road.
"You know, it's pretty much a real emotional win," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But, you know, it was obviously to honor my father, but for his fans, too. They were so supportive of him, and still are today. So I want to thank them."
The car was built by Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports, but Earnhardt Jr. listed Childress as the official car owner. The two hugged in Victory Lane, each wiping tears.
It was the third time Earnhardt Jr. revived his father's car number. And it will be the last. He won the Nationwide Series race at Daytona in 2002 in the No. 3 and he finished 36th at Charlotte, N.C., also in 2002 with the same number.
"I will never do it; I'll never rethink it; I'll never consider it," he said. "I think that it's important for everybody to know that that's as concrete as it gets. I'll never do it again.
"So I enjoyed it. It's hard for me. It's a balancing act between you and the public, and myself and my own feelings. I mean, I kind of, you know, look to what you guys are putting out there to kind of get a temperature of how the public's feeling. It's such a tough deal. It's real emotional for me preparing for it and putting it together."
And based on the reaction by the crowd and ESPN, it was a victory which could help define the entire season.
To make it happen, Earnhardt Jr. needed permission from Hendrick, Childress and his stepmother, Teresa. And he needed to be successful. An
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Junior, new car garner praise
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A lot of questions were answered Friday night during the Subway Jalapeno 250 at the Daytona International Speedway.
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