Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought NASCAR back to life 25 years ago this weekend, but the pain is back
Hard to believe, but it's been 25 years since Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned tragedy into triumph and injected life back into NASCAR.
That's right. Twenty-five years ago this weekend, Junior returned to Daytona International Speedway six months after the track killed his father and won the Pepsi 400.
Remember? Of course you do. How could you not?
Earnhardt Jr. diced his way through the field in the waning laps in the iconic No. 8 Budweiser Chevy, and conquered more than one demon along the way.
NBC's Allen Bestwick delivered arguably the greatest line in sports history. Certainly the greatest line in motorsports history.
"It's going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr., using lessons learned from his father to go from sixth to first and score the victory in the Pepsi 400!"
Everything about it was perfect. The roar from the crowd. The call. The track. The finishing order (Junior won, while Michael Waltrip finished second).
The celebration that finally got to take place.
"It’s as storybook as it can get," Junior once told me years ago.
NASCAR is once again at a crossroads.
I spoke to Junior about that very moment back in 2021. We talked for nearly an hour. He didn't know me from Adam, but boy, did he enjoy reliving that race.
The key, he said, was embracing the track. It was his dad's favorite place. His playground, of sorts.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. won just the one Daytona 500 (1998), but he dominated the track in every other way.
He won 34 times at Daytona International Speedway. Thirty-four. Busch Clashes. Busch races. Duel races. Shootouts. Twin 125s. July races. IROC races.
You name it, Dale Earnhardt won it.
"He used to start last in the Busch Clash and then be leading after four laps," Junior told me. "The way he used all those tricks as he approached each car, it was just fun to watch. When I got in the car, and started doing the things I saw him do, and then I saw how the car reacted to that, it was like a light bulb went off.
"I was like, 'Oh, wow. So that’s how this works.' "
Of course, the track eventually bit back. Earnhardt died on the final turn of the 2001 Daytona 500, and everything changed.
Junior changed. The fans changed. The sport, obviously, changed. Everything was different.
For a while, everything sort of stood still. Sure, the season went on, but it really wasn't until Junior won at Daytona 25 years ago this weekend that things started to move forward.
In a way, the sport faces a similar challenge right now.
In May, Kyle Busch became the first active NASCAR driver to die since Earnhardt in 2001. Once again, the sport lost its soul. Its superstar. Its rock.
We've all tried to move forward, but, let's be honest ... it's not the same. Not yet, at least. It may never be. It's been a brutal year for NASCAR.
Last December, Greg Biffle went down in a plane crash. Less than two weeks later, Denny Hamlin lost his father in a house fire. Let us not forget about the court battle last offseason, which wasn't a good look for anyone.
And then the sport lost Kyle Busch days before the Coca-Cola 600 in the cruelest twist to date.
A lot has changed in the 25 years since Junior won the Pepsi 400. Unfortunately, some things are the same.
NASCAR is again in limbo. It's been a rough year, to put it mildly. There's probably not a "Dale Jr. at Daytona" moment waiting in the wings, either. At least not right now.
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But if that win taught us anything, it's that there will be one. It's possible. We've seen it. This sport produces magical moments all the time.
Earnhardt Jr. brought NASCAR back to life 25 years ago this weekend. As the series grapples with immense loss, again, perhaps we can look back at that moment and allow Junior to teach us a lesson this time around.
"It seems like a lifetime ago," he told me. "When I think about that race, it’s as storybook as it can get. It’s magical, even after all these years I still watch video of it, watch the celebration, and it’s still so much fun to relive that."