Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction was a ‘big affirmation that he is an asset to the sport’
Dale Jr. was inducted into the NASCAR HoF in 2022.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO)
Two-time Xfinity series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted that his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2022 helped him fill the void of not having a Cup championship. Coming to the sport carrying the Earnhardt surname, seven-time champion Dale Sr.’s son had a huge bag of expectations on his shoulder.
He debuted his Cup after winning the Xfinity title twice in 1999 and started racing full-time in 2000. Dale Jr. ran at the top tier till retiring in 2017. From his 631 starts, he secured 26 wins and 260 top-10 finishes. But despite coming close to winning the ultimate prize, he never did it. It created a huge void in his mind over his career’s significance to the sport.
But the lack of the title win, to a certain extent, was erased by him getting recognized by the industry with a HOF entry. Dale Jr. admitted to two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning that he sees the appreciation as an affirmation from everyone around the sport and says it was a good feeling. He recently got another impressive appreciation for his race craft after he was added to the list of 75 greatest drivers ever in sport this year.
“I’ve never experienced winning a Championship, you know. I’ve won a lot of races had a great career, but I was never a champion at the top level, and so that induction into the Hall of Fame is kind of like the big affirmation from the industry and everybody that you’re an asset to the sport. So, that was a good feeling for me,” he said via Eli Manning show.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. started working on other areas once he understood the championship wasn’t viable
Dale Jr. later pointed out that he started working on other areas, such as broadcasting and leading his Xfinity Serie steam JR Motorsports. He shifted his focus to helping and impacting the sport positively by helping young talents grow and represent the sport well to the public.
“As I realized in my racing career that that Championship was going to be elusive, I started working in other areas, as a broadcaster and doing a lot of different things as a car owner, trying too grow young talent and trying to do other things to impact the sport in a positive way,” he said.
He also expressed his gratitude to his hardcore fan, who has been with him for a long time. Dale Jr. is arguably the most famous NASCAR driver of all time, and he has amassed a massive fan following. The 24-time Xfinity race winner has won the most popular Cup driver award 15 times, second to only Bill Elliott with 16 same medals. But unlike Elliott, Junior now has a significant fan base among all age groups.
“When I stumbled, you guys were right there ready to lift me back up. There were times when I absolutely needed you – and you never let me down. We won together, and we lost together. … You should know that I don’t go into this Hall of Fame alone. I go in with you, and I go in because of you,” the JRM boss said.
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Justin P Joy
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