When a fan “completely floored,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. by gifting him a ‘special’ Dale Sr. memorabilia
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Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Earnhardt family’s NASCAR legacy is irreplaceable. They have reshaped and redefined the sport for decades and are still among the most influential group associated with it. The intimidated Dale Earnhardt, a record seven times champion, is considered to be the greatest ever by many in the racing fraternity. His son Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expanding the family legacy on and off the field.
Dale Sr.’s death after a fatal accident in the final laps of the 2001 Daytona 500 still influences the safety discussion around the sport. One of the biggest tragedies of sports history influenced many, but none more than Dale Jr. Since then, Jr kept all the memorabilia he could find related to his father close to his heart.
During the 2015 Indy Cup race, a fan gifted the then-HMS driver a gift to treasure for the remainder of his life. The fan gave a Jr. firesuit his father used in the International Race of Champions Series race that took place in Daytona two days prior to the tragic death. The fan found it on e-Bay and believed handing it to Dal Jr. was right.
Dale Jr. shared a wholesome message about the gift on Twitter moments after receiving it. He wrote, “Moments ago a fella walked up and handed me my father’s 2001 IROC uniform. Quite an emotional exchange. Completely floored me. Many thanks,”.
“The guy bought it on eBay and just walked up to me and handed it to me. He said he thought I should have it. I thought it was very nice. Very cool,” Dale Jr. later told the press after his Qualifying run in the race.
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Did Dale Earnhardt win the IROC race he last participated in?
Dale Earnhardt was dumped by IndyCar series driver Eddie Cheever in the penultimate also of the race, and he took home the win. Sr. failed to secure the win in his green Pontiac Firebird. He was pleased with Cheever dumping and spinning him in the cool-down lap. The incident was friendly, and Dale didn’t hold any grudge after the race.
The two drivers embraced after the race, and Cheever later said, “I can’t say anything more than I’m sorry. When we get to Talladega (the series’ next race that April), I’ll owe Earnhardt. If he gets hung out (in the draft), which he rarely does, I guess I’ll get in there and help him,”.
“I just wanted him to know it was over with. We’ll race next time. … We’re even now,” Dale Sr. said about dumping the IndyCar driver. Sadly, both Dale and Chever never got the chance to full fill the promises, and the arcing world lost a legend.
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Justin P Joy
(4885 Articles Published)