|
Daytona International Speedway, home to a number of different races during the season, is a place where the Earnhardt family was always successful. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won numerous races on the track, but the Daytona 500 was always just a bit out of his reach. It took him 20 years to take the checkered flag in the illustrious Daytona 500 but it finally happened on February 15, 1998. Unfortunately, only three years later, the 49 year old “Intimidator” would be killed as a result of massive injuries sustained in a last lap crash, a race that would see his teammate Michael Waltrip win and his son, Dale Jr., finish second.
In 2004, “Little E”, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won his first Daytona 500, only three years after losing his father and inspiration on the same track. Junior has taken over the role of “the future of NASCAR” but still has other drivers like Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Gordon to lead the sport along. Junior tends to be the extreme with fans where they either love him or hate him, similar to the status of a New York Yankees type team. On his day of victory at Daytona, the pinnacle of the NASCAR season, even the fans that disliked Junior had to cheer for him knowing what he’s experienced on the track in previous years.
The Earnhardt family has been one of the most influential in racing along with families like the Pettys and Unsers, and Dale Jr. has quickly become the leader of a sport coming more and more to mainstream television. The Daytona 500 is the biggest race in the sport, and everyone is desperate to win it at least once, but there is no way you can expect to see Junior taking it easy at Daytona. His first Daytona 500 victory was for his father, but the next one, likely to be sooner than later, will definitely be for himself.
Get your Daytona 500 Tickets from GetTicketsHere.com |
