Thursday, March 13, 2014

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: A Legend's Legend

DRAFTING THE CIRCUITS

                                    Posted by Holly Golembiewski


 

His father was one of the best and most popular NASCAR drivers of all time, whether you liked him or not.

As his son bearing his name, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been held to a much higher standard than most drivers, but has lived up to them in his own way.

He truly IS his own person, and his own athlete.

There is a lot about Earnhardt Jr. that is quite appealing, and being NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” 11 times in a row is at the top of the list; however, there are a lot of unknown facts about the two-time Daytona 500 winner, who is also currently at the top of the Sprint Cup Series standings.

Born on October 10, 1974, in Kannapolis, NC, Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (the name of both his Grandfather and Father) was born into a racing bloodline. He grew up in and around a racing shop, and it wasn’t long before he got behind the wheel of a race car himself.

He began his career at the age of 17 when he competed in the Street Stock division of racing in Charlotte, NC.  Previous to that, he attended the Andy Hillenburg school of racing.  He progressed into racing with a Late Model Stock Car.

In 1996, Earnhardt Jr. ran his first NASCAR Busch Series race (currently known as the Nationwide Series), and between 1996 and 1997 ran nine races.  Those years were a prelude to driving full-time for his father in 1998 in the same series.

Earnhardt Jr. earned two back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999.

Currently in his 15th year of Sprint Cup competition, Earnhardt Jr. won his second Daytona 500 this season, and currently leads the point standings.  If he didn’t run out of gas with a little bit over a half lap left this past weekend at Las Vegas, Earnhardt Jr. would have won again.  Instead, he had to settle for a second place finish.

He has really established himself as his “own” driver (and not what some expect him to be because of who his father was), and has grown so much as both a driver and a person over the years.

Just look at Earnhardt Jr.’s interviewing style.  He used to be what I would call a “tough” interview, with short-styled answers that took him quite a few moments to formulate.

Now?  He is seasoned, and quick on his feet to both think AND answer.  As an admitted fan of his (although I try to remain impartial because of my media association with covering NASCAR), it’s been nice to follow his career from the beginning, and see how far he has come in so many ways.

Off the track, he is an admitted history buff.  He even did an extensive family history and plans on an upcoming trip to Germany, where he hopes to uncover more facts about his roots.

Washington, DC, rich in history, houses Junior’s favorite team – the Washington Redskins.  On the occasional Sunday when there is both a NASCAR Sprint Cup race and an NFL game featuring the Redskins, Junior requires regular updates on the score.

“I’ve got to know. I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing if I don’t know what the Redskins are doing. My fans tell me if I lose, it ruins their week. But if the Redskins lose, it ruins my week.”

Earnhardt Jr. once had a dream of playing football for the Redskins, but said that he was not “built” for it.

“I was 5–3 when I got my driver’s license at the age of 16,” he said, “so I wasn’t going to make much of a football player.”

Honestly?  Even if they were doing badly, I would probably not tell him.  I wouldn’t want that influencing his driving abilities, which, this season, have been quite impressive.  If relaying the score had a negative impact on his racing abilities, it would ruin MY week.

A few years ago when I was in Charlotte, NC, for the Coca Cola 600 weekend, I was lucky enough to visit Junior’s bar called “Whiskey River.”  He opened it in 2008 and opened another one subsequently in Jacksonville, Florida.  The place is known for cold beer, wings, and of course, the flow of their whiskey.  Their website is not only interactive, but fun and interesting.  You can visit it at www.thewhiskeyriver.com/charlotte.

He has also invested some money with his car owner Rick Hendrick in auto dealerships, and owns both Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cadillac with him.  They are both located in Tallahassee, Florida.

Adding to his diverse background, Earnhardt Jr. was also in one of my favorite racing movies – “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”  In the movie, it is ironic that Junior asks Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell) for his autograph, telling him “not to tell anyone.”

Last year, Earnhardt Jr. designed his own line of eyeglass frames, which are quite handsome and stylish.  In this particular venture, he partnered with NY Eye Inc.

He has also been on the cover of EA Sports video game “NASCAR Thunder 2003.” Additionally, when he was still in the N0. 8, he was featured in the game “NASCAR Rumble.”  In the video, he was a guest driver while his father was in his trademark No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevy.

Earnhardt Jr. was also voted to be on the cover of another game in 2012 called “NASCAR The Game: Inside Line.”
Earnhardt Jr. has also appeared in quite a few music videos including ones from Nickelback (“Rockstar”), Trace Adkins (“Rough and Ready”), Three Doors Down (“The Road I’m On” with Tony Stewart), Kid Rock (“Warrior”), and Jay-Z (“Show Me What You Got” with Danica Patrick).

Everyone has a “net worth,” and so does NASCAR’s most popular driver .  His average salary, according to celebritynetworth.com, is approximately $26 million a year.  His net worth exceeds 300 million dollars, and he is one of the richest athletes across the board.

Earnhardt Jr. is still as down-to-earth as he ever was, despite all of that money.

I have NEVER seen a winning driver hug EACH and EVERY one of his crew members before giving a post-race interview after the biggest race of the year.  That’s exactly what he did when he won the Daytona 500.

The camera pateintly (or impatiently) waited as Earnhardt Jr. gave each and every member of the No. 88 camp a sign of his appreciation.

That in itself says a lot about the character of a person, and he’s without a doubt one that I AM a fan.





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