One of the most popular names in NASCAR, Earnhardt was once upon a time also among the famous last names in the country.
Although it started when Ralph Earnhardt became a local legend following his success on the dirt tracks in NASCAR, the family was nowhere close to being wildly popular.
However, the next generation of the family changed everything. When Dale Earnhardt Sr. entered the NASCAR track, no one knew how and to what extent he would change the sport.
While many stories over the years have spoken about the might of Dale Sr., very few have actually touched the actual gravitas of it. In Prime Video’s docuseries “Earnhardt,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared a heartfelt moment when he realized the value of the last name that he carried.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Heartfelt Moment When He Realized the Value of Being Dale Sr.’s Son
When Dale Sr. made his debut in the NASCAR circuit, he was just another young driver from North Carolina. The sport back then was already dominated by the likes of Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough.
After Dale Sr. clinched the NASCAR Cup title in his second year, he announced that he was there to stay. While he became a hero in the sport and amassed a massive fanbase, he struggled on the tracks over the next few years.
Following a handful of team switches, when Earnhardt Sr. settled with Richard Childress Racing, he was determined to go places with the team even if it was not instantaneous. Although it took some time, after his second title win in 1986, he did not look back.
From there, he went on to win five more championships, equaling the count with the mighty Petty. After making millions of dollars, almost being worshipped by his fans, and owning multiple businesses, including his team, DEI, Dale Sr. had started to get past his prime years.
With his son Dale Jr. starting to make a name for himself in the sport, his old man was eyeing passing the baton of the Earnhardt legacy to him. However, the 2001 season opener at Daytona changed everything.
On the last lap, the top 3 positions were dominated by DEI cars with Michael Waltrip at the front, followed by Dale Jr. and Dale Sr. On Turn 4, after making contact with Sterling Marlin, Dale Sr.’s car made contact with Ken Schrader. In the wreck, he suffered a fatal skull injury and lost his life.
Dale Jr., who finished as Daytona 500 runner-up, contest immediately rushed to the hospital and was numbed by the series of events. The young driver did not know how to react in the weeks to come.
It was no secret that Dale Sr. shared a tough relationship with his kids almost his entire life. However, that had started to change, at least with Dale Jr., in the final years of his life. Although their bond could never see their brightest day, Dale Jr. was happy to have shared some fine days with his father.
In the docuseries “Earnhardt,” when the narrative followed the aftermath of Dale Sr.’s death, Dale Jr. had an eye-opening revelation during his dad’s funeral.
Dale Jr. described how after Dale Sr.’s death he would see every news channel displaying a picture of his father with the words “Dale Earnhardt – 1951 to 2001.” After witnessing this, Dale Jr. thought to himself, “He was further out there in the stratosphere and into the mainstream than I ever thought.”
Like father, like son. Earnhardt is now streaming. pic.twitter.com/eqlSN8bnOY
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On the day of the funeral, all 6,200 seats in the venue were filled by mourners with thousands standing outside.
Recalling the moment, Dale Jr. said, “In a weird way, that gave you some kind of a good feeling that he was so appreciated that people would want to be there for that moment.”
Before that instance, Dale Jr. thought, his father merely belonged to their family and to NASCAR as an icon of the sport. However, after looking over the scene at his father’s funeral, his perception completely changed.
At that moment, he also had a realization. Dale Jr. said, “I feel so lucky that I got to be his son. A lot of people will never get to have the moments I had with him. ”
While Dale Jr. stated that he was extremely grateful to have been born to Dale Sr. and carry the Earnhardt name, things were rather different for his sister.
Unlike Dale Jr., Kelley Earnhardt was unable to mend the complicated relationship with her father until the very end. Even when Dale Jr. recalled it, he said, “She’s [Kelley] going to miss him terribly, every day, and my heart breaks for her.”
