MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 16, 2017) – During his JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour, tracks have come up with various and sundry ways to honor Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final ride through the NASCAR schedule. Talladega Superspeedway just might have topped them all.
The Speedway, represented by Chairman Grant Lynch, and Alabama State Senator Gerald Dial, who is also the chairman of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame located on the speedway’s grounds, presented Earnhardt Jr. with a few parting gifts in honor of his final start on the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Lynch and Dial gave the 43-year-old driver a champagne bottle from the same case that his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., celebrated with during his final NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega on Oct. 15, 2000, and followed it up with a bottle from the case Earnhardt Jr. used to celebrate his first Talladega win...on Oct. 21, 2001.
The final gift was somewhat bigger and a tangible piece of motorsports history, with a very personal meaning attached.
It was a No. 2 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by Rod Osterlund that Dale Sr. competed in during his Rookie of the Year NASCAR Cup Series season of 1979 and his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 1980.
Mic drop.
“That was great,” Earnhardt Jr. said later. “The state of Alabama owns this car. They are going to let us take it to Mooresville, N.C. and show it off in our shop, so it is going to be great for the guys. I got to take it for a couple of laps. That was fun. Drove it through the garage so all the guys on the team can see it. Pretty neat trying to imagine what it would be like running one of those around here at 180/190 mph.”
He knew the history of the car, too.
“This car is a 1979 (Chevrolet) Monte Carlo. Dad drove this car his rookie season, and probably his championship season in 1980,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They ran a Monte Carlo here (at Talladega Superspeedway) in 1979 but they ran an Oldsmobile 442 in 1980. This is the kind of car he drove at Bristol and some of the short tracks as well as the mile-and-a-half tracks.”
It wasn’t the first time Dale Jr. had driven one of his father’s cars, either.
“I drove his No. 3 Goodwrench car a couple of times at some tests that first year we were together. But never anything this old with some history. I love to be able to sit in the car to see the perspective of what the view is like. So different from our cars today. There are no head rests or anything like that. A lot of air moving around, so pretty crazy.”
When it was over, Earnhardt Jr. admitted he was rather awestruck by the gift.
“I'm pretty surprised. I didn't think I was going to take home a race car from this weekend. I just have to thank Talladega Superspeedway and the state of Alabama. They have been really good to me. Hopefully we can get them a win this weekend.”