Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his back to the race track this past weekend after surviving a plane crash a few weeks ago. He took part in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington, South Carolina and he finished in fifth place.
“The Xfinity Series has kind of always been the little brother to the Cup Series, but these cars are so challenging,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the race via Yahoo Sports. “Big respect to these guys that do it every single week. Even those cars that we’re lapping, I know those damn cars aren’t driving good. Those guys have their hands full, so big respect to everybody in this field from the front to the back.”
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On Aug. 15, Earnhardt, his wife Amy, their daughter, dog and two pilots were involved in a plane crash at the Elizabethton Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Everyone survived and only Dale was the one who was taken to the hospital minor injuries.
The good news for Earnhardt Jr. is the entire family was able to see him race on Saturday. Scroll down to look at the photos the family posted as well as video from Darlington.
The Entire Family Together
View this post on InstagramToday is a GOOD day! Grateful for moments like this. 🥰 📸 @kelleyearnhardtmiller
Here’s a look at Dale, Amy and Isla together at the Darlington Raceway. This was posted by Amy on Instagram and she said, “Today is a GOOD day! Grateful for moments like this.”
The Earnhardt family knows how fortunate they are because most people are not very lucky when it comes to plane crashes. So the Earnhardt family is enjoying every moment they have together.
Family and Suit
This is another post from Amy and it’s the entire family together. She said. “[Love] my family. And [love] that fire suit honey.”
The white Hellman’s suit does look sharp on Dale who races part-time after putting together a successful career. Who knows, we could see Dale in a Hellman’s commercial very soon.
Isla Having Fun
While Dale was working, his daughter was having all the fun as she was enjoying the slide. The two-time Daytona 500 winner said in the caption, “someone help the queen off the slide.”
The fans loved Isla playing as one person said. “Her smirk is so cute!! She’s physically advanced to have only just turned 16 months. Her face has her Papaw all over it!” Another fan said, “She looks like your dad!!”
Celebration
After the race, the Earnhardt family went out on the two to celebrate. Dale said, “After a top 5 run in the [XFinity Racing] [Darlington Raceway] we hit the town parade. Isla and [Amy] got to experience this small-town celebration of an amazing race weekend. So thankful!”
It looks like it was a very fun weekend for the crew.
Fans Love Dale
Listen to that CROWD as @DaleJr gets interviewed after a sixth-place finish in his only @XfinityRacing start this year.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 31, 2019
Happy to have ya back, Dale! pic.twitter.com/xJ92xqtzoB
Shortly after the race, Dale was interviewed by NBC Sports and the fans gave him an ovation. Before the race, it was unknown if the legend would compete after his plane crash. But Earnhardt made it clear he would be back on the track.
“I plan on driving still, Earnhardt said. “My lower back is bruised up real bad. Lots of swelling and I just need that to go down and the pain to chill out. I been treating the area every day solely to get well to race. I have a plan B but hope not to use it.”
A Look at Dale’s Car
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s throwback paint scheme is inspired by a design his father ran when he made his first Cup Series start, the 1975 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/AWnpHR2mZi
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) August 30, 2019
Earnhardt had a nice-looking car for his race on Saturday. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic said, “Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s throwback paint scheme is inspired by a design his father ran when he made his first Cup Series start, the 1975 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.”
Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a legend in his own right, winning the Daytona 500 in 1998. He passed away in 2001.
Signing Autographs
Dale Earnhardt Jr. waved off a ride on a golf cart to continue signing autographs post race. pic.twitter.com/5zaFpRWNm2
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) August 31, 2019
Earnhardt could have left the track on a golf cart and called it a night. But that’s not his style and as he wanted to interact with the fans and sign as many autographs as he could.
One fan responded, “That’s why we love him in or out of the car. Good human!” Another fan said, “Class right there he is absolutely impacting this sport in a positive way even after retirement.”
Recap
View this post on Instagram
Once it was all said and done, Dale shared the best photos from the weekend and said, “Made some great memories this weekend. Some photos taken by friends and others I’ve pulled from various places.”
It’s clear Earnhardt Jr. had a lot of fun in Darlington. He was able to finish in the top five of the race, interact with the fans and spend some quality time with his family. It was the perfect weekend for Dale and odds are he will have more weekends like this very soon.
