Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most famous figures in the history of NASCAR, but he also wants to honor those that came before him. He did just that on Instagram recently when he posted a photo of multiple cars. With this image, Earnhardt hearkened back to the days when his father, Dale Earnhart Sr., was finding success.
As the photo showed, two of the cars on the rack were ones driven by his father. A third car displayed, interestingly enough, was from the film Stroker Ace and was driven by the late Burt Reynolds.
Videos by PopCulture.com
This is only the latest example of Earnhardt Jr. paying tribute to his father. He has also done so with throwback photos from his childhood. He has even taught his daughter about the history of the sport using different outfits.
Dale Sr. is considered to be one of the legends in the racing world. He won the Winston Cup Series seven times during his career, which ties him with Richard Petty for the most all-time. He also won a total of 76 Winston Cup races. Dale Sr.’s biggest win was in 1998 when he won the Daytona 500 for the first time.
Dale Sr. ultimately passed away while racing in the Daytona 500 in 2001 due to head injuries sustained in a crash. Following his passing, a seating section at Daytona International Speedway was named “Earnhardt Tower” in his honor.
Earnhardt Jr. officially retired from racing full-time in 2017. He won the Daytona 500 twice during his career and was named NASCAR‘s most popular driver from 2003-2017.
While he has occasionally taken part in some smaller races, Earnhardt Jr. has teased a potential return to the track. As he explained during a recent trip to Nashville, Earnhardt Jr. wants NASCAR to make a return to Music City on a regular basis. The Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville was the host track for 42 NASCAR-sanctioned races, many of which actually featured Earnhardt Sr.
“I think we belong in Nashville,” Earnhardt said prior to the NASCAR Cup Awards banquet. “I think we belong in Nashville racing cars. That’s more important than even having the banquet there. It’s a great place for us to be racing and we should be racing there.”
A return to Tennessee hasn’t been determined just yet, but Earnhardt Jr. would certainly be in favor of the move, especially given his father’s history with the state.
(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty)
