Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. The fan favorite driver for 14 years straight is now a 2021 inductee.
Along with Earnhardt, Mike Stefanik and Red Farmer will also be inducted. This is the first three-member class elected under the new voting rules. The new format divides nominees into the Modern Era and Pioneer Era groups. Two people were chosen from a field of 10 Modern Era nominees, and one was selected from a group of five on the Pioneer Era ballot for racers whose careers began more than 60 years ago.
Earnhardt’s impact on the sport of NASCAR is unlike any other.
He is a two-time Daytona 500 winner (2004 & 2014), and he was also chosen as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for a total of 15 times. Before retiring from full-time competition in 2017, Earnhardt compiled 26 Cup Series wins, 260 top ten finishes and 15 poles (starting the race in first place). Along with that, he has two championships in the Xfinity Series, the lower-level series of racing.
Earnhardt is the owner of JR Motorsports, a racing team in the Xfinity Series. For the last five years they have produced some great talent. With names like William Byron and Tyler Reddick both winning championships for his team, Earnhardt has given young drivers a chance to prove themselves and take their talents to the next level.
In 2018, he joined the NBC Sports team as an on-air analyst, and in that same year he revamped his own NASCAR Podcast called “The Dale Jr. Download.” It is safe to say that he has kept busy since retirement, not to mention he still races for his own team in the Xfinity series.
Each year, Earnhardt picks a one-off race to run in the Hellman’s #8 car. This year he announced he would be running at Homestead Miami in May. He provided fans who went a chance to meet him at the track beforehand, continuing to provide NASCAR with revenue even after his full-time racing days have ended.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans were not allowed to be at the race. As for Earnhardt, he still participated, but went without practice due to NASCAR’s safety precautions.
How did he do? Keep in mind he had not raced in over a year, and when he did the year prior it was only one race. Oh, and let’s not forget he had no practice or qualifying laps at all! All things considered, Earnhardt finished in the fifth position that day, notching his 70th career top-five and gaining much respect from his peers after putting on a show and running for the lead.
So, you may be wondering now, do two Daytona 500’s lock you into the Hall of Fame? Not necessarily. Let’s take a look at Denny Hamlin, a current driver. He has won three Daytona 500’s, has over 40 wins and is now running for a championship in his 16th season. If he can get the job done this year, he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. If he falls short, then it will take a little more convincing to see him make it in.
It begs the question now, as we have compared the two drivers, how did Earnhardt make it in with a lesser performance on the track than Hamlin?
The answer is easy: it was what he did off the track to put himself far above the rest of the field. After Earnhardt’s father, a fan favorite and seven-time champion, passed away due to a tragic crash in the Daytona 500 in 2001, the racing world looked to Earnhardt to carry the sport in his father’s absence.
Earnhardt was only in his second year of full-time cup racing when his father passed, and he may not have gotten the most wins or championships throughout his career, but he prevailed when the sport needed him most. One of the most memorable moments ever in NASCAR history was when Earnhardt won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona just months after his father died at that same track.
Earnhardt would go on to carry the NASCAR fan base for years to come. He helped bring attention to the sport through commercials, press conferences and other media events. His illustrious win at Michigan International Speedway in 2014, where he ended a 76-race winless streak, was one of the most-watched races of all time.
The fans loved Earnhardt so much that after he retired, NASCAR saw a huge drop in ratings. Without him, there were no fans tuning in on the weekends to see if he could get the win. That hurt NASCAR in the beginning, but once Earnhardt signed with NBC Sports to be a broadcaster, the ratings started to rise once again. He didn’t have to come back, he didn’t have to remain in the sport doing something he has never done before, but he did. It is a testament to his character: He was always willing to help out the sport that needed him most back then, and the same is true now during a time where young drivers are trying to gain popularity.
Since 2018, Earnhardt has become one of NBC’s best broadcasters. He is now more than just a retired fan favorite. He is a podcaster, broadcaster and team owner. Looking back on his racing career, there may not be as many wins as other drivers, but Earnhardt’s continued commitment to the sport of NASCAR and its fans shows why he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Photo Courtesy of Matt Slocum
