There Will NEVER Be Another Dale Jr.

[Music] well you know i want to be a race car driver someday it's a great sport i love it to death you know it's you know it's all i've ever known racing what if i told you there was a kid with just dozens of cub series starts to his name who had to put an entire fan base and sport on his back with nothing but a famous last name junior wins the sharpie 500 in bristol checkered flag dale earnhardt jr jr wins it what if i told you he persevered [Music] he is driving [Music] star dale away jr brings him to the flag checker flag waving it's over it's bernard [Applause] man we just won the 500. oh my god i love you man i love you thank you what a day this is a story about arguably the most loved athlete in modern sports history dale earnhardt jr [Music] um [Music] a thousand times we've heard it above the engine's thunder the three car makes a move on another driver's blunder the announcer screams into his mic arnhardt slammed the door with a quick glance down to the track we see three coming out of four four wide they come amid the smoke and sometimes even more they're heading for the checkered and racing door-to-door but one car dominates it's heading up the pack driver's name is dale and the car is painted black they're standing on the throttles and the tacks are in the red they're doing all they can but they can't pass iron head they try him high they try him low the track's not wide enough when three comes out of four the intimidator is just too tough but the good lord sent an angel dressed in good wrench black to fetch home a hero from that daytona track the angel came down on turn four from that breezy floor to sky and the news he left behind made brave and strong men cry we've lost dale earnhardt we heard mike elton say and we'll always remember the sadness on that day and a little bit of sadness will dwell forevermore as we vainly look for three coming out of four now the saints will fill the grandstands at that big track in the sky there's a rookie in the field and that man can really fly and no one has to ask his name or wonder who he may be because they all know that black car with the big white number three [Applause] to the flag come on mikey you got it man you got it you got it [Applause] all right this is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements that i've ever personally had to make but after the accident and turned four at the end of the daytona 500. we've lost dale earnhardt so the future starts now for dale earnhardt jr and all eyes are on 24 year old dale earnhardt jr after losing the seven time champion the face of the sport and his father the young dale jr had the weight of the world on his shoulders steve park dropped right in single five to tony stewart challenged ricky rudd moves up to third hogan got trouble with trouble already three cars junior dale jr this could not be happening to that young man and from the last slack of last sunday to the first lap of this inheriting millions of fans across the world and having the pressure to be even half the driver dale senior was was mounting the first return to daytona wasn't an easy one but it had the makings to be the best feel-good story in american sports history the roar you hear 43 winston cup engines coming to life the rumble you feel the pounding heartbeat of 180 000 fans the next step in the race to the championship is about to begin dale earnhardt jr in effect became the man of the earnhardt family when he walked his sister kelly down the aisle for her wedding a job that was originally scheduled for his father now at the track that claimed his father's life dale jr looks to assume another role becoming the man of the winston cup series in daytona he has a fast car just enough experience and tonight most likely a little help from above can del junior dominate daytona like dear old dad used to only time will tell but tonight might get a good cup series champion begin now the crowd is on its feet the 43rd pc 400 goes green on nbc [Music] so our colleagues at fox began a tradition of saluting the memory of dale earnhardt with a silent lap three we feel it appropriate and we're proud to carry that tradition on [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] uh [Music] and sterling marlin to the lead three deep for sixth spot on down as warren burton gets shuffled back to fifth [Music] dale earnhardt jr goes for the lead the fans all jump to their feet [Music] check out those fans they are absolutely loving this as bernard goes to the front [Music] we've talked all throughout the week what the young man's state of mind must be coming back here we've talked about people going about business as usual benny dale jr has put on the facade of business as usual but i've detected through our interviews with him that that's not a facade it has been business as usual but i could also also tell by the interviews and i talked to tony yuri senior his team manager this young man alan wants this race as badly as he didn't want anything in his life he wants this one today can you imagine what victory no i can't even think about it but we've got a long ways to go tony urey senior is the crew chief for dale earnhardt jr you've led 111 laps tonight but it seems like time might be running out he's sitting back there with caution laps counting away yeah there's situations that nobody likes to see on a plate race call they'll be flying wide when they come back and ain't no telling what's gonna happen uh definitely best man's probably not gonna win this race uh ain't no telling what's gonna happen you think he will not win the race because he said on the radio i think we can get past them well we definitely got the car to pass them and we're definitely going to give it a try and uh but while the chevy will get there we're going to get there but uh this plate racing stuff it's all with who's in front of you and who's behind you or whatever so you don't have no control of your own destiny we can get there we'll get there if we can't hey we know who had the fastest car tonight from cars behind him he has been promised help but he does not know if he's going to be able to get to the front in time oh man six laps to go when they throw the green flag and the passing on the restricted plate racetracks is a tough thing to do we've seen cars unable to pass him all night long but we haven't seen how easily he can pass junior is sixth in line and benson leads a restart once again you can't pass on the inside do you get to that line all right it's free game let's go ward burton quickly down to the inside to try and grab a spot see jeff gordon back on the racetrack bernard jr lag back trying to get him to run he has that run but tony stewart pulls up in front of him he's got time i guess schroeder pushed to the outside lane 20 cars the only one upstairs he's still outside look at junior going over there up to four here comes bobby labonte pushing through junior to the outside of mayfield for third kevin's coming with you mike wallace has been worth it we can hear tyner is telling him he got help on the outside junior this planey block in the 93 what about benson they're going to stay on the bottom of the racetrack i think they're going to give the outside to junior jeff gordon getting black flag by nascar here's dale jr to the outside of dave blaney for second spot mayfield pushes him along in the draft so they're still there to the outside for the lead in turn four [Applause] tony stewart will be black flagged by nascar black flag for tony stewart for going below the out of bounds line clear all clear and tony stewart is in second spot with a million dollars on the line okay 27 but you're all clear all clear here comes bobby lavonte he's got a million dollars on the line as well it's michael waltrip who's pushing him toward the front and the bodies [Music] this thing's not over yet michael waltrip trying to become the first man to sweep a season at daytona since 1982 he's up to third 18 15 behind three left to go ward burton dives low hello i'll tell you one thing if junior was running three quarters all that ended because he's running wide open right now ward burton rocketing toward the front look at him on the outside outside [Applause] intense racing in the final laps at daytona but it's still dale earnhardt jr out in front they've got to take the win away from him tony yuri juniors clapping saying come on junior come on two to go and dale earnhardt jr trying to block trying to keep those cars behind him desperately trying to keep him behind him he runs so good through the corner he lets him get a run on him down the straightaway michael waldron dives underneath bobby labonte they bump on the back stretch wall trip to second eliot sadler and rusty wallace with him now two team cars race in the one and two positions that's who dale needs to see in his rearview mirror right now that's the best thing he can see for dale jr will he try to win the race himself white flag is out final lap at daytona 180 000 on their feet screaming wildly two and a half miles to go just exactly the opposite of the daytona 500 he was 15 and eight elvis tuttler is trying to keep bobby labonte behind he can't do it but he does move down in front of rusty wallace on that fast line i'm clear i'm clear bobby labonte looking for some help trying to get up there his teammate tony stewart has never answered the black flag and they're four wide back between the wallace boys here they come turn four final lap of the pepsi 400 michael waltrip in second but it's going to be dale earnhardt jr using lessons learned from his father to go from sixth to first and score the victory in the pepsi 400. that's unbelievable yes very very nice junior you're happy all right look at that smile [Applause] wow i don't think there's anybody here that didn't want to see that sentimental favorite emotional favorite [Applause] earlier in the broadcast we talk among ourselves some of the moves he made on the track today looked like his father behind the wheel i am speechless if that wasn't like the old man i don't know what was tony senior hey he had a good teacher he uh he told him a lot about this place he loves this place hell listen to them fans up here they love that kid today i saw you look to the heavens with a few laps to go what did you say well he said he knew he could feed him we just didn't know what was gonna happen remember when we've seen this before and steve mills joining the fray now man diaz tough diaz we can celebrate what a finish at daytona dell jr on top of the car in the infield the 1998 daytona 500 when his father finally won the great american race he threw the car into the grass doing victory donuts everybody joining in the celebration that's chocolate myers long time crewman for dale at richard childress racing [Music] sixth to first in the final six laps all right mikey you celebrate two you never got to celebrate your win in february you celebrate now [Applause] and that's just so cool storybook ending [Applause] oh [Music] tony yuri and dale jr getting together now he's got to get it back over to victory lane [Applause] let me tell you something guys he went to exactly the right place exactly the right place i don't know how he knew to do that but that's where he needed to go and that poor nascar official is responsible for that car to make sure it gets through tech inspection cleanly there had to be about 300 people around it down there on the grass dale earnhardt jr is our winner and chevy congratulates him in the number eight monte carlo on a big win tonight and he'll tell you the only thing that comes close to monte carlo's reputation on the track is its reputation on the street monte carlo more champions depend on chevy we'll be there to victory lane and bill weber [Applause] it's tony urey senior dale earnhardt jr [Applause] these friends of yours man i just don't know what to say i'm more out i can't think uh i guess i gotta thank my buddy tony my crew chief for hanging in there with me all my friends all the guys on the crew budweiser remington i got to talk all night how did you get to the front after the restart i had a great car it was all a car 100 i just holding on you've learned a few things through the years though haven't you from certain people yeah yeah he was with me tonight i i don't know how i did it but he was there and mike will help me i guess we're even now you told marty schneiderdale you felt lonely on father's day and there are times that you wanted to cry but you couldn't did you cry tonight i'll be crying sooner or later i don't know i feel so good right now i'm way out there you know when your dad got his first win at daytona his first winston cup points win came 11 years ago today july 7 1990. i dedicate this win to him i mean ain't nobody else that i could dedicate it to that it would mean more to me i want to say hey to teresa back home i hope she's loving this because we sure are thank you the 2001 pepsi 400 was instrumental in the healing process of nascar and just as instrumental in dale jr's career there was one guy that had to take the reins from dale from a competition standpoint and another that had to heal the hearts [Music] the years went by and junior was winning races even competing for a championship in just his fifth try dale jr was trying to do something that took his father 20 years to accomplish win the daytona 500. gentlemen start your engines january testing i talked to dale earnhardt jr about just how big this race is and here's what he told me there are great drivers that never win the daytona 500 and great drivers that never win a series championship he said he doesn't know what would bother a driver more ending his career without a daytona 500 win or without winning a series championship he added he hopes he never has to find out alan bill he's on a lot of people's minds as a heavy favorite to win this daytona 500 this year but we know that many many times the fastest car does not win this race it's always filled with dramatic twists and turns as we get into those final laps and that's why earhart jr keeps asking skeevy for that information because if he sees the 20 lane back he needs to lay back a little bit and his dad dale earnhardt was the greatest of that he saw a car backing up he was back up to them so they couldn't get that run junior might be doing the same thing tony stewart is so optimistic all week long after some early speed week troubles they got that 20 cards handling dialed in on thursday when they ran the qualifying races here that set the starting line and since then he's been very bubbly got into the final practice crash yesterday turned his weak on a down side but right from the start of this race 20 cars get faster cut up in the early laps drafted with daler and hart jr to the front and these two drivers have dominated most of this race lit up the racetrack you're all clear see that was a spotter on the back stretch that gave him that signal because stevie reeves from the front stretch really can't see that well coming off turn two [Music] five to go when they come to the start finish line that's frustrating for the guys behind junior and juniors he's so antsy right now he wants his thing to be dropped so watch for him hang him back and tony's like come on he's waving let's go come on come on let's go we need some help what's he saying dave well i i can't confirm that strategy that you'd mention about falling back but i can't confirm that tony on his own was doing everything that he could here you know he said guys that is all i've got i'm giving all i can that was when he was running alone it's got to be frustrating for stuart to track that eight car lap after lap hoping it bobbles hoping it bubbles and so far yeah he just can't see it junior's not gonna bother i mean he just needs what he has to have is help and he doesn't have those guys close enough to do it and junior on the other hand he's going yeah get that 97 out of that pack he wants to see that car as far back from the 20 as possible comes through because he knows that 97 kirk push is not on the tail tony stewart tony can't do anything with him [Music] the teams have done all they can for their driver now barring the caution flag and even if a caution flag these guys aren't coming [Music] it's all up to the man behind the wheel there are the yuris tony yuri senior on the left tony urey junior on the right [Music] tony uruz senior working with dale earnhardt for so many years and there's joe gibbs watching his driver tony stewart try to learn the joe gibbs racing organization the second daytona 500 trophy when dale earnhardt's children come back to him a little bit wanted to go racing that was dale junior kerry and kelly the daughter he turned him over to tony years senior is it okay here you go here's my kids take them racing see which one has some talent and obviously he has proven dale jr has proven to have some great talent kirkbush scott limmer in the lab car of kyle petty and that's not saying that kerry doesn't have talent as well [Music] junior has certainly demonstrated himself to be a top-notch driver yes he has and he's trying to win nascar racing's biggest prize the daytona 500 he'll be five miles away when he comes to the start finish line this time afternoon sun beginning to cast long shadows over the daytona international speedway and now just two laps remaining in this race stuart just can't get to him kirk bush got back at three or four car lengths there no help to the 20 car tony stewart remember we think back to what happened to bill elliott at homestead last and his father in 1990 with on the last lap about right here you're perfect not a problem at all we've been stopping short for him and lost the race they asked me about fuel and tony said we've been stopping early because tony stewart had a problem with fuel fans come to their feet as dale earnhardt jr and tony stewart take the roll we're in the final lap of the daytona 500 junior took the lead from tony stewart with 19 laps to go after he trailed stewart's r in chevrolet for much of the central part of the race now he's got to hang on for three quarters of a lap to earn a victory in the sport's biggest event [Music] stewart not close enough to make a move yet it's all going to come down to whether earnhardt has a bottle or a problem in this final third of the lap [Music] you can't get emotional yet because you've got to get off turn four and back to the start finish line you can see it now the legacy continues dale earnhardt jr wins the 46th daytona 500. a great one for winner two tony stewart's second scott winner third kevin harvick fourth jimmy johnson fifth for dale earnhardt jr his first victory in the 500 in his fifth try there are some happy happy happy people but none no happier than him that's right you can't overstate the months of preparation that go into running this one race these teams take these cars to the wind tunnel various engineering rigs like chassis dynamometers and seven post rigs to test them get them all dialed together for this one shot getting their names inscribed on the harley girl trophy and it's dale earnhardt juniors who'll be inscribed as the 2004 winner matt a hug from danny earnhardt tony ury senior is daytona 500. this track is so meaningful for you and the iron hearts what does this mean to win it finally sure i know what uh big he went through all the years trying to win this race we just won to super bowl this this nascar racing and uh you don't believe how hard we work to get here we got to thank john andretti slugger michael walter everybody it's great tony he is like your other son this has to be special for you to help him win this dream yeah these two kids i got here dale jr and tony junior uh they both worked their guts out for this race team we worked uh 14 hours a day seven days a week for the last month and i have to get here trying to build a car better in this car but we didn't think this car was gonna be good enough to win this year we just couldn't do it so we rubbed on this one the week before we came worked the body shot and death and a fab shot to def and wayne mickey and aj and bruce and everybody else there and they did it man you guys back home we did it [Music] all right junior stop right there and he acknowledges these fans he's got something right just get out and acknowledge these fans they love you there he goes [Applause] get out of the way tigers let me in there you want to know what winning this race means to someone have a look 29th driver to win the 500. [Music] you might get that thing stuck in the grass it's wet from all the rain we had here last night i think there's enough people down there oh yeah he said i saw my daddy do this back in 191 1998. yes sir i'm in victory lane and dale earnhardt jr will once again climb out of his victorious budweiser chevrolet and the same victory lane where six years ago today his father celebrated a win in the great american race the only time his dad won that race it took his father 20 tries junior is here as a kid [Music] there's tony urey senior a big hug for his other son now the family's here teresa earnhardt so how long is the party going to last man i don't know you got to race tomorrow you know yeah it's gonna be hard to do that huh good god i'm daytona 500 champion i can't believe it forever dale forever yeah i'm just amazed man it's just awesome that uh i couldn't believe i passed him by myself tell me about it tell me about it because you you were thinking about it for a while oh i was trying for a damn while but i didn't know uh it's going on forever it's like a magic trick um i tried tried to figure out how to pass him and i got to run on him and uh made it happen somehow i don't know yeah but you don't know what you're doing at that point you're just trying your heart out and uh i had i had a i had a great car awesome car built by tony senior and all the guys i want to say to my sister my mama back home all my friends uh good god i can't believe it it's the greatest ever we talked during testing you said you thought it's harder to win the daytona 500 than to win the next tall cup champion yeah ain't got to worry about that no more man i tell you it's a hard race to win you know it's a season in itself that entire race is just there's so many things going on so much running through your mind i've seen it been lost so many times by dad over and over and i i was taught so many lessons by this place where i ever got behind the wheel and god i'm glad i ain't gonna worry about it no more man this is awesome you're only the third father-son combination to win the daytona 500. dale your father won it six years ago today yeah i mean he he was over in the pasture side right with me i'm sure he was having a blast believe it or not i'm real surprised the goodyear tire did good all day i didn't expect our car to handle them so well but uh the car drove awesome all day it's real real loose there at the end but uh you know has had to be that way to be able to run good on old tires and uh tony had a great car we kind of been such good friends you know and and uh we helped each other all day and and uh by the way uh they know my other teammate michael watcher i'm glad he's alright that's a scary looking accident but i got a full week ahead of me it's gonna be exciting yeah you're gonna be a little busy for the next few days hey you're leading the championship standings for the first time in my life this is awesome congratulations dale dale earnhardt jr is the daytona 500 champion of 2004. he described the pass on tony stewart for us chevy congratulating dale earnhardt jr and the number eight monte carlo on today's big win our chevy [Music] dale jr was here to stay and he was finally proving he was more than just a famous name or just a prolonged sob story i'm here with dylan hart after he just won a die hard 500. what's the question dude uh well um how was the race well it was hot but it was fast yeah just like just like you told me to go yeah oh you can't give me some money when you get home i doubt it you spend enough down here this week oh okay junior was set to continue the arnheart legacy but due to several business differences it wasn't capable of progressing with the team dale senior spent his whole life building for his family instead teresa earnhardt denied junior partial ownership of dei oh that's it i'm telling you that's a brutal hit it is claimed he was too focused on becoming a rock star rather than winning races and even hoarding legal rights to dale jr's own name [Music] teresa was right about one thing dale jr was becoming a bonafide rock star i like my music the same way i like my race cars fast and loud as hell dale jr was so unusually mainstream for a nascar driver you still owe me that 30 bucks oh no man you said that was a gift you're a dirty liar what you got this put the ball in his court sponsors were flocking to wherever junior was going race teams had his phone ringing off the hook but with a move like this you would essentially deal the final dagger to the team your father worked so hard to build we're here today to talk at last about my contract at dei so we're calling this press conference here today to announce that after a year of intense negotiations and intense effort on behalf of deland hart incorporated and jr motorsports that we decide that it's time for us to move on and seek other opportunities to drive for a new team in 2008. dale jr wasn't going down with the stubborn captain on the sinking ship at dei 2008 was going to be his year we talked with many teams but one stood out above the rest and it becomes apparent it became apparent to me that the man it became apparent to me the man i wanted to drive for i've known him since childhood he competes with integrity and most importantly he wins races i feel like this decision will give me that opportunity and hopefully i can give my fans what they expect and deserve and have a whole lot of fun along the way and so today it is with great honor to introduce my new boss for 2008 mr rick hendricks first [Music] [Music] okay [Music] wow without understating or overstating anything this is huge well i know there are a lot of people that are looking down smiling dale senior ricky papa joe all come to mind uh you know something we've heard told over the years and this is a question for both of you heard bits and pieces and heard a little bit more today about a story about a napkin story in a napkin contract perhaps can you guys tell each one of you tell your version of the story dale jr i had been fortunate enough to be invited on a trip with kenny schroeder around the midwest to uh run some dirt tracks and it was going to end up to be topeka kansas where rick was racing and my dad was going to race with schroeder in arc race and so i'm running around with schrader for the whole week and we get to topeka and that's the first time i'd ever met rick and he was introduced to me and said have you got a contract to drive for anybody i wasn't even racing you know but uh i was not even close but um i that you know i thought it was a joke and he wrote down on the napkin wrote a contract down on a napkin and i signed it and we were joking around but obviously he's a pretty smart businessman and uh i figured even if it was a joke i better sign it because it might come and hit you one day we have those ripple bumps all the way about the corner now what's happened to the nine of casey kane he got stuck in the middle and back he goes i think that's a sucker hole you can really go forward in a hurry but you also can go backward in a hurry when you get up in there junior to the bottom there he comes dale earnhardt jr junior nation now we'll be seeing the sea of green waving in the grandstands dave blainey helped propel earnhardt jr to the front well you can bet one thing and i know that junior doesn't really feel all this way but he wanted to get by that eighth car if he possibly could crowd loves it junior by inches let that lap six one thousandths of a second he led that left by he isn't getting it baby three laps to go when they come back pace car is gonna make that hard left turn and it'll be three laps to decide the 30th budweiser shootout in 1979 buddy baker led 18 of the 20 laps and banked 50 000 now the race is longer the stakes are bigger and here we go for three laps good clean restart by all those guys up front those first six cars get off nice and clean looks to me like jeff gordon says i'm gonna go with you tony and i think that's the only choice he has right now kind of left junior out there we got to see if jimmy can catch up here in the 48 and give him a shove [Music] here comes reed sorenson in that 41 car he's going to be pushing jeff gordon in the 24. but there comes the outside line they get the run off turn two down the back straight away now jeff gordon says whoops i shouldn't have gone with you tony but here they come tony's got a good line behind him four cars tucked up tightly look at dave blaming that 22 car one of the cars that took four tires i think those guys with four tires if they could get clear sailing here get open get some openings they can get up there watch this it's the old harvick move around the outside the one kevin used to win the 500 but this time stewart edges ahead at the line two laps to go let me tell you what i'd get the old photo camera ready for the start finish line because it's gonna be a tight one yes it is t taylor warren is on the roof he's the man that shot the photo finish of the first daytona he's boy hamlin is all over the place in that 11 car he got he wrecked he just didn't hit anything oh there's somebody else back there that almost ready sorenson in the 41. i mean i got a piece of the wall banging on each other he got a hit from casey meyers look at jeff gordon going backwards he got in the wrong line it'll be a lap to go here comes the 11 earnhardt nation up front here they come boys white flag one lap to go this is all right i love it it's the bell lap and they're three almost four wide in the back one there side by side behind him still in second looking back from earnhardt almost every position changed places as they came to the white flag june bugs been getting off at two real nice if he protects the bottom little blocking if he goes down the bridge one back there watch that outside what's the outside predict the bottom now is that yellow line your best friend is now it is now because you can't pass below it but that outside line they're getting a run here comes johnson to the high side and earnhardt comes up to block that opens the bottom for stewart and the 30th budweiser shootout goes to the amp national guard and pallet dale earnhardt jr yes sir [Music] but we got ourselves a race car yes sir and that's race car spilled forward or backwards hey good job boys you want a race car this might be a 500 winner y'all got here just don't know it look at tony junior is he not going to be just beside himself he came over to hendrick with his cousin driver dale earnhardt jr and his team will go to victory lane stewart is second hamlin came up for third where did he come from jimmy johnson and casey kay in the top five i know this is not a points event but it's been almost two years since day or two buddy congratulations that's rick henry as the boss mr h what a way to start our deal baby yes sir yes sir but they have not been to victory lane of any kind since may of 2006 at richmond [Music] he's something amazing man i think he just did rick he ran 70 laps pretty amazing didn't he [Music] what line is what movie is that line from i think this is the start of a beautiful relationship i believe casablanca is the last line was it the last line in casablanca i think it started something big i think that [Music] [Applause] look at this crowd whoever said he was going to lose fans i think he gained some more dale earnhardt jr will drive into the first sprint cup victory lane of 2000 rick hendrick coming over to offer congratulations to his newest driver and newest winner from hendrick motorsports steve lettart the crew chief of what became the fourth place car for jeff gordon and chad canaus who's jimmy johnson finished third dale jr has led 47 laps of this race the most laps anybody's ever led in the budweiser shootout car owner rick hendrick notches his fifth win as junior goes to victory lane in the shootout for the second time pat joker congratulations by the boss junior welcome home what's it mean to win not only daytona again but for owner rick hendrick after all you guys have gone through the past six months that was fun i mean the shootout is a neat race and i had a blast those last few laps i got some great help from my teammates i didn't i didn't win the race without jimmy pushing me just didn't win it so uh thanks to him and chatting those guys were working real hard to get that car ready as a backup backup thanks to my team they had great pit stop got us out second thanks to everybody at hendrick motorsports national guard huh that's awesome amp everybody that's helping us sony adidas this is i hope the fans enjoyed that wow man it was fun i'm so happy i'm a new team victor lane man it don't get no better i think you can see there driver 88 all jacked up race one win number one for owner rick hendrick and junior here at daytona krista matt we can certainly hear it in his voice you know we've seen dale jr and tony stewart work together here at daytona quite a bit but you were on the wrong side of that coin tonight talk about your event tonight now i'm pretty happy i mean it's it's hard to beat dale jr i mean he's one of the best restrictor plate drivers there's ever been so you know he learned a lot from his dad and i'm not sure he's not better than his dad in all honesty now but the budweiser shootout when dale earnhardt jr took the lead we were accused on some websites of turning up the volume around the grandstand that was not us freddie aldous did not slide that pot up that's the fans coming to their feet and making the noise for dale jr that is that was not enhanced audio well it took him 18 laps but from the rear to the front he takes the lead here in that 41 spot staying hooked to the rear bumper of dale earnhardt jr88 you're looking at it right here that that isn't bump drafting that's just plain old pushing right there jimmy johnson dropped way to the back on the restart to preserve his pole sitting car for sunday and look at those two cars look at the gap they put on everybody else because of that push they're getting [Music] that was work to perfection that was two guys that really had it figured out when they took the green it's not going to do them a lot of good except that these cats back here going to catch them i was going to say they were really strung out but now they're starting to pull back together that's the transfer spot race right there look at the run vickers in the 83 car it's getting through the high side of three and four they'll be coming to the white flag and you see why larry i mean the 78 cars dancing around and vicar's got a little grip he goes right by he can drive that race car now hanging on to her what a comeback from brian vickers he is in the final transfer spot remember nemechek can fall back on his speed and be in the 500. nemechek will not push the envelope because he don't want to get up there and pass kenny wallace nema checks in the 578 i tell you what i am shocked i know this is some good racing right in here but those two cars up front have put a huge gap on everybody else and holding it this is the first time we've seen anybody get away from the lead package that's the biggest that's the biggest lead i've seen anybody have here all week there's kenny wallace in the 87 car trying to come to the finish line to get him that they call 500. oh three wide behind the leaders it sorts out and the second checkered flag for the sprint cup cars and speed weeks dale earnhardt junior again bernard the 15 got pushed all the way down on the apron uh he went down there he had nowhere to go he had to try to get by kenny i don't know why but he had to [Music] this is dale jr's third victory in a gatorade duel he won in 2003 he won in 2004 and went on to win the 500. standing by with our winner dale earnhardt jr after going nearly two years without a win switched teams and now he is two for two here at daytona well how about that what was the most difficult most interesting most fun moment of the race for you it was pretty interesting with them old tires about midway through that race everybody sliding around wrecking and carrying on made that pass down the back straightaway got a run and got got underneath the 41-12 for the lead i didn't think i had the 12 cleared i don't know if he lifted to let me have because he just to keep from because i might erect a field there but i come on up front of him it must have just been inches he had to lift a little bit but he got to run on inside of me there that was pretty fun old tires are tough man it was all running up the top because we wrecked on the bottom down there sliding around but i'm real proud of my team i give it boom a great car the engine uh guys work overnight to bring us the replacement motors down here they're great as we see and uh i want to thank am national guard all our sponsors all the fans that was fun race i hope they enjoyed it oh we did indeed everybody wanted to know how this new nascar car would run at daytona your evaluation of it okay honestly it's got to look great on tv it's harder to drive but ain't we supposed to have to work hard you know i mean it's hard to drive but it's gotta look great on tv it sure looks it sure is a handful in the car and it reminds me a lot of old style race cars i see anybody slide around and get loose and stuff so i think it's all right you know we'll we'll tone them in and get them better but so far he got a good grade for me junior's alright too he may just be the best restrictor plate driver in all of nascar after an incredible speed weeks dale jr could not complete the elusive triple and came home ninth in the daytona 500. 2008 wasn't as smooth sailing as everyone hoped it would be jimmy johnson was the only driver winning races at hendrick motorsports leaving gordon miers and junior winless in 2008. when the cup series arrived at michigan the 88 team was trying to end a 76th race winless streak okay let's see what junior's doing right here just shut it off just like kyle said exactly what kyle said he's coasting it he just shut the engine off that's how he's saving fuel right now they've told the 88 to stay behind the caution car and it's hard to stay behind the caution car when you're trying to save fuel and you've got to drag back and then when you drag back you can do that you can do this when you're back in the pack everybody does it when you're back in the pack but when you're the leader and you have to be right there he's coasting along it's tough to save fuel man he is in a he's in the worst position he could be in yeah he just looked up in the mirror and saw all those guys come down pit road now to get fuel see he needs to drop back here yeah he needs to drop back you know 100 yards 200 yards and then run it up and try to monitor as much as he can but it's tough man okay and a junior if he's that close boy i mean that that's the last thing he wanted to see right now was this deal he he could have you know if he had a shot at pulling it off too trouble now and the last thing he wants to see is a guy spin and not hit the wall and not put any debris on the racetrack and then they ride around for five laps right he wants this to be a quickie a quickie yeller when the race reaches its scheduled conclusion and the caution flag is out nascar will make one attempt at a green white checkered finish we'll get the green flag a lap then the white flag then the checkered flag so it'll be two laps one attempt if the caution comes out after we go back to green the race is over nascar will use scoring loops and videotape to determine the final finishing order this is when you wish your teammate was four laps down and running right behind you in line so he could just push you around the racetrack i don't think you can do that anymore though remember they you know they bust you for a little while but you you could do it you could do it just get it you get one shot at it baby one shot but his teammates are far enough back in line that they can't move forward because you're not allowed to advance under caution but you hear him he fires it up shuts it off picking up all that garbage right now on his tires tires he's not the only one the nine cars down there the eight cars down there's other guys that are having this issue this is where this could be bad and this is where this is on a restart if this thing stumbles on a restart with all those guys behind they're just gonna pack it did we see a little shot there 76 races since dale earnhardt jr has been to victory lane attempted a green white checker just so you know marty bill i can't describe to you the nerves down here in the uh dale earnhardt junior pits i just asked tony junior are you going to have enough he said i have no idea what's in the car but let's give tony junior credit and not lose sight of that before anything happens he put him in a position to win the race he got him a top five out of charlotte with a wrecked race car because of strategy got him a top five out of pocono because of strategy so he has put him in another position to either win or get a top five out of this fuel or not it's been a good call and you can see he's trying to scrub the tires it's hard to scrub the tires when you're coasting a car but every time he'll he'll fire it up and he'll give it one or two cranks but he's got a lot on his mind right now there's a man i i can't even imagine what he's going through right now because you you know just like tony urey said i don't know how much fuel is in that tank dale doesn't know how much fuel's in that tank coming to get the green earnhardt jr last stopped on 148 kane in second 155 vickers in third on lap 187 martin 155 kenzeth 188. back at four so your box will be cool one attempt at a green white checkered finish got cars on the apron pace car to pit road boy if that car doesn't go it's gonna be big green flag they bunch up behind earnhardt comes vickers down on the bottoms taking a look underneath the eight card mckenzie going high yup and the 17. junior he's got gas right there man that thing is going up off that corner a-car is out of fuel mark martin so clear by five there junior's right back down on the bottom he's been up at the wall the whole time now he's right back down on the bottom looking for that shortest way around the racetrack he's just and he knows there's grip there you can hear the fans man this will be the last lap of the race white flag at michigan oh we got somebody coming off of the crash my caution is out the race is over but remember junior has to maintain speed coming back around he's just got to maintain his speed we went through this with biffle how many whatever it was at texas so as long as he can maintain there's the answer to your race buddy question dale before the race lindsay talked to him earlier this week about the pressure to win and he said it's put up or shut up this might be the day he's able to put it up and you got to say that's the one good thing about dale jr when he took this ride he said look i'm man enough to take this ride because i know it's all on me because we know the hendrix organization can win races it's all on me that's a big deal for dell junior man that's a big man took that big deal for tony york jr too those guys made some great calls down there to put him in this position [Applause] 76 races since he last went to victory lane and dale earnhardt jr is the winner at michigan that's incredible that's pretty exciting that's pretty gutsy i mean that's a great move on that race team's part to gamble and put them in that position yeah great don't think we're going to see any burnout no great call and great driving by dale jr because he had to save some fuel so that's great driving also let's go down to marty schneider i've been around tony jr a long time since he's a young man i've never seen him so relieved or so nervous before that and he's out of gas junior just radioed in he's out of gas he's stuck on the racetrack was that the most nervous you've been towards the end of the race tony i'm telling you what that's uh this is pretty special i've lost a lot of race up here man pops and i'll tell you what this is it don't get no sweeter than this right now i mean this team's been real close we had a couple took away from us and i told these guys we got to get our a game back together so we can get ready for this chase and they stepped up all day and man is awesome can you take me through the emotion of the winless streak i mean i know this is a big load off for your race team well i mean i don't look at it as a winning streak i mean we won daytona one stuff and people but this is their first points race so they'll get off his back about it but that kid's been driving his heart out all year and he deserves it and man it's just it's just awesome to be able to win a race and get that over with and let's just go get a championship today in the live lock 400 from michigan his first win in 76 races junior's made it to victory lane matt yoakam is there he opened up the season with a nine points all-star win at the shootout congratulations dale i know this one is big what's it mean to you to finally win for mr h but also win a fuel mileage race well i didn't know we didn't have enough gas to make it look at that caution come out uh we had uh we had it set up to win if we didn't have the caution but thanks to the fans happy father's day congratulations to my team they deserve it congratulations to rick going in here did a good job giving me everything i needed you walked up to the car mr hendrick what did you tell him well he he told me maybe i shouldn't come today because he wasn't running that good so i said i'm glad i didn't stay at home based on what you told me great job proud everybody because of family throughout the years at 100 motorsports this one is special for you and for dale but why is it special for you well you know just uh you know we started off and he won the clash and then to 150 and we said we don't have to worry about that winning the race now and then nobody counted it because it was a it wasn't a points race so uh i mean it's just we've been waiting for this so been so close happy father's day hey everybody so how concerned were you on it fuel what it is it's going to have enough for it to run out coming to the white stumble off of straight away so we were close we were going to stumble to the finish probably not win the race but they caution they write what they want but we won one dale earnhardt jr scores his first points win since richmond of 2006 his first ever victory in the cup series at michigan dale jr snapped the streak but a much larger strike loomed [Music] on the racetrack travel that's dale earnhardt jr big trouble involved i think with david gilliland and guys this is what we've been talking about this final is practice right trouble here car in the wall is dale earnhardt boy brian vickers dale earnhardt jr that ain't going boys vickers here we go bush the dominant car of the day in the wall that was wrong and 10 cars sliding slamming into the infield jimmy johnson totally uncalled for oh lick for junior and he is head first into the tire barrier let's see right here that's what got sorenson in trouble just a victim here even all that sandy gravel can't slow a car down and slow it down that's the key thing intentional he just didn't have any way of slowing his car down and read sorenson wrong spot at the wrong time that's keith barnwell spotted from 43 and all he saw was 88 dive inside and all of a sudden they're crashed he didn't know why dale earnhardt jr in the wall he was running in fourth position and again the caution out for the 88 car now in the wall here you can tell it's gonna be a long day when you have that beep melting like that it doesn't get better i'm just gonna keep having that problem the 88's around front straight away junior brings out the caution 17 if you're keeping count at home yeah i was pretty sure a little bit of leftover there you might have to put the bondo around the right rear to the pump dale jr caught up in it as well smoke just pouring out of the 88 and dale jr is scooting away oh oh he's slowing didn't he 150 000 people on their feet he's out of fuel and as that indy the leader at turn four does not get to the flag perfect the closer wins it once again where did he come from 143 races four years full of crashes mechanical failures heartbreak and self-doubt nascar would return to the site of dale jr's last win 143 races prior where he previously snapped the 76 race winless streak dale jr across the start finish line six laps remaining to his first win in 143 starts and when you think about dale earnhardt jr and what he's meant to the sport over the years today his 450th start in nascar's top series he's been around a good while [Music] dale earnhardt jr very much aware of the fact that he hasn't won in a while as he comes around here and sees five laps remaining how's it feeling inside the race car wally all right i got over five seconds that right there is what you want to hear i mean you've got five seconds your car's working great you got five laps to go i mean basically you're on cruise right here just don't make any mistakes but the biggest thing is he's not being pressured so yeah if he had someone right in his rear view mirror you could understand feeling the pressure thinking about the long windless streak and maybe having your hand forced into a mistake when you got a big lead that's got to help yeah but i don't think junior's ever really thought about the long window streak he just thought about winning the race and getting to where he's at you know he's always played it off and i don't think he played it off as much as he truly truly felt that believed that that he was going to win again [Music] junior off of turn two and down the back straight away when he comes around this time it will be three laps remaining i know what he doesn't want to see as a caution right yeah absolutely i was just looking to see where jimmy johnson was to see if he was having an issue but he's kind of fell in to a pretty good rhythm and jimmy's trying to stay ahead of the 24 car of jeff gordon but he's way off the pace he's running his last lap was 184 two three laps ago he's running 188. now jimmy johnson changed engines came from the back to the fifth position ryan newman did the same he's one lap down in 17th and carl edwards who had to start at the rear of the field after qualifying problems yesterday finds himself 11th in the latter stages i hate they paved michigan to be honest with you because these fans are going to burn this place down when we get to that point it was just going to be a big old waste of money but junior has i mean this has been a great day for these guys oh it has they have dominated this be the 93rd lap he has led as we get two to go in the quicken loans 400 you're on board with dale earnhardt jr look at how that steering wheel how steady that is yeah coming to white he just needs to get back to this and then it won't matter if we get a caution because the green white checkers situation will be out the window once dale earnhardt jr gets the white flag he sees it right now there you go two more miles to victory for dale earnhardt jr as the crowd stands and cheers here in michigan oh my god i wish people at home could be here to see these people in the grandstands and to hear them we're up here in the tv tv booth and you can hear these people [Music] junior down the back straight away and into turn three for the final time there is going to be a party in junior nation tonight the streak is over dale earnhardt jr [Music] yeah i double checked the 500 we really want it all right hey good job man i know you guys are been waiting on that one i know i am [Music] see that monkey fly off his back you know but i think his voice said it all when he said i really don't know what to say after all that time listen to the crowd after all that time he expected it and i think that set it up he hasn't been able to celebrate in a while he's going to make this one last burn it down dale jr after 143 races without a win and he's making the donuts on the front [Music] straightaway [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] popular win for the driver and i'm sure the crew chief is smiling as well let's check in downstairs well adam there's hugs there's tears down here and everything and uh stevie a lot of big wins in your career where does this one rank among them oh this one's up there a long ways uh that's one thing everyone involved mountain news chevrolet national guard we couldn't do without them but uh you know hms dale jr he drove a great race and this crew it's been a long time since they've won they really deserve it i know it's hard not to be emotional when you think about the emotion is it all the work that went into it that makes you emotional uh yeah a lot of close calls a lot of seconds good to finally win one now this one's off we're back uh looking forward to the chase if you weren't planning on using that engine again were you no i can't thank hendrick engines enough we ran way over our limit in practice and uh man that was 200 beautiful laps their engines are unbelievable how happy are you for him i can't say enough him he's done everything i've asked him to do i know he's taking a lot of criticism in his career but i've never seen one ounce criticism he deserves for me he's driven the wheels off in every lap and uh it's just been fun it's been a lot of fun other days you wondered if this would ever happen yeah i'm sure there was but uh these guys kept my heads up my wife my family mr hendrick they uh they always keep you pointed in the right direction i believe we're about to have a celebration adam what do you think i think it's on marty it is well underway in the grandstand and when dale earnhardt jr climbs from that race car his team going to celebrate with him they've been close so many times you heard steve letarte talk about the runner-up finishes today they definitely receive the fruits of their labor and this is the second consecutive week we've seen a long winless streak come to an end joey logano got it done last week at pocono today it's dale earnhardt jr let's go to victory lane and matt yoakam and over the past four years dale earnhardt jr has finished second seven different occasions this year they said they were gonna take it to a whole new level and right now he's on the phone talking to the boss man mr h rick hendrick special day for the entire organization long time coming [Music] and what a party it's going to be for junior nation special colors this week in the heat help design and fitting end drive them to victory [Music] lane [Applause] and here he comes dominating day junior welcome home to victory lane what the boss mr h oh he's just upset he couldn't be here um that's a great race i want to thank my sponsors national guard dot mountain dew uh great to have the batman on the car today uh we just had a really good car and uh chevrolet was real fast just uh pretty amazing i was those are last those last 15 laps are the longest laps ever and uh i don't know what to think about it just yet you know junior it's been four years your fans have stuck behind you this guy right here steve lahart steve lettard stuck behind you what's the most satisfying part of this victory to do it for my fans they stuck behind me for all these years and i know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've been wanting us to get a big lane and so this was for them uh appreciate their loyalty and their support and we we wouldn't have made it back to victor lane without it so uh that's who we gotta give all the credit to you look at today it posed so many challenges new tracks surfaced the tire change the weather itself what was the biggest difference was it the change that stevie made on the second stop with the spring rubber yeah we change well yeah we i don't know what he what all he did but he made it right and uh i think was real fast i want to also thank sprint they do a good job supporting our sport don't get enough credit for it i appreciate what they do the track service was great today um the tire was uh was it was a tough one a little bit of curveball but we didn't have any trouble we got to put on a race and uh i think nascar good year for for for the work they did like those prolific poets from england once said the new boss looks a lot like the old boss dale jr back in victory lane you get the feeling now that he's 1-1 the flood gates could open oh yeah yeah i'm telling you he could be after last week he could be sitting here two in a row like those prolific poets from england said again i don't know something that he said finally the wait is over dale earnhardt jr back in victory lane we continue with our post race coverage on tnt after a break [Music] following that win another winless season ugly unfolded kane around junior hits him there's just no room we've talked about that earlier no room up through there in turn two has just brought the caution flag out again it is dale earnhardt jr seventh at the time trouble dale jr [Music] yellow flag and the flames out the exhaust pipe junior [Music] oh there he goes stay as low as you can get below the line as soon as you can there seventh caution and it just basically cooks when you get something like that and we talk about the temperatures going up and it was already losing power right everybody got a really nice break sorry to make it all the way in the wall goes dale earnhardt jr and drake biffle get low high thirty the michigan wins flukes [Music] was it time to hang it up [Music] through all the twists and turns [Music] through all the hard hits [Music] all the concussions all of the ups and downs [Music] was there anything left to prove [Music] or did you owe it to anyone to keep going because they couldn't do you still have that passion [Music] the drive the determination or are you simply a washed up has been overrated waste of a seat [Music] they say old drivers can't turn back the clock but they can wind it back up again [Music] green flag is in here nascar's most popular driver dale earnhardt jr won the 500 in 2004 this is his 15th running of the great american race and now he has led in 10 of those 15 tries here's the pass on the 99 of carl edwards and i don't think there's any mistake in it these guys have been told there could be some weather coming because i see a lot of intensity look at that 18 trying to force in front of the of the uh 43 dart carve overall i mean these guys are starting to make some pretty bold moves here watch dale jr they're not messing around right now they're going like it's going to be the last lap but he got a little lead there it might have gotten out a little too far let's see what he can do look at those eyes how can you drive a car 204 miles an hour looking back i mean that takes some talent right there and folks don't ever underestimate how fast these guys are going how close they are to running together and and how hard it is it's just not as easy as they make it look these guys make it look easy because they're the best drivers in the world the way these guys are driving they're cutting each other off they're but they're they're not wrecking so far the front guys at least well joe jr just picked up a big piece of trash on his grill uh looks like a trash bag it's like a trash bag or a perhaps a piece of bear bomb that came off ryan newman's car oh my gosh you've been there on it'll stick there and you can't get it all right that stuff is so sticky hopefully hey you need to get right behind the pace guard something come up on our grill and hopefully it does not have the electric paint off and get right behind the pace [Music] so hopefully it doesn't block the grill opening it's not just gonna blow away that's not a trash bag no if anything it's gonna get tighter yeah that's that's not gonna come off getting up there against the pace car i don't think so larry maybe buster could reach out and pull it off buster ought in the past reminded of so many things his dad hitting a seagull on the back straightaway damaging his car and dale earnhardt a mile from victory in a daytona 500 tries to break the draft cuts down a tire and turn three of the final there's probably what he's going to run over and pick up right there i'm surprised he didn't see that i'm surprised that the spotter or him or somebody didn't tell him about it but larry is that blocking the opening to the grilled oh that thing is huge it's definitely over part of the opening here's what i would say it's tuna get that piece of trash on the grill it might help him you know if it doesn't know hey guys this could be an advantage he's only got to run three laps that's going to make his car more slippery aerodynamically he's in the front this could help him a little bit it's yeah it's not going to overheat in three laps i don't believe no i don't either i tell you i think you're right mike i think it'll help him well especially with him being out front and getting some air into that grill but yeah the more you can block that up the faster it's going to run down the straightaway so i i wouldn't even worry about that i don't even know if i'd even told him about it well you know what what are you going to do about it you can't pit now most of what you see in black on the front of that car is not grill opening the grill opening is a narrow slip within the grill area and it has hardware cloth or mesh uh right in it so pretty narrow is the amount of actual opening to the radiator there and from what i can see that bear bond is not covering it very much so let's set the field for you as they come around to two laps to go dale earnhardt jr trying to win the daytona 500 yet again brad keselowski for roger penske trying to give the captain his second victory and remember it was dale jr who gave keslowski his big break to drive junior's car in the nationwide series now right behind them jeff gordon the 24. kyle busch in the 18 coming from one lap down carl edwards and denny hamlin jimmy johnson and ricky stenhouse matt kenseth and kevin harvick are the top 10. and wins this year count more than ever you win it you might be in the chase it might be the win you need and it's a chance to get one right here kelly earnhardt miller dale jr's sister looking on and here we go green flag two laps dale earnhardt jr gets to that restart box and he is gone yeah that car is i mean it takes off [Music] now he definitely doesn't want to get too far out we know that's not good and he is making a pretty good gap here here comes the two brad keselowski on the outside got a little bit of help from behind gaining on the leader junior comes up to cover jeff gordon now leading the inside roll unless keslowski or bush or denny hamlin in the 11 drops down it's hamline what a move by hamlet now if we get back to the white flag we have a race look at stenhouse that's 17 in the middle back and forth he just shoved kyle busch right out of the way ricky stenhouse in the 17th to third place white flag with stenhouse up in position to challenge in that blue four you know what larry i believe that tape's gonna stay on there and that baby's gonna come home a winner danny hamlin has not lost a race this week he's number 11. keslowski the 2012 champ battling back to the top and dale earnhardt jr the pied piper of daytona trying to hold them all at bay and kyle bush was trying to make a third line at the top of the racetrack oh here they come now this is where it gets interesting we've seen a lot of passes off turn four to the start finish line but that 88 is pulling away less than a mile to go oh we got a wreck third generation star dale earnhardt jr brings them to the flag checkered flag waving it's over it's earnhardt good job june bug reed sorenson's race ends up in a crash harvick into the wall past the end of pitt road and carl edwards 99 all torn up here comes kyle bush backwards across the start finish line factor across now the caution flag waved before earnhardt took the checkered flag officially the race ends under yellow nascar will reject it unbelievable they'll review all photographic and video evidence it'll be a while before we have an order of finish reid sorensen is okay carl edwards moving around in his car the pied piper leads them around for the final and then how can you take some bad luck get something on your grill with three laps to go a piece of tape you couldn't come down pit road and put a piece of tape on there and do any better the black number three returned to daytona this week where'd that big piece of black tape come good i got [Music] remember in the off season his crew chief steve la tart said to dale jr this is our final season together let's make it memorable they already have it's awesome dude i can't quit watching you right now steve lettard his crew chief a champion of the daytona 500. i've said it and i've said it i've said it those two guys are going to do a lot of good things this year together because they they know what it means but dale earnhardt jr has gone winless in four of the last five years you won't be able to say that about 2014. or keep counting his runner-up finishes in the 500. that thing could get out front and he could just go from one side to the other i mean he was just had a fast car at the end of the day i believe dale earnhardt jr's got a little celebration planned here see what he's going to do not a whole lot he can do right now the whole front straightaway is full of wrecked cars he is saluting the fans [Music] and coming all the way down the front stretch [Music] reminiscent of when alan kalwicki won his first cup race and did a self-styled as kawiki called it polish victory lap it's the wrong way around but it puts your face right in front of the fans where he can look him in the eye and hear them cheer you know what i love i mean to see dale jr that excited to see him just pumped man about winning that race and he should be but look at him he's like a little kid in there yeah enjoying everything you've no i haven't either larry it's just so good [Music] look at him he's going to jump out of that thing i'll be up on the side of the door there in a minute like his dad used to do and he's about to be a 40 year old little kid but guess there's a little kid in all of us carol especially when you win the 500. i never think about him being old i still think about him being junebug [Applause] 11-time nascar's most popular driver and that is voted by the fans and dale jr captures the flag at the start finish line and begins to head toward victory lane they are going to have some kind of celebration back at the old hendrick motorsports shop probably over at whiskey river have a little a special night or something this could be big and phoenix better put more [Music] grandstands down car owner rick hendrick headed for victory lane yet again [Music] off the pace and there goes dale jr the 88 is out front at pocono with less than five to go white flag is out and they are saluting dale jr at pocono two and a half miles away from his second win of the season [Music] off of turn three for the final time you got it he won the season opener at daytona second checkered flag of the year for dale jr pocono [Music] good job nobody really got a push to this point but in the lineup where that could happen now junior kevin harvick joel logano waiting if something happens [Applause] another big run right there that's his strong part of the racetrack have a lot to go nice corner by junior one more turn can he hold him off he's going to do a third win of the season pocono goes to dale hart jr hell yeah good job fans are late juniors through the second jeff gordon through the third for the race lead no contest dale earnhardt jr through one lot to go we're in the last round of the race next flag engine checkered or yellow can gordon run junior down to turn three or can dale jr hold him off back still five minutes no pressure checker flag and his first frightens the win dale earnhardt junior takes it over jeff norton [Applause] just executed perfectly [Applause] [Music] um 2014 didn't end on the highest note for dale jr with the championship slipping out of reach and more concussions accumulating this felt like the end of the road but there was a silver lining not on the cub side though dale jr had finally won a title as an owner six years after leaving his father's now defunct race team he won it with racing phenom chase elliott [Music] might have burned the rest of those tires off that nine car in the celebration but they're going to be setting up the stage and there'll be a trophy presentation shortly for chase elliot and his team owner dale earnhardt jr well ten years ago dale earnhardt jr and his sister open the doors to jr motorsports and here you are as a winning owner what does that mean to you junior and your sister well yeah we're very proud chase and the whole team did a good job i want to thank napa for coming on board this year i felt like that they had a real good shot at it and uh we've had a lot of great help from a lot of people that's been a part of our business at jrr motorsports and you know there's a lot of people that have that have helped to get to where it is today some of those people are still there and some aren't but everybody that has ever worked there has to be pretty proud tonight because they had an influence on getting us to where we are today we got a lot of help and resources from hendrick motorsports and that's a big deal to us it's helped us really get a lot more competitive over the last several years so we got to thank all those guys that build all these great engines and get all kinds of engineering and support there too so it's uh it's been a labor love we've really enjoyed the ride we've been proud to be part of the nationwide series one thing nationwide for everything they've done for the series it's been a real blessing to have them involved and the series is better off for it congratulations dale earnhardt jr go meet your driver good news is chase elliott will be back in the car next year dale jr would go on to win a few more races deal with a few more concussions and most importantly win more xfinity titles as an owner continue to run down the veteran it only his 33rd xfinity start [Applause] still after a quarter panel there's your flag tyler reddick your 2018 expanded series champion everyone they say you're never as big as the sport you play dale earnhardt jr almost was he was the heart and soul of stock car racing he was the prince of a racing king [Music] and with the weight of the world on his shoulders he survived he persevered he conquered and most importantly he made dad proud thanks for watching be sure to like subscribe and leave a comment follow us on twitter [Music] you

Channel: FIVE WIDE Sports

Views: 310,551

Keywords: nascar, crash, documentary, nascar crash, nascar finish, kyle busch, chase elliott, denny hamlin, nascar diecast, nascar diecast haul, diecast, nascar diecast review, nascar diecast news, nascar diecast 1 64, nascar diecast 1:64, nascar diecast store, nascar diecasts, nascar 1:64 diecast, 2020 nascar diecast haul, 2019 nascar diecast 1 64, nascar diecast haul 2020, cancelled nascar diecast, nascar diecast collection, dalejr, dale jr, dale earnhardt jr, dale jr win, nascar 2021

Id: F0wl3vJELxM

Length: 99min 27sec (5967 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 09 2021