Sundays are dedicated to two things: God and Nascar.
Now, go ahead and consider me a redneck because I said Nascar; however, I would like to view that opinion differently.
The first couple of years of my life, my family lived in Charlotte, N.C. This also happens to be the home of the late Dale Earnhardt and one of Nascar’s most loved drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
From that moment on, my family was devoted to the sport of Nascar.
When Dale senior passed away in 2001 at the end of the famous Daytona 500, my family was heartbroken. We did not know what to do.
The only thing that seemed right was to stick to Dale junior’s side.
Many fans had a struggle with Earnhardt not having any wins for nearly the past two years.
The last year Earnhardt won a race was in 2006. May 6 at Richmond International Raceway, Earnhardt won his 17th race of his career in the Nextel Cup Series.
In May 2007, Earnhardt announced he would be leaving his family’s team at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
Change can be a scary thing, and this was going to be a big change for everyone.
June 13, 2007, he announced he would be joining Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 Nascar season.
Now rival drivers Jeff Gordon (24), Jimmie Johnson (48) and Casey Mears (5) turned into teammates.
February 9, 2008, Earnhardt opened the season with a new team, new sponsors and a win at the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. Too bad this did not count for points!
However, was this a sign for the upcoming season?
The 15th race of the season was held in Michigan on Father’s Day, June 15. Running the last few laps with little gas, a caution came out.
Earnhardt was running in the best position and could not risk pitting and losing his spot and chance for the first win in two years.
He was turning his car on and off and coasting as much as possible during the last six laps.
Earnhardt successfully crossed the finish line, winning his 18th Nascar race for his career.
This was not only an incredible and risky win, but something Nascar fans have been waiting to see for a long time.
The funniest part is Hendrick told SPEED that Earnhardt told him not to show up to the race because he did not think he would win, and with it being Father’s Day, he just needed to take the day off.
I guess it was a good thing Hendrick ignored Earnhardt’s advice and came to Michigan anyway.
Now, with 20 races to go can Earnhardt do it again?
I for one hope so. It would be nice to see “Lil E” rack up some more wins and points!
I think Hendrick really knew what he was doing when he added Earnhardt to payroll.
Maybe change isn’t so much of a bad thing after all?
