Published 04/05/2023, 6:34 PM MDT
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Alabama 500-Practice, Oct 13, 2017 Talladega, AL, USA Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88 looks on in the garage during practice for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports, 13.10.2017 12:34:25, 10343438, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarvinxGentryx 10343438 | Credits: Imago
Racing and success go hand in hand in the Earnhardt family. Dale Earnhardt Jr may not have been as successful as his father Dale Sr but he surely made a name for himself. With 26 NASCAR Cup Series victories to his name from 631 starts, he certainly made his presence count on the tracks. However, as with many, some of the most invaluable achievements in life came in the strangest ways to Dale Jr.
Not many know, but Junior started his racing with Late-Model cars with his half-brother Kerry and sister, Kelley. In fact, it became the ideal training ground for his future. Recently, discussing the demise of an important figure to him, the NASCAR Hall of Famer also unraveled the story of his late model stock win.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals the story behind the souvenir that brought more than a win
It is not often that we see Dale Jr express his emotional side. However, things were a tad different in the latest episode of his podcast “The Dale Jr Download”. The 48-year-old disclosed an unheard story from his past, which turns out to be quite heartwarming.
Gary Hargett, a long-time racing mechanic, was associated with the Earnhardt family ever since Jr’s grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt’s racing days. Dale Sr handpicked him to become Dale Jr’s Jedi Master. In fact, Junior drove Hargett-owned cars while competing in late-model racing.
The former Hendrick Motorsports driver recently visited Hargett’s shop. It was only earlier that Hargett passed away. Speaking on their relationship, Dale Jr said, “Gary used to help me actually own the car I drove in 1993/94 in the late model stock series. And man if we spent two years together, I swear it felt like ten and he became like a grandfather to me.“
To add more context, success did not come easily to Junior in his early days. With big fields and tough competitors, he longed for a win despite being in a well-prepared and familiar #3 car. Eventually, on August 20, 1994, Dale Earnhardt Jr registered a hard-earned victory before getting two more victories with Hargett.
Understandably, he felt all nostalgic visiting Hargett’s shop, which is when he highlighted something in particular. The two-time Daytona 500 winner said, “Anyways, I found a trophy and this trophy right here on the table is the trophy me and Gary won in 1994, my first late model stock win and so it’s from Myrtle Speedway.
“We won this race in 1994 and I don’t know why it was at Gary’s shop. You know I guess back then, I didn’t care about a trophy, I thought it was just cool that he won and was ready to go the next race and Gary put the trophy on a shelf in the shop and I thought, I was gonna race at that shop forever.”
Without a doubt, Dale Jr and Hargett had a special bond. Unfortunately, they split up when Junior moved to Mooresville. Nevertheless, he still remains immensely thankful to Hargett for being the inspirational figure he was to him, especially in those three years.
Also, it was certainly great of Hargett to have preserved and cherished that memorable trophy for so long. While his demise must have upset Junior, the North Carolina-born broadcaster made it a happy event recently for his family.
Dale Earnhardt Jr provides a heartwarming surprise to his family
There is no doubt how popular Dale Jr was during his Cup Series days. Him winning ‘Most Popular Driver’ Award 15 times in his career is just a testament to that. Well, his popularity isn’t any less at a personal level either.
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He recently shared a surprise visit to his famous 300-acre Western Town citing pre-Easter preparations. It was indeed a sweet gesture as everyone in the family seem to have loved the act.
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Junior is always full of surprises and quite the family guy. Having said that, it is interesting to see what new stories he’ll be able to bring to his podcast in the coming episodes.