Talladega bestows Dale Earnhardt Jr. with gifts connected to his father
TALLADEGA, Ala. — The retirement gift cavalcade continued for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Friday, and this one was special because of connections to his late father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Talladega Superspeedway and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame presented Earnhardt Jr. with a No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by his father during Earnhardt Sr.'s 1980 Cup championship season and his rookie season in 1979.
EARNHARDT JR.: Six-time winner eager for his last shot at Talladega
HONOR: Earnhardt Jr.'s wife Amy to drive pace car at Martinsville
KESELOWSKI: Finds perfect way to honor friend Earnhardt Jr.
Junior cranked the yellow and blue Chevrolet, which was entered in Cup racing by car owner Rod Osterlund, and drove it around the 2.66-mile speedway for two laps — at speeds much slower than his dad turned in winning his first championship.
The car belongs to the Motorsports Hall, which is located on Talladega Superspeedway property. The hall facility is operated by the state of Alabama, so the car technically will remain property of the hall, but officials said Earnhardt will have it on “permanent loan” and can use it as he pleases — for displays, special events, etc.
“I love to be able to sit in the car and just see the perspective — what the view was like,” Earnhardt said Friday.
The speedway also gave Earnhardt champagne bottles that were part of victory lane celebrations for his first win at the track and his father’s final Talladega win, in October 2000.
Sunday’s Alabama 500 is scheduled to be Junior’s final race at the track where he has scored six victories and where he and his father are huge fan favorites. Earnhardt Sr. won a record 11 Cup races at Talladega.
“The fans want to see us take the lead as fast as we can,” Earnhardt said. “I’ve seen the fans react in the grandstand when we come off turn four in the lead, and that motivates me.”
Earnhardt said he will spend much of the early part of his first retirement year planning for his debut as an analyst for NBC’s coverage of the second half of the 2018 NASCAR season.
“I’ve been watching Tony Romo (former Dallas Cowboys quarterback now working as an NFL analyst for CBS), and if I’m half as good as he is, I’ll be happy,” Earnhardt said. “That guy is awesome. It sounds like he’s sitting there beside you on the couch, like a best friend watching the game with you.”
PHOTOS: DALE EARNHARDT JR. RETIRMENT TOUR