CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. was voted NASCAR’s most popular driver a record 15 times.
He didn’t forget “Junior Nation” on his way into the Hall of Fame.
“When I stumbled, you guys were right there ready to lift me back up,” Earnhardt said to his fans. “There were times when I absolutely needed you — and you never let me down. We won together, and we lost together. … You should know that I don’t go into this Hall of Fame alone. I go in with you, and I go in because of you.”
Earnhardt was inducted into NASCAR’s 12th Hall of Fame class on Friday night along with late-model driver Red Farmer and modified driver Mike Stefanik. Ralph Seagraves was named as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
The group was selected in 2020, but the induction ceremony was postponed more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The younger Earnhardt joins his late father, seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“To join Dad in the Hall of Fame is probably as good as it is ever going to get,” Earnhardt said.
Although Earnhardt never won a championship, his impact has been felt throughout the racing world building a career as NASCAR’s top ambassador while finding a crossover audience that stretched far beyond his father’s reach.
“In the time I have been involved in racing, nobody has impacted the sport more than Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon said. “When he won, three-quarters of the grandstand stood up and cheered.”
Earnhardt began his career at family-owned Dale Earnhardt Inc., winning back-to-back Xfinity Series titles and 13 races in two full-time seasons. He won his first Cup Series race in his 12th career start. Like his father, Earnhardt was a master of the draft and thrived in restrictor-plate racing with 10 of his 26 career…
Source : espn
