Last week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally saw his dream come true. To be precise, he fought hard and finally got a chance to restore the North Wilkesboro Speedway to its former glory.
Naturally, when the time came for the first race at the revamped track, Dale Jr. had to compete. Of course, the buildup to the race was a little nerve-wracking for the former Hendrick Motorsports driver.
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Dale Jr said, “Standing next to the car before you climb in. It’s kind of like waiting in the waiting room at a doctor’s office.”
“You can’t wait for that person to come through the door and call your name. So that you can go back there and get things going, or whatever it is.”
“It’s tough, its like waiting in line for something. You’re like waiting in line to get on a rollercoaster, you’re like ‘Let’s go! I’m ready to go get this over with or get this started.'”
How did Dale Earnhardt Jr. fare in the race?
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As for the race itself, he finished in a fine third place, behind teammate Carson Kvapil and Mason Diaz. Apparently, the 2-time Daytona 500 winner was so thrilled after the experience that he wanted more. It is also worth mentioning that he put in a decent performance, despite the fact that he hadn’t raced Late Models since 1997.
Of course, Dale Jr has always been a big fan of short-track racing. This explains why he was so heavily invested in restoring that North Wilkesboro Speedway. It is also worth noting that he has a JR Motorsports Late Model team that has acted as a springboard for many drivers’ NASCAR careers. This includes Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Anthony Alfredo, and Kvapil himself.
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As for Dale Earnhardt Jr himself, the Late Model team also opened up a potential avenue to continue racing. This race has only proven that Dale’s will to race has always been there, and he has not lost his form.