The Daytona 500 is a special race. It’s where NASCAR began, and no one can take that away from the prestigious event. For eternity, it shall remain a race that all drivers aim to win at least once in their careers. Dale Earnhardt Jr successfully achieved that.

Not just once, though; Dale Earnhardt Jr conquered the tracks of Daytona Beach twice in his career – in 2004 and 2014. And he also came close to winning on the track on multiple occasions, but some high-quality driving by his rivals hindered him.

Dale Jr’s first win at the Daytona 500 came in 2004; incidentally, it was exactly 6 years from the day his father, Dale Earnhardt, won the race. Junior beat Tony Stewart and Scott Wimmer to the checkered flag.

The 2004 win meant Dale Jr. had managed to win the race in just his fifth start. In comparison to Dale Sr, that was 15 starts quicker; Dale Sr’s sole win in the race came in 1998 in his 20th start.

Just like his father, Dale Jr. had multiple heartbreakingly close finishes on the track. From 2001 to 2003, he came painstakingly close to wrapping up a W but was unable to do so.

In 2001, Junior finished second to his teammate at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Michael Waltrip. Then in 2002, he was running second before a freak incident forced him into an unscheduled pit-stop. Later on, he got embroiled in a massive wreck that ended all his chances of winning.

2003 seemed like his year, having won the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel qualifying race, and the Nationwide race. But again, luck wasn’t on his side; a bad battery forced him into an unplanned pit-stop.

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Breaking that unwanted trend in 2004 was a colossal relief for Dale Jr. His inclusion of the win in his personal Hall of Fame is evidence of that.

Dale Earnhardt Jr treats fans to some golden footage

Dale Jr. gave his thousands of fans a splendid gift when he released his onboard footage on his Twitter handle and his YouTube channel, JRuploads. He also disclosed an interesting bit of information.

Fans were ecstatic to get their hands on clips from this historic day –

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It is some great viewing for fans, especially since it’s the off-season. Hopefully, a Christmas gift is in line for fans!