It is not every day that something as big as 9/11 happens that unites and scares the whole of America, if not the world, at the same time. The impact of the Twin Towers attack in 2001 was all-encompassing and left Americans in utter distress. It was a historical event that made a dent in time. But as they say, life goes on. And the first NASCAR race after that was one for the nation. No matter who won or lost, each driver was first an American, and any victory was a victory for America.

That is when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Dover and the crowd cheered for America to return from its slumber and become great again. That was the power of that event, and NASCAR fans who attended that race know it best. It was the crème de la crème of races for its significance.

What was the atmosphere like in the stands at Dover in 2001?

This was the week 13 years back when America stood still. The intermittent Loudon race, scheduled for 16th September, was postponed to November. NASCAR President at the time, Mike Helton, had prepared himself for a backlash from fans. But to his surprise, “No one said a word, certainly not when the announcement was made. Everyone understood this was all much bigger than any race.”

The post-9/11 normalcy for NASCAR came about at the Dover International Speedway on the 23rd of September, after 12 days of mourning. In the words of DIS’s President and CEO, Denis McGlynn, “What everyone began to realize was that our Cup race wasn’t just going to be just another sporting event. We were sold out at 140,000 tickets. It wasn’t going to be just the biggest post-9/11 sporting event. It was going to be the biggest gathering of people yet.”

Come the race day, and every person on the track was cheering for the USA. “The turning point came once the fans got into their seats. Once they were settled, they just kind of took over. They pushed the day from this mood of cautious tension to this most amazing atmosphere of NASCAR-fueled patriotism that we’ve seen, before or since.”, added McGlynn.

And then happened the iconic 400-lap race at the 1-mile Dover track that concluded with Dale Jr.’s victory lane. Reflecting back on the time, Dale Earnhard Inc.’s Joey Meyer revealed on the DJD Reloaded, “You just, you can’t imagine the energy from that wind. And it is so exciting and there’s a lot of history.”

Where was the #8 Bud team during the 9/11?

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Dale Earnhardt’s #8 Chevy was driven by Dale Jr. from 1999 through 2007. The Budweiser-sponsored team was testing the car at Kansas Speedway when the attack happened. The entire team got stuck with the skies closed down for travel. “We had to all rent minivans, the whole team, and drive from Kansas Speedway back. And a lot of bonding happened during that, a lot of thinking, you know, what happened to our country, what’s going on.”, shared Meyer.

The team that won the race at Dover was not the same team that it was before 9/11. In Meyer’s words, “A lot of buildup to that race win. And such a special win.” There is another noteworthy aspect of that race. The team had placed a volleyball in the car as a prank on Tony Sr., DEI’s crew chief and Dale Jr.’s uncle. And that volleyball has stayed in the car since.

Everything from that time and that day is so special that it has its own integral value. “Some of the camera footage actually panned in on it during the race. So, then the whole culmination of winning the race, Joy putting the flag in the window, that famous, you know, victory lap that Dale Jr. took, the fans chanting USA.” According to Dale Jr., fans to this date hold that race in high esteem and bring its picture to get it signed.