When the 21st century dawned upon the NASCAR world, Dale Earnhardt had little left to prove in the world of stock car racing. But as for other motorsport categories, the Intimidator was just getting started. And that’s when the perfect opportunity to experience endurance racing presented itself, with Chevrolet Racing teaming up with Dale Earnhardt and his son Earnhardt Jr to go racing at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2001.

While folks in the wider world of road course racing were well aware of Earnhardt’s prowess on the oval, the Rolex 24 course was a new and welcomed challenge. However, despite bringing home great results in the race, it would, unfortunately, be the first and last time the Intimidator would grace the sports car race before his untimely death only a few weeks later in the 2001 Daytona 500. As we near the end of 2024 Rolex 24, let’s take a look at how things went down decades ago.

Nervousness is a word that eludes Dale Earnhardt’s dictionary

Sharing the C5R Corvette with his son and sports car racers Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins, the #3 would run competently throughout, bringing in a sweet result. But while many thought the damp conditions and the sheer intensity of a 24-hour endurance could hamper Earnhardt’s expectations, the truth was far from it, as revealed by the broadcast.

In a tweet from Darian Gilliam, the community got an inside look into how the Intimidator carved through the field with ease on his debut. Within the first clip, Earnhardt Sr swaps seats with Andy Pilgrim to go out on his stint, but the belt buckles take a tad bit too long, causing tensions to rise. This ultimately caused Earnhardt to stall before heading out, leading many to believe the Intimidator could have been rather nervous.

While his co-drivers from sports car backgrounds were taking the session head-on, Earnhardt had to ease into building momentum. Not only had he gotten limited practice time, but running in an endurance race of such magnitude for the first time was certainly a task to be taken seriously. As the commentators watched on, they couldn’t help but notice that the Intimidator’s expression from the onboards looked rather calm.

As Earnhardt followed Johnny in the other Chevrolet entry, a conversation that humorously summed up the Intimidator’s mentality sparked between the commentators of the broadcast booth and the pit wall. Trying to make sense of Earnhardt’s composure, the commentators asked, “I mean this is a new environment for him. One thing running by yourself, but when you get out there in a race it’s a different scenario. Was he nervous at all before the green?”

And just when you would think we’d get to hear the pressure Earnhardt was facing, the answer was straight to the point instead! The pit wall commentator chimed back in over the radio and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t catch the last part. Was he? Are you kidding me? That guy has never been nervous in his whole life!” And just like that, Earnhardt’s team would go on to finish fourth overall and second in their category.

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But while it was clear that The Intimidator was not nervous by any means, it could all have been down to the way he approached the whole race itself.

Earnhardt’s 24 Hours of Daytona performance prompted many prospects and comparisons

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Years ago, veteran journalist Mike Joy sat down with Earnhardt after the Daytona 24 and it was revealed that the Intimidator was overjoyed at the prospect of racing with Earnhardt Junior and “was looking forward to the day he could do more of that, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans”. And even though the Le Mans dream could never be realised owing to his untimely death, the Daytona 24 appearance gave us great insight into the different ways the two Earnhardt racers approached sports car endurance racing.

In the video clip shared on X by Darrian Gilliam, the commentators detailed the key separations between the father and son’s driving style. The booth stated, “Dale Jr has been out there finding the limits by exceeding them, driving the car very aggressively. While the elder Dale, doesn’t like to be called Dale Senior, has been conservative in his approach, moving his way up, seeing what the car will do before it gets away from him. So it’s been interesting to watch it happen.”

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So even though it the Intimidator’s nervousness was quickly brushed aside, it was certainly owing to his calculated approach that the Intimidator found immense success in his debut run. And while it’s unfortunate that we cannot see more of Dale Earnhardt in Endurance racing, will Earnhardt Jr make the step toward Le Mans in the future?