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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 4: Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhard, Jr. pose together at the raceway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Earhnardts and Andy Pilgram earned second in the GTS category during the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. (Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 4: Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhard, Jr. pose together at the raceway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Earhnardts and Andy Pilgram earned second in the GTS category during the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. (Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
Back in 2000, Dale Earnhardt was still in the prime of his career. In the same year, a new star was born, and his name was Dale Earnhardt Jr. He truly burst onto the scene in his debut season, grabbing his first win at the Texas Motor Speedway. Later in the year, he proved that it was no flash in the pan during the All-Star race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2000 all-star race as a rookie. It was an electric moment in NASCAR history as he passed Dale Jarrett for the win while Earnhardt’s father finished third. The victory celebration was raucous and included a big hug from his father. pic.twitter.com/E0cSWB1Xt1
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 19, 2022
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The best part was that he led a Dale 1-2-3, ahead of Dale Jarrett and his own father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. With two laps remaining, Dale Jr made the move for the race lead on Jarrett. All that the rookie driver needed to do was hang around the outside of the #88 car and overtake, and he did just that.
From there, the driver simply rabbited away on the final lap and comfortably took the win. What was the icing on the cake was his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr, wading through the crowd and hugging him. All in all, it was a very heart-warming moment between father and son.
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How has Dale Earnhardt Jr performed since then?
Unfortunately, it would be his only All-Star win and the last time an Earnhardt won the iconic event. He took another win at Richmond, making it three wins during his rookie campaign, a pretty impressive feat. Beyond that season he romped to 26 career victories, with a best championship finish of 3rd place in 2003. In addition to that, he won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and in 2014.
PHOENIX, AZ — November 6, 1999: Although he finished second to Jeff Gordon in the Outback Steakhouse 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (L) and his dad Dale Earnhardt (R) had plenty of reason to celebrate, as the younger Earnhardt clinched the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series championship even though there was still one race to run the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ — November 6, 1999: Although he finished second to Jeff Gordon in the Outback Steakhouse 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (L) and his dad Dale Earnhardt (R) had plenty of reason to celebrate, as the younger Earnhardt clinched the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series championship even though there was still one race to run the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)
His other accolades include two Xfinity Series titles. He also has the honor of winning at the Talladega Superspeedway multiple times in a row. He is a five-time champion in the Xfinity Series as a driver and a team owner. To this day, he remains a popular and respected figure in the NASCAR paddock.
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