NASCAR Cup Series

Like father, like son: Dale Jr. channels dad in latest 'Dega victory

Published May. 3, 2015 7:56 p.m. ET

Tom Jensen

If you've never been to a NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway, if you've never heard the thunder or felt the ground shake, it's hard to fully appreciate the sheer intensity of the fervor fans have for all things Earnhardt.

Ten of Dale Earnhardt's 76 victories came at the mammoth Alabama track, where he was the unquestioned crowd favorite at every race.

A couple of days before the spring Talladega race in 1999, the senior Earnhardt unveiled a blue-and-yellow throwback Wrangler special paint scheme for that year's NASCAR Sprint All-Star race during a brief event at the track. The crowds went wild, showering The Intimidator with applause and war whoops and crazy loud hollers, like Elvis Presley or some big movie star had suddenly appeared in their living room. He was their hero, their blue collar Everyman, who had risen to superstardom while never forgetting his mill town roots.

In October 2000, when Earnhardt charged from 18th with five laps to go to win what turned out to be the final victory of storied career, it felt like an earthquake, like the Talladega grandstands were going to collapse. It truly did.

No wonder Dale Jr. feels the weight of the world coming to Talladega sometimes.

No wonder he was so emotional and joyous after winning the GEICO 500 four days after what should have been his daddy's 64th birthday.

And no wonder the grandstands stayed full after the checkered flag, as fervent Junior Nation patriots sought to soak up the moment with their hero.

For Junior and his legion of fans, this was more than a victory. This was a victory at Talladega, his first in nearly 12 years. Sure, this victory meant Earnhardt Jr. was all but guaranteed a spot in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but it meant more than that.

So much more than that.

Earnhardt Jr. had won where his father had been so successful and where Junior had endured a painfully long winless streak after five victories in his first five full seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This was a huge deal.

"I felt like we had a lot of supporters here because of dad's success," said Earnhardt. "He won so many races here. I think about all the races he won here and at Daytona. I love when we go to Victory Lane because I feel like I add to his legacy there. All I ever want to do is make him proud. I feel like when we win at those tracks where he was successful, that's exactly what we're doing."

The timing of his late father's birthday was not lost on Earnhardt, either.

"I don't really get to think about him that much," Earnhardt said. "His birthday came and went. Today, it made me think about his birthday, how much I miss him, how much he meant to me and so many more people that I can't even fathom the number of folks that he had a relationship with in this sport, a connection with, all his fans out there really enjoyed seeing him compete here."

One big change this year is that Earnhardt decided he was going to race up front all day and not hang in the back to avoid a crash.

"Last year, I waited in the back expecting a wreck," he said. "I just was real ashamed of that choice, felt like I really wasted my team's time and everybody's hard work. I was just really, really ashamed of that. So I got a run up in there, even if I wreck, we're in the middle of it, we're going to be racing for the lead or trying to, anyways. That's my mentality 'til I don't race anymore."

In the end, he gave the fans what they wanted.

"I feel like the fans want to see us up front." Earnhardt said. "They love to see us win the race, but they want to see us lead every lap. They get excited when we take the lead. They're happy when we're up front. They want us up front every lap. I mean, I feel that. You'll get up there and get the lead. You know you're delivering upon the promise that you're going to run hard and run good."

That much Earnhardt did on this Sunday at Talladega. Just like his father always did.

VIDEO: Junior takes the checkered flag in Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega