Dateline: July 9, 2001
"some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" - William Shakespeare
On Saturday night Dale Earnhardt Jr. was truly great. After dominating for the majority of the race Little 'E'
stormed from sixth place to the front in the final six laps of the race to take the victory at the site of his
father's tragic accident in February.
On Father's Day in Pocono Dale Jr. was asked if he wanted to win that race "extra bad" for his dad. His
answer was that while yes, that would be special, the race he really wanted to win was Daytona. He got
his wish.
It couldn't have been scripted any better, a strategic decision to take four tires under a late
race caution, discouraging words from his crew chief on television, a come from behind victory, and a
picture perfect finish line celebration in the grass all add up to one perfect victory.
Dale Earnhardt fans have spent the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season grieving and somehow the process
just never seemed complete. Watching Dale Jr. struggle in the races right after Daytona was painful.
We can only imagine the difficulty of trying to perform under great emotional strain while the whole world
watched. His victory in Daytona, a track that his Dad dominated until it claimed his life, is his clear
statement that he is back.
Even more than that it seems like the entire NASCAR world took a collective sigh of relief after the
race on Saturday. For the first half of the season the Earnhardt tragedy hung like a black cloud over
Winston Cup racing. The return to Daytona was a critical moment in the healing process. Another
bad wreck, more injuries or another tragedy could have sent the sport spiraling downward.
Instead, Daytona was a joyous event, a true celebration of Dale Earnhardt and the things that he loved
most, his family.
This was truly a cathartic moment for NASCAR, the Earnhardt family and their fans. The healing process
is complete.
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