Old habits die hard, and in Daytona, the Earnhardt legacy is impossible to ignore. As the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season opener roared to life, Dale Earnhardt’s grandson seized the moment to carve out his own chapter at the very track that helped define his grandfather’s legend.

Repping his grandfather’s iconic black and silver paint scheme in his first full-time ARCA campaign, Bobby Earnhardt embraced both the weight and pride of the family name. And after delivering a result he could be proud of, the 38-year-old made it clear just how grateful he was for the chance to carry that legacy forward.

“Yeah, I mean, words can’t even explain it. I gotta first give thanks to God. And if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. This is his plan. This is what we were meant to do… And the paint scheme of my granddad on the 25th anniversary, it’s just, man, it’s awesome. We’ve had a symbolic weekend, a great weekend, and there ain’t no words to explain how happy I am right now,” he said post-race.

Making just his sixth career ARCA Menards Series start, the fourth-generation racer guided the No. 89 Chevrolet to an impressive ninth-place finish in the 2026 season opener.

The Rise Racing driver spent much of the evening biding his time at the rear of the lead draft, avoiding trouble and waiting for an opportunity. When chaos erupted in the closing laps, the 38-year-old seized the moment, slicing through the disorder to secure a career-best result.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Racing runs deep for Bobby Earnhardt. He is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, the nephew of two-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Jr., and the grandson of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series title holder Dale Earnhardt.

Competing at Daytona carries added weight for the family, given their remarkable record at the superspeedway and the undeniable legacy built there over decades.

Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 Daytona 500 win didn’t just earn him congratulations from the garage, but also the respect he deserved.

Fast forward to today, and Bobby Earnhardt’s car pays tribute to that history. The black and silver scheme, highlighted by a white door number, echoed the unmistakable look of Dale Sr.’s No. 3.

The homage felt especially poignant in 2026, marking 25 years since the tragic final lap accident that claimed his grandfather’s life in the 2001 Daytona 500.

However, success at Daytona has always followed the Earnhardts. Between Dale Sr. and Dale Jr., the family established one of the most formidable records of the iconic Florida track.

Even Bobby’s younger brother, Jeffrey Earnhardt, recorded his best NASCAR Cup Series finish there with an 11th-place effort in 2018.

For Bobby, however, Saturday was about forging his own identity. Before this weekend, his best ARCA result was a 19th-place finish at Elko Speedway in 2017.

Improving that mark by 10 positions, at one of motorsports’ most demanding venues, signals meaningful progress as he embarks on a full-time ARCA campaign in 2026. He also brings experience from seven NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts, where his top finish came at Kansas in 2018.

With a tribute paint scheme on the car and a helmet honoring his grandfather, Bobby arrived at Daytona mindful of the past. By night’s end, he had taken a confident step forward, shaping his own future.

A look into Dale Earnhardt’s Daytona legacy

Dale Earnhardt’s early nights at Daytona were marked by promise but also heartbreak. While he scored numerous victories in qualifying races, Busch Series events, the Bud Shootout, and other support races at Daytona, the iconic 500 famously eluded him for nearly two decades.

Despite dominating many of the 500’s editions and racking up close finishes, including several runner-up results, the legend went winless in his first 19 attempts at the Great American Race, a drought that became one of the sport’s defining storylines.

That drought finally ended on February 15, 1998, in one of NASCAR’s most celebrated moments. On his 20th start in the Daytona 500, Earnhardt powered his black No. 3 Chevrolet to victory, holding off Bobby Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield to finally conquer the race that had long slipped through his fingers.

The win came during a period when he was already a seven-time NASCAR champion, but it carried special weight: it ended years of near misses at the sport’s biggest speedway and prompted an emotional celebration as competitors lined up on pit road to congratulate him.

Though his final Daytona 500 ended in tragedy in 2001, when he was killed on the last lap of the race, his fearlessness, aggressive style, and eventual triumph at NASCAR’s most prestigious event cemented him as one of the sport’s most iconic figures and forever linked his name to Daytona lore.