Home

NASCAR

Unbelievable Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon Coincidence Shines Light On Hendrick Motorsports’ Pan-Era Dominance

Published 11/16/2022, 2:41 AM EST

Follow Us

via Getty

The 1992 Hooters 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was pretty a defining moment in NASCAR history. There were so many significant events happening on that day, the season finale. First and foremost, an era was coming to an end, with this race being Richard Petty’s final race. In addition to that, another legend was just beginning, with the debut of none other than Jeff Gordon.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Alan Kulwicki won his only Cup Series championship, before his untimely passing in a plane crash. Bill Elliott went on to win the race but was 10 points shy of Kulwicki in the standings. Another star-studded racer present was Dale Earnhardt, so Gordon was pretty much in the presence of racing royalty. Admittedly, he did finish the race in 31st, but that mattered little, especially in a field chock full of bonafide NASCAR legends.

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr Asked for Major Favor From Bubba Wallace for $300 Million Worth’s ‘Hard to Explain Part’ After Major Wreck in 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Jeff Gordon is not the only NASCAR legend to fondly remember this date

It is worth mentioning that November 15 is also significant for another NASCAR driver. On this very day 24 years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr won the 1998 NASCAR Xfinity Series title. This would be his first of two Xfinity titles, and the only two championships he would win in his NASCAR career. His Cup Series career wasn’t so spectacular, but he does have 26 career wins in the premier series.

via Getty

The best part about his 1998 Xfinity triumph is that he was driving the iconic #3 car, decked in his father’s livery. However, the difference was that the car was dark blue instead of black like Dale Earnhardt Jr. This particular race was held at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Dale Jr finished in a lowly 42nd. However, that did not matter in end, as he was declared the victor. One thing is for sure, November 15th is a special day in NASCAR for a number of people in the community.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: $100 Million Worth Actor Insulted NASCAR Fans for Stupid Reason They Hate Hendrick Motorsports Star Jeff Gordon a Few Years Back

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Dhruv George

14,342Articles

One take at a time

Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ankit Sharma