WATCH: Dale Earnhardt’s Legendary Reaction to Son Dale Jr’s $500,000 Debut Win at NASCAR All-Star Race

Published 05/20/2022, 5:05 AM EDT

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

Article continues below this ad

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.

Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals the Sneaky Tactics His Legendary NASCAR Father Will Apply With Modern-Day Simulators

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.

Article continues below this ad

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)

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.

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: NASCAR’s Greatest Conman Who Drove With Dale Earnhardt Breaks His Silence After 40 Years

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

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.

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh