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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has proven beyond any doubt that his name isn't the only key to success.
Earnhardt began his professional driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first race car was a 1978 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with step-brother Kerry Earnhardt. Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and their sister Kelley. With his father's guidance and his own experience on the short tracks throughout the Carolinas, he was ready to take a bold step forward.
At the age of 21, Earnhardt Jr. began his climb through the NASCAR ranks, competing in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race (Myrtle Beach), where he finished 14th. The next year, he once again ran in the Nationwide Series – this time competing in eight events and scoring a best finish of seventh at Michigan International Speedway.
Then, in 1998, Earnhardt Jr. began to show just how much potential he really had.
Running in his first full year of Nationwide Series competition, the Kannapolis, N.C. native drove the No. 3 AC Delco Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. to victory lane seven times en route to winning the series championship.
In 1999, Earnhardt Jr. became the fourth driver in Nationwide Series history to repeat as champion, claiming the title on the back of six victories, 18 top fives and 22 top-10s. Also that season, Junior ran five times on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit in what was a precursor for things to come – as he was named the driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for the 2000 campaign.
Before his Cup rookie season in 2000, many thought Earnhardt Jr. was the front-runner for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award. It didn't pan out that way, as frequent challenger Matt Kenseth outran Junior in the Daytona 500, and never let up in his run to the title. Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race.
Earnhardt's close relationship with his cousin, car chief Tony Eury Jr., crew chief Tony Eury and his crew, was both a blessing and a curse. The continuation of his Nationwide Series success into Cup created an atmosphere that was too distracting and disruptive for the operation's success to continue.
Junior did have a part in recreating one Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and older half brother, Kerry Earnhardt, in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.
Earnhardt Jr. came into the 2001 season thinking the biggest obstacle he would face would be a sophomore slump. Instead, he endured the loss of his father in the Daytona 500 and went on to establish himself as one of the sport's superstars.
Earnhardt finished second in the Daytona 500, but faltered with a first-lap crash and 43rd-place finish the next weekend at Rockingham. He didn't stay down for long, though, as he scored three emotional victories and was able to come back to finish eighth in points. The first win came when the NASCAR Cup Series returned to Daytona for the Pepsi 400. The second came at Dover, Del., in the first race after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the third was in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega -- the site of his father's final victory. That Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. The season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles.
In 2002, Junior experienced a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring a concussion at Fontana in April -- an injury he didn't admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana, Earnhardt Jr. finished no better than 30th. Still, he rallied to score two more wins at Talladega, a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the final standings.
Junior finished a career-best third in series points in 2003 and was second in the championship points for 19 race weekends, the latest ranking coming after Phoenix. That season he also posted two victories – Talladega in April and Phoenix in November; his Talladega win was his record fourth-straight at the superspeedway.
Six years from the date Dale Earnhardt Sr. won his first 500, Earnhardt Jr. held off Tony Stewart to win the 2004 Daytona 500, the 46th running of "The Great American Race," in his fifth attempt. The Earnhardt's are the third father and son to win the Daytona 500, joining Lee and Richard Petty as well as Bobby and Davey Allison. The 2004 season marked a career-high in victories in one season for Junior with six. He was also voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for the second consecutive year.
However, the 2005 season went awry quickly for Earnhardt Jr. Running without Tony Eury Jr., who was switched over to teammate Michael Waltrip's No. 15 team, Junior faltered throughout the season – failing to make the "Chase," and ending the season with just one win (Chicagoland) and a career worst finish of 19th in the championship standings.
Things got back to normal in 2006, as Earnhardt Jr. was reunited with Eury Jr. The team went on to win only once, but showed remarkable improvement to the level where they made the "Chase" and finished the season in fifth place.
In 2007, Earnhardt Jr. wasn't able to score a single victory after the team struggled with the COT, leaving Junior winless for the first time in a Cup season since his first partial season in 1999. He also failed to make the Chase and ended the season 16th in the points.
After the disappointing season in 2007, Dale Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2008 to pilot the No. 88 AMP/Mt. Dew Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Year number one of Earnhardt Jr.'s much-celebrated move to Hendrick Motorsports looked a lot like his 2006 season at DEI.
Earnhardt won a race in 2008 and made the Chase, but he didn't challenge for as many victories or the championship as some had predicted. He was consistent early in the season but fell off in the summer and into the Chase and finished the year 12th in the points. He did, however, manage to claim the Chex Cereals Most Popular Driver Award for the sixth straight year. More than 1.2 million fan votes were cast for Earnhardt Jr.
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