TALLADEGA, Ala. – Every win is meaningful. Some just mean a little bit more than others.
“This was really emotional,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don't really get too emotional about wins. I get excited and super happy about them. But this one was certainly different. Just being at Talladega, I love this racetrack, the history here.
With Sunday’s win, Earnhardt moved into a tie with Hendrick Motorsports teammate for the most wins at Talladega Superspeedway by an active driver – six.
The only driver ahead of the duo in the all-time record book? Dale Earnhardt Sr. with 10.
And Earnhardt Jr.’s mind was on his father when he took the checkered flag.
“I think about all the races he won here and at Daytona,” he said. “I love when we go to Victory Lane because I feel like I add to his legacy there. All I ever want to do is make him proud. I feel like when we win at those tracks where he was successful, that's exactly what we're doing.
“I don't really get to think about him that much. His birthday came and went. (Sunday), it made me think about his birthday, how much I miss him, how much he meant to me and so many more people that I can't even fathom the number of folks that he had a relationship with in this sport, a connection with, all his fans out there really enjoyed seeing him compete here.
That was a big part of the emotion in Victory Lane for Earnhardt, but there was even more going through his mind.
The win marked the first for Greg Ives as the No. 88 team crew chief. It was the first with Nationwide on Earnhardt’s Chevrolet SS as a partner.
“Most wins you sort of pop like a bottle of champagne and everything pours out really fast. You're super happy,” Earnhardt said. “This win had a lot of responsibility behind it with Greg being the new crew chief. We’ve got a lot of new guys over the wall, new guys in the garage. A lot of changes. Brand‑new sponsor, a lot of pressure there, trying to get those guys to Victory Lane. My dad's birthday. A lot of things really happened at once when we crossed the finish line.”
It also meant that Earnhardt had a victory that would all but secure his spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
“I don't think that people really appreciate the pressure that's on these teams to get into the Chase and get these wins,” he said. “So that also brings on a lot of emotion, having gone through it last year. Getting that win early, that really spoiled us. This year, a little harder to come by. It made me really appreciate that.
And Sunday’s win certainly wasn’t easy.
Though Earnhardt led a race-high 67 laps, next in line was Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, who led 50. And Johnson was right behind Earnhardt as the race reached its thrilling finale.
“The No. 48 and I have come down to that situation before,” Earnhardt said. “I knew he would wait. That is what I would do. I wouldn’t want to screw it up for both of us to go too early. I would wait until the last lap where it would be just me and him. He tried to back up and just couldn’t get a run.”
Ultimately, Earnhardt and Johnson would finish first and second, respectively.
Ives said that with the win under their belts, he and the No. 88 team won’t simply rest on their laurels. They will continue to work to grab more wins leading up to the Chase.
Earnhardt feels the same way, though he won’t mind doing a little homework to catch up on his first victory of the season.
“You know, so much happens and you're so focused on what you're doing, wanting to do, about to do, it's like you can't record it. You can't put it in memory,” he said of racing at Talladega. “I need to go watch the race to remember how it happened.”
Looks like that’s how he’ll spend part of his Victory Monday.