Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still flying high after an emotional win at Talladega on Sunday.
The win came just three days after what would have been his father’s 64th birthday. He said seeing all the activity on social media brought his attention to the day and emotions flooded him after he took the checkered flag. There’s no doubt he was thinking of his father as he took his victory lap holding three fingers out of his driver’s side window.
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This photo is tremendous, and has a lot of layers. Wish I knew who shot it, so I could offer credit. 👍🏻 #3Forever. pic.twitter.com/FkE8Rg3Qxv
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) May 5, 2015“I don’t really get too bothered or let myself get too affected by certain milestones like my dad’s birthday or the day he passed… those come and go for me and they have for the last several years,” Earnhardt said Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show. “Ever since I joined Twitter, it’s allowed me to see certain things you’re not placed in front of on a consistent basis…
“When I was seeing all this stuff on Twitter for his birthday, all these people acknowledging his impact on the sport and on them personally, that made me feel really good.”
Even with the obvious admiration of his father, Earnhardt admits he’s not his risk-taking, aggressive father on the racetrack.
“As a racecar driver I feel I’m a smart driver,” Earnhardt said. “Dad had that intimidating style and nickname and lived up to that persona... he never was the type of guy that out-thought everybody…
“I’m a little bit more like maybe Darrell Waltrip or David Pearson or some of those guys that are a little smoother and thinking about the decisions they’re making and trying to be smart or clever on the track and knowing when to pick your battles.”