DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. vividly remembers the moment he realized he had a legitimate shot at winning NASCAR’s first Cup race at Daytona International Speedway since his father’s death at the storied track.
It was a head-spinning, stomach-turning, seat-squirming feeling at 200 mph, and it hit him right in the middle of the 2001 July race at Daytona.
It didn’t slow him down, though. Earnhardt won the race, a storybook triumph that remains one of the sport’s most memorable races.
Junior moved from seventh to first in the final laps, and did it without the drafting help that is vital at Daytona. His dominance prompted skeptics to wonder if the victory was somehow staged. Others called it one of the most special moments in the track’s storied history.
