Photo Courtesy NASCAR Media

Kevin Harvick was just a tick faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr as the final few laps counted down in Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville. And that was all it took for Harvick to make the final pass on Earnhardt for the lead on lap 497 of 500.

Harvick knew the win wouldn’t be all that popular given that he had to beat Dale Jr for it . “I hate to be the bad guy here, but we’re in it to win it,” said Harvick.  “I’m just glad we led more than one lap this week.”

Earnhardt had gained the lead for the first time from Kyle Busch on lap 480 with an aggressive “rubbing is racing” pass. Junior put the nose of his No. 88 Chevy against the inside quarter panel of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota and refused to lift as the 2 cars entered the turn. The result was Kyle Busch getting loose up the race track and Junior going into the lead.

Did Kyle Busch think the pass by Earnhardt was a clean one? “Yeah, I was holding him up. I sucked,” said Busch. So it was good for him. I mean, he took the lead. No harm, no foul.”

Earnhardt described his pass for the lead this way: “I thought I had a nose on him getting into three and knew he was going to get down and crowd a little bit but I had to try to hold my ground. We were racing for the lead with just a few laps to go, so I think I did what any other driver probably would have done.”

The strong run by Dale Earnhardt Jr, and the disappointment he voiced in not winning after the race left no doubt that Earnhardt has the will to win. With consistent finishes near the front and a crew chief who knows how to adjust the car those wins are around the corner.

In his mind Earnhardt thought he had the race won with around 7 pals to go – as did his fans. “I was thinking at the end that I was meant to win that damn race,” Junior said. “Hell, I’m not sitting there leading that thing by seven car lengths thinking I’m about to lose.”

“I was definitely thinking I need to do what I think’s right every corner and try and win this race. I’ve got a hell of an opportunity right here and if I can put together decent laps, I might be able to keep the distance I had on him which was only about three or four car lengths.”

“We had the opportunity there to win a race, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the job done,” Dale Earnhardt Jr said. “It’ll probably bother me more and more as the night goes on. I’ll probably think about it a million times, what I could have done differently. But, you know, if I know what’s best for me, I should probably have a good attitude about what happened today.

“I’ll probably go into the next race and use it as momentum and confidence, as any other good driver would do, instead of worrying about how close we came.”

Junior reiterated his support for his new crew chief. “Steve’s a good crew chief,” said Earnhardt “and he’s going to give me more opportunities like this, I feel.”

But did Earnhardt feel like this proves he can compete and win? “Well, I ain’t really proved it to myself yet’” said Earnhardt.” I’ll let you know when I feel like I’m back, personally.”

I was impressed by Martin Truex Jr following his hard crash into the wall with a stuck throttle. A crash that took Kasey Kahne into the wall as well. Truex couldn’t get out of his car fast enough. Why? He wanted to check on Kahne and make sure he was alright.

Here’s your chance to have your say. What was your take on the race? Is Dale Jr back? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Harvick now admits that he wasn’t comfortable at first driving what everyone knew was a re-painted Dale Earnhardt race car that would forever be a Black No. 3 in the hearts of Dale’s fans.

“I embraced it zero in the beginning,” Harvick said Thursday, as drivers prepared for Sunday’s Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I wanted to change the color of the car, I wanted new sponsors. If he wore a white suit, I wanted a black suit. I wanted zero to do with it.”

Today Kevin Harvick feels a little different. Read the full story then come back here and tell us what you think.

You never see this any more.

Dale Earnhardt  and Tim Richmond crashed at Pocono. Dale Earnhardt landed on his roof.

When the 2 drivers got out of their car there was no fight — no argument.

Dale was injured and Tim helped him to the ambulance. Richmond was even concerned that Earnhardt had went over the wall in the crash.

You never see Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch do something like that today.

Sometimes I forget that Dale did not always drive the No. 3.

Here is the video, what do you think?

Dale never made that pass.

The No. 3 was in the lead when Dale went into the grass.

The No. 3 was in the lead when Dale came back onto the asphalt.

Earnhardt didn’t need to pass anybody – he was the leader.

Watch this video and leave your comments.

Take a look.

You can see the emotion on Dale’s face. He could hardly speak and very obviously did not want to give that car up.

On a side note – take a look at the people in the grandstands. They had a very impressive crowd that day.

What the video and you’ll understand how badly Dale wanted to race.

Now let me tell you the back story of where all this is going.

Jeff Gordon did in fact win the first Brickyard 400 on August 6, 1994. But the question was not who won the first one.

Dale Earnhardt won the second Brickyard 400 on August 5, 1995.

Earnhardt was making the TV talk show rounds to talk about the race the following week when he proudly proclaimed “I’m the first man to win that race.”

The host looked a little puzzled and asked Earnhardt about Jeff Gordon’s win the previous year. Dale simply flashed that sly trademark grin of his and said  “Wonderboy?”

Dale was a master of intimidating his rivals both on and off the track, and the rivalry between Earnhardt and Gordon was about as hot as it gets at that time. One of the two had the car to beat almost every week.

Dale’s Wonderboy comment was just another of his calculated moves to gain a slight edge over Gordon.

Well I’ve got news for you Mr. Bianchi. There is no next Dale Earnhardt – and there never will be. Dale Earnhardt was one of those men who only come around once in history.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is not the next Dale Earnhardt. Kyle Busch is not the next Dale Earnhardt. And Jimmie Johnson certainly is not the next Dale Earnhardt.

Mr. Bianchi goes on to say that “for nearly a decade now, NASCAR fans have been waiting for the second coming of Dale Earnhardt.” Most true hard-core fans recognize that Dale cannot and will not ever be replaced on or off the track.

Is Jimmie Johnson the greatest thing NASCAR fans have seen since Dale Earnhardt? That’s what Mr. Bianchi would have you believe. Johnson has a long, long way to go to prove that statement to most NASCAR fans.

According to Mr. Bianchi, “Johnson will win the championship at the end of the year.” That may happen, but even then Jimmie Johnson will be 2 championships behind Dale Earnhardt.

How many different crew chiefs did Dale Earnhardt win Championships with? I’d like to see how many races Jimmie Johnson would win without Chad Knaus.

And Jimmie Johnson will never be the man that Dale Earnhardt was off the track. Dale helped a lot of people in a lot of ways. Some like Wessa Miller you will hear about. Some you will never hear about.

Mr. Bianchi was wrong when he said that we “might as well put the No. 3 on Jimmie Johnson’s car.” Johnson has not earned the right to drive that number.

What do you think? Is Jimmie Johnson the next Dale Earnhardt?

Photo Courtesy NASCAR Media

Dale Earnhardt Jr went to Daytona for one reason — and one reason only – Friday Night. To win the race. He didn’t go to have a top five finish or a good points race. He didn’t go to put on a show for the fans.

But what a show he put on. Earnhardt drove the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet all the way to Victory Lane in the Subway Jalapeno 250 Nationwide race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr knows how to drive a race car.

“I was so worried that I wasn’t going to win, ’cause nothing but a win would get it. For everybody,” an emotional Dale Earnhardt said in Victory Lane.

“I worked hard to try to win, not only for daddy—I’m proud of him going to the Hall of Fame, and he would be proud of this, I’m sure—but just all these fans. I hope they enjoyed this.”

The win came because preparation met opportunity Friday Night at Daytona. It wasn’t just the driver that was focused on winning. It was the entire team.

Crew chief Tony Eury Jr set the car up perfectly. He made the right calls at the right times to put the No. 3 car out front when it counted. Anyone that questions Eury’s abilities as a crew chief needs to take a second look.

The pit crew was at the top of their game when it came time to service the car. The car was pitted by a group of guys who volunteered for the job. The same group of guys who pit Junior’s No. 88 Sprint Cup car.

A collaboration between Teresa Earnhardt, Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr saw that the car showed up at the track ready to race and win. Hendrick Motorsports provided the engine for the car.

Still it took a race car driver that knows his way around the two-and-a-half mile superspeedway at Daytona to claim the checkered flag. Earnhardt drove through traffic in the last half of that race as if he could actually see the air. Some say he can.

Earnhardt held off a last lap challenge from Joey Logano to win the race. Logano looked to make a run on Earnhardt’s outside, but had no drafting help.

“He had a pretty good run on the last lap, said Earnhardt.. “He kind of ducked out a little bit and then thought twice about it because I don’t know if the guys behind him were going to do it. Once they got back in line and felt that little shove I got off into three, I felt pretty confident we was gonna win.

Earnhardt continued the tribute to his father – and the race fans – on the Victory Lap. No burnout. Just an old school victory lap like another Earnhardt used to do.

What did the win mean for Dale Earnhardt Jr, for NASCAR, and what did it mean for you?

Photo Courtesy NASCAR Media

I know the Yellow/Blue was years ago and that’s fine by me! BUT, I would love to see that BLACK # 3 come thundering out of the pits, fire licking the night air from the exhaust, the windows so dark you can’t see inside.

You feel the seats vibrate, the ground quakes, #3 glides out so smooth like it’s rolling on air, not air as we know it, it doesn’t even kick up dust. Down past the start finish line lightning branches through the first turn building speed every second.

Turn two lights up as the stealthy black image explodes from the second turn and rockets down the back stretch so fast the white of the legendary #3 on the side looks like it’s flowing off the rear quarter panel on fire.

Turn three is laid waste as you feel the chill run up your spine. All heads are anxiously looking as turn four comes up, never letting off entering turn four, riding down to the bottom of four everyone waits for the black #3 to come blasting out to the front stretch.

We wait, we wait, since February 2001 we have waited in hopes to see one more time, #3 roar past us, with that familiar shadow leaning left in that seat.

Feel free to add your own tribute to Dale — and please let Dave know what you think about his words. Thanks Dave and Thanks Dale!