3 most emotional Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins in NASCAR, ft. Talladega 2015

Dale Earnhardt Jr. bid a temporary farewell to his firesuit after delivering a top-10 finish in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. For the remainder of 2024 and the entirety of 2025, the NASCAR Hall of Famer will focus on his duties as a member of TNT and Amazon Prime's broadcast teams.

Following an action-packed run at Kansas last week, NASCAR will make a trip to Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile tri-oval racetrack located in Lincoln, Alabama. Since 2000, Dale Jr. has made 35 starts at the famous racetrack, known for its speed and cutthroat competition. Let's take a look at his most emotional victory at Talladega, besides two other emotional NASCAR wins:

1. Talladega Superspeedway, 2015

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag in the 2015 GEICO 500 at Talladega, there was a lot to celebrate; it was his first win at the track in 11 years and also his first victory with his new crew chief Greg Ives.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had quite a successful journey when it comes to Talladega. Starting in 2001, Little E won four consecutive races at Talladega following the untimely demise of Dale Jr.'s legendary father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. He then grabbed his fifth win at Dega in 2004. Junior's long-awaited 6th win came just a few days before his father's 64th birthday. While celebrating the victory, Junior fondly recalled his father and stated:

"It's just real emotional," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after winning his 6th race at Talladega. "I haven't won here in a long time. It was my daddy's birthday a couple of days ago, and I'm just real emotional, man." (0:38)

Leading a race-high 67 laps, Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship with his victory.

2. Daytona International Speedway, 2001

Another emotional victory in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s career came in July 2001, only five months after he lost his father to a gruesome crash at Daytona International Speedway, home to the crown jewel Daytona 500. Earnhardt's DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) teammate, Michael Waltrip finished second.

The last time the duo were at the 2.5-mile racetrack before Dale Sr.'s death was in February. Despite finishing 1-2 in the race, Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had left the racetrack with the heaviest hearts.

Last year, the 49-year-old looked back at his 2001 Daytona win during an interview with NASCAR and stated:

"For me, it might be my fondest moment as a racecar driver," (0:36)

3. Texas Motor Speedway, 2000

Dale Earnhardt Jr. bagged his first Cup Series victory in the DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2000, holding off fellow racer Jeff Burton for the final 53 laps. Junior broke his father's record of the fewest NASCAR starts made by a driver before winning their first race.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. who owned his son's No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet, finished seventh in the race. Later, an emotional Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrated his win with his father in victory lane. Just four races later, Junior lodged his second Cup Series victory at Richmond Raceway.