Dale Earnhardt Jr. remembers father Dale Sr.’s Daytona wreck from 1986

Dale Earnhardt Jr. remembered the time when his father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr., was caught in a wreck at Daytona International Speedway in 1986. Earnhardt Jr., who was only 12 back then, was at the race watching his father go up against bigshot drivers of the time like Tim Richmond, Sterling Marlin and Buddy Baker.

On X, a fan shared a snapshot of a Facebook post that showed a piece of the hood from Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s Wrangler Jeans Chevy, which he drove in that race. The iconic Dale Earnhardt keepsake was on sale for $20,000. However, the fan felt that somewhere between $5000 to $10,000 would be the perfect price for the rare collectible.

Earnhardt Jr. reacted to the post, saying:

"I was at that race. Watching in the old infield scoring tower near turn one. It had been converted to a wives and family spot during races. Dad got a small cut on his chin somehow in the crash."

As the race came down to its closing laps, the Richard Childress Racing driver got sidelined from the lead as the engine on his No. 3 machine blew up between turns 1 and 2. Despite his best efforts, the 'intimidator' spun off the track, catching fellow racer Pancho Carter in the mess.

"The engine let go," said Earnhardt Sr. in a post-race interview (per the July 10, 1986 issue of Winston Cup Scene). "I just about got it saved, but then it went up the bank and hit the wall head-on. I busted my chin, but I'm OK."

In an attempt to avoid the crash, Buddy Baker ran straight into the outside wall and damaged the right front section of his car. With the lead lap cars unable to race, Tim Richmond took the win under caution. The incident resulted in Earnhardt Sr. getting relegated to P27.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to race at Bristol Motor Speedway this year

As the NASCAR Cup Series prepares to host its playoff-opening event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on 8 September, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is just three races away from doing the same. The Round of 12 opener will take place at Kansas Speedway on 28 September.

The final playoff field will be determined by the results of the regular season finale, i.e., the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on 20 September. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back in his No. 88 Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Chevy Camaro for the 300-lap race at the 0.533-mile oval, short track in Bristol, Tennessee.

Last year, Earnhardt Jr.'s attempt at Bristol ended early due to a fire in his car. He was taken to the infield care center, where he was checked and released. In a post-race interview with Kim Coon of NBC Sports, the two-time Xfinity Series champion said,

"I hate it. We were going to finish in the top 10, maybe top-five. Had a shot at winning it, if the car was going to run good at the end. But trying not to mess nobody’s night up at the same time, it was hard. But I had fun."

JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier won the race. Rejoicing at his driver's victory, Earnhardt Jr. said during an interview at the Bristol Motor Speedway Media Center:

"I was happy about our car winning. I couldn’t wait to see Justin. Couldn’t wait to tell him how proud and happy I was."

This year's race will stream live on the CW Network with radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (7:30 PM ET onwards).