"To see your son doing, really hits on me": When proud father Dale Earnhardt Sr. let his emotions flow on Junior's first NASCAR championship

Dale Earnhardt Sr., a fearsome opponent to his contemporaries, was also a loving father. The legendary driver was moved when his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) championship back in 1998.

As NASCAR prepares to host its next set of races at Homestead-Miami Speedway this coming weekend, NASCAR Classics went back in time reminiscing Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 1998 win in the Coca-Cola 300 at the 1.5-mile racetrack in Avondale, Arizona. Dale Jr. made his Winston Cup Series debut with Dale Earnhardt Inc. at an exhibition race in Japan the same year.

During a post-race interview, the "proud papa" said,

"I'm telling you... you do a lot of things in your career...you're involved in racing like we've been with my dad and my family just to grow up and it was pretty awesome. And to go out (and) win races was even better."

"To see your son doing (the same) really hits on me...really feels good seeing him win races. He's able to go out and do things he's wanted to. I'm proud of that whole team," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second series title the next year, holding off Matt Kenseth over the final laps. Since June 22, 1996, Earnhardt Jr. has run 147 races in the Xfinity Series and won 24 of them. Besides that, he amassed 71 top-5s and 96 top-10s.

Earnhardt Jr. retired from full-time racing in 2017. He was inducted into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2021. Today, Dale Jr. is one of NASCAR's top ambassadors with a net worth of $300 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth).

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. ties up with old partner from days at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. bagged a top-10 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 21, 2024. Shortly after, he announced that he would not drive the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy (owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself) next year. The two-time Xfinity Series champion has been driving the car on a part-time basis since his retirement.

Dale Jr. said that he would focus more on his upcoming duties as a sportscaster with TNT and Amazon Prime. However, recently, Junior dropped an update on a possible collaboration with Budweiser, an old ally from his days at his father's team, Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Budweiser sponsored Dale Jr. behind the wheel of the iconic No. 8 Chevy from 1999 to 2007. They parted ways when Dale Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

The news of the collaboration is finally official. The beer company will return to the track for the first time in 17 years. In a recent X post, JR Motorsports said that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet, sponsored by Budweiser, in select Late Model Stock Car races in 2024 and 2025.

"It is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to reunite with Budweiser, and the No. 8," Earnhardt Jr. said in a statement by JR Motorsports. "Budweiser and I had some great memories with that iconic scheme and number. We’ve always supported each other over the years. It’s going to be really special for me to be able to represent that brand on the racetrack again."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s first race with Budweiser will be on November 23, 2024, at Florence Motor Speedway.