“What you see is what you get”: Fans react as Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls his heartwarming experience in South Carolina 400

Former Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently made his highly anticipated return behind the wheel of the iconic #8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the Late Model Stock Car event at Florence Motor Speedway. Following the end of the South Carolina 400, Dale Jr. reflected on his performance, and how he nearly opted out from competing in the race. Several fans have expressed their emotions about Dale Jr.'s reaction to the race amid his historic return.

Earnhardt Jr. finished in a disappointing P53 in the qualifying session for the Florence 400, which made him not want to compete in the race. However, he revealed that a fellow driver, who also qualified with him, inspired the two-time Xfinity champion. Speaking with Sportsnaut's Matt Weaver, Dale Jr. said:

"I'm sitting there. I made that qualifying run. I was mad as hell... He(Gary Greenwood) come up to me, and he's like, Hey man, I want to tell you something, man. You need to keep your head up[...]Don't worry about that qualifying lap; he's like, You know the things you're doing are good, and you're helping people, and you're helping me.”

Several fans expressed their appreciation for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his humble nature.

"Man I love Dale Jr. he is my favorite of all sports. He just seems like exactly what you see is what you get." a fan wrote

"What an inspiring story, @DaleJr! It's easy to forget how God can use you to impact others." a fan said

"You put on a heck of show. @DaleJr talking about the 1970s. This really does remind me late model sportsmen series. We enjoyed Florence." another fan wrote

"He always had big shoes to fill and I feel he filled every dream dad would have had for him ❤️" a fan expressed

"We all need inspiration" another fan said

One particular fan claimed that he knew Gary Greenwood and was not surprised by his actions at Florence.

"@DaleJr This did not surprise me to hear this. Gary Greenwood and I grew up racing together and are still friends today. He is and always has been a super good guy!" the fan commented

Despite his best efforts, Dale Jr. secured a P28 finish in the South Carolina 400 at Florence. However, his presence sent roars amongst the fans throughout the event.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished outside top 20 in the South Carolina 400 on his return to the #8 Budweiser machine

As mentioned above, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an underwhelming qualifying session, however, he was given a provisional for starting the race from P37. The two-time Xfinity Series champion gained 12 track positions in the first 40 laps of the race.

Eventually, Dale Jr. found himself among the frontrunners of the race, securing P2 from Cup Series driver Josh Berry. However, he drove to the pits under caution during lap 219 of the race after reporting a fault in his #8 Budweiser Chevy.

To his misfortune, Dale Earnhardt Jr. faced a fuel pump issue, which ended his run in the SC 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.