Earnhardt Jr. will never escape spotlight

As a new fan of NASCAR, I’m still making efforts to learn more about the sport. From the hard-imaged moonshiners and good ol’ boys of the past to the big-time, corporate-sponsored, fit young drivers of today, I find it all intriguing. Though Jeff Gordon is my number-one driver (yeah, I said it), Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one big-name driver I cannot ignore. Despite being winless in his last 73 races, he is the biggest name in racing as well as one of the biggest names in all of sports today. \nLong before I ever paid any attention to NASCAR, or any type of car racing for that matter, Dale Jr. was a driver who was simply inescapable. I’d sit and watch ESPN highlights where they’d show the top-ten finishers of a certain race and even if his name was nowhere to be found on that list the broadcasters would mention him anyway, saying he finished eighteenth or something. At that time, for me to even know any NASCAR driver’s name meant that he had to be a big name.\nAs one of the fresh faces of NASCAR, Dale Jr. is a role model to many people who hang on every word he says, every turn he takes, and every checkered flag he earns. For a man who has gone through some rough times, and utters almost nothing about it, he keeps a pretty even keel. From the looks of it, he’s never been one to be very open about his personal life, and I can’t say I blame him.\nDale Jr. recently opened up and spoke about his father’s death and how he dealt with it for the first time in a recent issue of ESPN The Magazine. It’s been seven years since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. endured a fatal crash going into the final turn of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Jr. is still dealing with his tragic loss. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that he’s never fully opened up in public about it or if the sting of losing his father is weighing heavy on him daily. I’m guessing it’s probably not the latter. \nIn the interview, Dale Jr. said that he was numb and that he just kept moving and doing things. It made him feel horrible. One might think that it would help to go to work every day and continue life as you had before, but for Dale Jr. it was a different story. Imagine losing a loved one, and then seeing their favorite shirt draped on everything everywhere you went. That’s how it was for Jr. His daddy’s signature number three was to be found everywhere he went. Even to this day I see that black number three on the bumpers and rear windows of cars and pick-up trucks. The truth is, that’s how it should be. The impact his father had on stock car racing is untouchable and should be appreciated whether you’re a race fan or not.\nA natural introvert, Dale Jr. says he cried with friends behind closed doors. No journalists, no cameras. He explained in the article how he didn’t want to disrespect others who had lost their parents by speaking out. He didn’t want to make a scene, giving the “woe is me” message.\nThen there was the tough decision to depart from the family team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., to join the prestigious Hendrick Motorsports to be faster and drive better cars. While many of his father’s true and loyal fans had become fans of Jr.’s, he did not find this move to be easy. I’m beginning to learn that much of what makes NASCAR fun is getting to know the driver’s personalities.\nI see Dale Earnhardt Jr. as an emotional man who is humble and is a leader. And leaders must be tough. Tough people make tough decisions for the better and Dale Jr. has done just that.\nEven though Dale Jr. hasn’t finished a race leading the pack on a track in two years, he has always been a leader in the hearts and minds of NASCAR fans all across the country. He will always be someone sports fans cannot ignore.