Earnhardt Jr.’s farewell tour begins

SONOMA, CALIF. • Dale Earnhardt Jr. had just completed a satisfying sixthplace finish at Sonoma Raceway when he was stopped by the Fox Sports cameras in what might have been his final post-race interview with the network.

It was 17 years ago that Fox made its debut as NASCAR’s newest broadcast partner, and that Daytona 500 will always be remembered for the fatal last-lap accident that killed Dale Earnhardt Sr. His son rushed from the track in his firesuit to the hospital hoping for the best, but his father was gone.

He was practically a kid back then, doing his interviews with a baseball hat on backward before jumping in his race car as a respite from the chaos around him.

Now 42 years old and married, Fox stopped him Sunday after what might have been his final race on the picturesque road course in Napa Valley wine country. He was asked, “When you look back to the past 17 years, what will stand out the most? What will you be most proud of ?”

“I think the wins and everything, are great. I enjoyed celebrating those,” Earnhardt began. “But, long after your career — guys come along and win races and some of your accomplishments on the track sort of get forgotten. But who you are as a person never gets forgotten. People never forget who you were.

“I hope people just thought I was good and honest and represented the sport well. I hope people that work with me enjoyed working with me, whether it was in the late model ranks or whatever; and I hope the guys I raced against enjoyed racing with me. That’s really all that will matter. And, what people I think will remember, is always you’re alive and beyond. Hopefully I left a good impression. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

With that, it was off to prepare for Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway. It’s the second half of the season, and every stop Earnhardt makes from here until November will effectively be “his last race at that track.”

As his farewell tour began in Sonoma — the track “gifted” him the sponsorship of three Labrador retriever puppies that will be raised and trained to help children with disabilities through Paws as Loving Support Assistance Dogs — Earnhardt is becoming more reflective with each passing race.

That should make this week’s stop in Daytona a tough one for NASCAR’s most popular driver.

He comes from a time when the “Firecracker 400” was actually held on the morning of July 4, then all Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring as a full-time racer, but says he wants to “continue to be part of the sport.”