Junior to drive final laps

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s never easy to be the son of a legend, especially when he is a tough-asnails hero and the most feared man in his profession.

Follow in his footsteps? Forget it.

Just being able to drive cars was enough for Dale Earnhardt Jr., and if it made his daddy proud, well, hopefully somebody would tell him.

The Earnhardt era of NASCAR opened its final chapter yesterday when the driver known simply as Junior said he will retire at the end of this season, his 18th in the Cup series. It will bring to a close the golden days of the sport, when Lee and Richard Petty helped build a stock car series that they turned over to Dale Earnhardt to carry into the next phase.

When Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the burden fell on a young Earnhardt Jr. to fill a void and help heal the broken hearts of Earnhardt Nation. His decision to walk away did not come lightly for NASCAR’s most popular driver and it is a blow to a series scrambling to hang onto its fans.

“When my dad was doing so well and there were a couple of guys coming into the sport that were sons, it was difficult for them to replicate their dads’ success,” Earnhardt said. “I just saw even at an early age, before I was a driver, that growing up in that man’s shadow was going to be a real hard challenge.

“I wanted to race, but I knew racing would put me in that shadow. I knew the odds of me really having any talent at all and being able to do it were thin. They are for anyone. So at a very young age, all I wanted to do was be able to make a living driving cars. I didn’t set goals. I didn’t dream of winning championships or Daytona 500s or working with one of the best owners in the business, driving for one of the best organizations. I was afraid of not being able to do it. So I guess what I’m saying is I’ve accomplished way more than I ever dreamed — way more than I ever thought I’d accomplish.”

The decision, revealed to team owner Rick Hendrick on March 29, was “very bittersweet” and Earnhardt admitted there were tears as he prepared for yesterday’s announcement. But he wanted the opportunity to go out on his own terms.

Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.

Earnhardt is not off to the greatest start this season, with only one top-five finish so far. He took another hit Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway when a mechanical issue caused him to crash.

Even in retirement, Earnhardt vowed he won’t be far from the track.

“I don’t have to be the guy holding the trophy, but being a part of that success, I really enjoy,” he said.