Junior headlines 2021 Hall class

Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent his whole life chasing meaningful rewards.

He waited longingly for a pat on the back from his famous father, worked diligently to generate compliments from crew members and other drivers and reveled in the roar of his fans — those he inherited from his father and the new ones he brought along for the ride.

NASCAR’s longtime fan favorite received the sport’s biggest honor Tuesday, being selected to join his father in the series’ Hall of Fame. Earnhardt will be inducted in Charlotte, N.C., along with the late Mike Stefanik and 87-year-old Red Farmer, who is planning to race on Talladega’s dirt track this weekend. Ralph Seagraves was named the Landmark Award winner for contributions to the sport.

Despite never winning a series championship, Earnhardt still received 76% of the votes cast on the modern era ballot.

“Just talking about it, it’s really emotional because I feed off affirmation,” he said wistfully. “It’s such a great feeling to know people think I made an impact. I know what my numbers are and I feel like I was chosen because of that but also for the impact I made off the track, being an ambassador for the sport.”

Earnhardt emerged as the face of the sport and started adding his own chapter to a family legacy. He won 26 races before retiring as a full-time Cup driver following the 2017 season, including two Daytona 500s and the 2001 Pepsi 400, the first Cup race held at Daytona after his father’s death.

Stefanik won seven titles in NASCAR’s modified series and two more in the Busch North series. The ninel victories is tied for second in series history with Richie Evans.

Farmer won four Late Model Sportsmen season titles, an estimated 700 to 900 races and also was a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.