Earnhardt

tional Guard and said, “Thank you for your service.”

It was a somewhat fitting ending to a weekend that was all about thanking Earnhardt.

Earnhardt announced in April that this would be his final full-time season in NASCAR’s top series. He plans to drive a handful of races in the secondtier Xfinity Series, but has not committed to racing at Daytona again.

So the track billed this race as his Daytona finale, even painting a No. 88 logo on the infield grass and dubbing the entire weekend “Daletona.” Track officials also presented him with a painting featuring three of his most memorable wins at the superspeedway: His July 2001 victory that came 4 1/2 months after his father’s fatal crash in the Daytona 500; his July 2010 win in the second-tier series in which he drove a No. 3 Chevrolet with a throwback paint scheme; and his February 2014 win in “The Great American Race.”

Earnhardt said he was a overwhelmed with all the attention leading into the race and even on pit road beforehand.

Fans were lined up 10 deep to get a glimpse of Earnhardt near his No. 88 Chevrolet, and cameras captured his every move.

Earnhardt acknowledged earlier in the week that winning at Daytona, a venue that has delivered personal tragedy and professional triumph, was his best last chance to make the playoffs. He is winless this season and ranks 22nd in points, well out of the postseason picture.

Earnhardt, who needs a victory to make the playoffs, suggested the elusive win could come at Pocono or Michigan — two places he’s won in previous years.

“I know everybody thought this was our best shot to win, but things like this give us a little more fuel to work hard and try to show people we can win at these other race tracks,” he said.

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