Dale JR Wins!

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
For over 10 years, I've been an avid Dale Jr fan.

It all began one fateful day in February. Kat and I were trying to go to sleep in my twin bed. We were watching the 11 o'clock news because we'd just gotten home from a far-off swim meet. We watched the news coverage of Dale Sr's deadly accident at Daytona.

The raw emotion from an early-20s Dale Jr, the crying out of support from the NASCAR community, and the resiliency amazed me. I was hooked.

I even stayed home that following Thursday to watch the memorial service on ESPN.

I was deeply touched and affected by something that I couldn't put my finger on as a 9th grader...I later came to realize it was the tenacity of the human spirit.

NASCAR was and continues to be a part of me and my life.
After every Dale JR victory, I'd bring my lunch in my Dale Jr painted tin-pale.  In 11th grade, I wanted to write my AP English paper on the affect of Dale Jr on American Society. I wrote an entrance essay to UVA about Dale Jr (ultimately, my narrative on the death penalty made the cut), NASCAR parties were a staple of college Sundays (the perfect way to lounge around, relax, eat, and maybe do work), and NASCAR races were a blast (sometimes our parents would go, sometimes field parties, sometimes great seats, sometimes seats where rubber nailed out), we decorated a Christmas tree and did a comical NASCAR Christmas exchange, and a Fathead of Dale Jr adorns a wall in my classroom.

Today, after years of switching teams/resources/crew chiefs/business arrangements...Dale Jr won.  His first win in 4 years.

It was great to see him back in victory lane (although he was kissing some new girl). And once again, he thanked his fans for sticking by him.

Don't you worry buddy, I got your back.

Thank you for not throwing the towel in.

Moral of the Story: Here's to the tenacity of the human spirit. Go Dale Jr!