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Friday, February 23
A big weight on Little E's shoulder
By Wayne Drehs
ESPN.com
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- They call the North Carolina Motor Speedway "the Rock," and on Friday, that's just what Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to be.
One day after attending a memorial service for Dale Earnhardt, the younger Earnhardt talked publicly for only the second time since his father's death and just minutes after NASCAR officials announced that the seat belt in his father's car was broken during the crash at the Daytona 500.
|  | | Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits quietly during Friday's news conference at Rockingham as he listens to Michael Waltrip talk about his father. |
But that was far from the mind of Earnhardt's son. The 26-year-old, casually attired in an orange Abercrombie sweater and wearing a red North Carolina cap backward, showed the poise and honesty that would have made his father proud.
"I miss my father and I cried for him out of my own selfish pity," Earnhardt said Friday. "We just have to remember he's in a better place that we all want to be."
On Saturday, Earnhardt will climb into a racecar for the first time since his father's tragic death on Sunday. A week after finishing second to teammate Michael Waltrip in the Daytona 500, he will be trying to qualify for a top starting position in Sunday's Dura-Lube 400.
Many racing fans have pointed to Earnhardt, however unfair it may be, to carry on the tradition of his father, one of the greatest NASCAR legends of all time.
The situation was somewhat similar in 1973, when the elder Earnhardt was 22 years old and his father Ralph, who drove the No. 8 car, died while working on a car. "Little E" now drives the No. 8 to honor his grandfather.
Larry McReynolds, who worked for four seasons as the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, said Friday that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has handled his father's death and his newfound role in the racing world with the utmost of humility.
"You'd probably find that Junior's maturity level has escalated a great deal over the last week," McReynolds said. "You'll now find him to be a man on a mission to go out and win races, to run for championships, and to be everything his father always hoped for."
After Friday, the life of Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared to be returning to some form of normalcy, as he laughed and cracked jokes with friends outside the entrance to his garage.
He even helped his crewmembers push his No. 8 Budweiser car into the line for Winston Cup inspection - an unusual move for a superstar driver. But there was Earnhardt, with the baggy sweater and matching baggy jeans, rubbing shoulders with his sweaty crew members.
It was a peculiar sight, especially considering that Earnhardt is now the marquee driver for his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., which also features drivers Steve Park and Waltrip.
Last year, his rookie season with DEI, Little E won three races, including The Winston, NASCAR's all-star race. Now comes the challenge of competing in his sophomore season without not only his father, but the perfect teacher as well.
"We've had to take some very deep breaths and get everything in perspective and it's really been a difficult time," said Earnhardt, who had not spoken publicly since a brief television interview Monday night. "The main focus now is to try to maintain and progress with the vision my father had with Dale Earnhardt Inc."
Earnhardt also took time Friday to defend Sterling Marlin, who many fans have blamed for his father's death. It was Marlin's car that damped the back bumper of Earnhardt, sending his car on its fatal run into the wall.
Earnhardt said he was sickened by those who have phoned and e-mailed threats to Marlin.
"Any notion, idea or blame (for the accident), whether it's directed at Sterling Marlin or anyone else, is ridiculous and will not be tolerated," Earnhardt said. "It's incredible some of the things I've heard in the last few days."
Also on Friday, team owner Richard Childress confirmed that 2000 Busch Series Rookie of the Year, Kevin Harvick, would take Dale Earnhardt's place on the Childress Racing's Winston Cup team.
"Dale and I made a pact years ago that, if something every happened to the other, we would race the next weekend," Childress said. "I'm dealing with the death of my best friend, but I know we have to race this weekend."
Childress also said that nobody would drive a black No. 3 car this season. And if he does decide to use the No. 3 car in the future, it will not resemble Earnhardt's car in any way.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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