A storybook moment.
Over the weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series was in Daytona on Fourth of July weekend, and it also marked the 25th anniversary of a very special moment that occurred on July 7th, 2001 during the Pepsi 400.
Just months after his father’s tragic passing during the Daytona 500 on on February 18th, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the Daytona International Speedway for the first time since that horrific day, where ultimately he scored what is widely considered one of the most emotional and iconic moments in NASCAR history.
Driving his iconic No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Jr. went from from sixth to first in the closing laps, securing the emotional win which seemed to be an incredibly healing moment for the young driver. Considering how emotional this day was, for Jr. to get the win in such an exciting fashion is something you couldn’t have scripted more perfectly.
The world was rooting for him, and Jr. delivered big time:
So this past weekend, some current drivers took time to reflect on what that moment meant to them and the sport as a whole, with the likes of Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney explaining just how iconic it was, and it will give you a lot of good context as to what this all meant:
One of the greatest moments in NASCAR history.
Looking back at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s iconic win at Daytona after his father’s passing ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Vmo0YCGRiY
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 5, 2026
It’s hard to put into words how raw everything still was with the passing of Dale Sr., and the world most certainly had their eyes on this moment. It really was a turning point for Jr. int terms of solidifying himself at the Cup Series level as a fierce competitor.
Dale Jr. now serves as a lead analyst for TNT’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage, and he had no idea they had put that video together, getting emotional as he explained what that moment meant to him on a personal level:
“That’s messed up. Y’all put that together and didn’t tell me about that. That was a great moment. I’m glad that it’s considered not only an iconic moment, but obviously a July 4th event. We just went there with a mission and everything worked out.
You know, it ain’t one thing, it’s a lot of different things that worked out to get us into that position, back from when you start working on those race cars in the middle of the offseason.”
In typical Jr. fashion, he gave a ton of credit to the guys working for him, acknowledging how special and talented everyone was:
And we put a lot of effort into that car, for that particular weekend, and we had the best guys on the team that could put a car like that together. Tony Sr., Tony Jr., I mean, there’s so many people involved. Richie Gilmore with the engines, our motors were special. They were.
And we had them beat at Daytona and Talladega, and that was kind of when the ball started rolling in that direction. That was one of the first wins, and then we rattled off a lot after that, but just a great memory. I’m thankful that everybody sees it as something unique.”
If you’re a newer fan to NASCAR, that’s certainly a moment to know about, and it’s wild to think that tomorrow will mark 25 years since it happened. Jr. has spoken extensively about his father’s passing and their relationship in general, and I can’t imagine how difficult it was for him to get back int he race car and keep going, but I know his dad was looking down on him very proud after this iconic moment:
