2000 Winston Cup Victories
Win #1 : A star is born, Jr. wins at Texas!
Tony Eury summed it up best when describing the wide-open, aggressive style of young Dale Earnhardt Jr. "It's hard to keep him slowed down," Eury said. "He's like a wild horse. You just have to keep him calmed down all the time." Eury could neither slow him or calm him Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Neither could anyone else as Earnhardt Jr. shocked the NASCAR world with his first Winston Cup victory in just his 12th career start. Afterward, Earnhardt Jr. was nearly uncontrollable as he pumped his fist and celebrated inside his race car. When he climbed from it in Victory Lane, he danced on the roof before jumping into his father's arms. "That's crazy, isn't it," Earnhardt Jr. said to his dad, the seven-time Winston Cup champion.
Win #2 : JR. WINS AT RICHMOND!
The streak is over, but after a finish like this, who cares? Dale Earnhardt Jr. held off Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett in an absolutely thrilling Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Earnhardt Jr. becomes the first two-time winner in 11 NASCAR Winston Cup Series races this year, and he joins Tony Stewart and Davey Allison as the only drivers to win twice in their rookie seasons. In classic Earnhardt family fashion, the victory was not without controversy. The #20 of Tony Stewart was leading when a caution came out late. The leaders came to pit road for fresh tires, with Dale Earnhardt taking on just two tires and getting back onto the track first. As Stewart started back onto the track, Earnhardt Jr. pulled out of his stall two spaces in front of Stewart and clipped the left rear of Stewart's Pontiac. It flattened Stewart's left rear tire, requiring him to come back for another stop and dropping him to 22nd on the restart. It was a deficit he wouldn't overcome and the #8 took the checkard flag.
(Non-Points) Little Dale prevails in the Dale, Dale, and Dale show!
Earnhardt, Jr. started in the 5th position in the first 30 lap segment, and he flexed his muscle early. "Little E" passed 2 cars and moved up to 3rd by the end of that segment, looking as good as anyone out there. Dale Jr. had to pit during the 2nd segment due to some loose lugnuts and he even hit the wall once. Neither could hold back Jr. though. He flew up through the field, right back up into 3rd by the end of the 2nd segment. The Dominator pitted and was back up to 3rd when a huge wreck happened between Steve Park, Jeff Gordon, Joe Nemecheck and others. Earnhardt would then pit, take 4 tires, and he wouldn't be denied. Jr. would pass his father, than Dale Jarrett and take the checkers to the delight of the crowd! In doing so Little E became the first rookie to ever win the Winston all star race!
2001 Winston Cup Victories
Win #3 : DALE JR. WINS THE PEPSI 400!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8 team grabbed an emotional victory July 7th, 2001 in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Dale Jr. dominated nearly the entire race, leading 116 of the 160 laps. Emotions had run high all weekend at the track where his legendary father was tragically killed in February, but Dale Jr. and the team were able to put emotion to the side until after the checkered flag. After the victory, Dale Jr. spun the red-and-white Bud car, a special paint scheme to commemorate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, through the infield grass, then climbed on top of the car, raising his arms in triumph in front of a crowd of more than 170,000 spectators. He was soon joined there by his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip, who finished second. It is Earnhardt's first win of the season, and the third Winston Cup victory of his career.
Win #4 : DALE JR. ROLLS THROUGH DOVER!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a race high 193 laps to win the first Nascar Winston Cup Series race after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. His top contender for the win was Ricky Rudd, who was spun by lapped car Rusty Wallace and effectly taken out of the equation. Junior took advantage and quickly drove away from Jerry Nadeau to win for the second time in 2001 and his first win at Dover Downs in the Cup series...a track he dominated in both '98 and '99 in the famed number 3 in the Busch Series.
Win #5 : Little E makes like Big E and dominates Dale'Dega!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead with a dramatic pass going into Turn 1 just past the white flag and won the EA Sports 500 Sunday in a race that also included a scary, grinding 16-car crash on the final lap. Earnhardt Jr. won his second straight restrictor plate race of the season in a race that his late father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, won in similarly heart-pounding fashion at year ago in what would prove to be Earnhardt's final career victory. Earnhardt Jr. also won an extra one million dollar bonus and moved to 6th in the points. It was Junior's first career win at Talladega, the biggest track on the Winston Cup circuit and a track that his famous father won on a record 10 times. It was the third year in a row that an Earnhardt had won the October Talladega 500, and the second year in a row that the Earnhardt who did also claimed the Winston million. Tony Stewart finished second, and Jeff Burton finished third after helping Junior prevail.
2002 Winston Cup Victories
Win #6 : Dale Jr. Dominates Dale'Dega TWICE in a Row!
Dale Jr would have made Big E proud today, leading 133 of the 188 laps in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega Alabama. Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate and Junior's close friend Michael Waltrip followed him across the line, after leading 14 laps during the day himself. Michael pulled alongside Dale Jr on the final turn of the last lap with Kurt Busch on his bumper but it was to no avail, as Dale Jr took the Bud car to Talladega's victory lane for the second straight time. Twenty-one cars finished on the lead lap after a huge wreck eliminated 24 cars from contention two thirds of the way through the race. I'm sure Big E was looking on from overhead and sharing the victory with restrictor plate racing's heir apparent. This was Dale Jr's first victory since his Busch win at Daytona in Febuary, and his first Winston Cup victory since last October's Winston No Bull win right here at Talladega. Big E had ten career wins at Talladega, in five starts Junior is well on his way towards that mark.
Win #7 : D is for Dale Jr, Domination, and Dale'Dega!
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., led the final 38 laps in the EA Sports 500 Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway to score his third consecutive victory at the 2.66-mile track. For his efforts, Junior took home the Winston No Bull 5 Million Dollar Bonus for the second time in his career both of which came in this race. Junior, who led 56 of 188 laps Sunday, nabbed the lead from teammate Michael Waltrip for the final time on lap-150, then held off the single-file freight train of Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Green to pull the Talladega sweep in 2002. Teammates Steve Park and Michael Waltrip rallied to finish 6th and 8th respectively. It was Junior's seventh career Winston Cup Series win, his second win this year, and his third straight at Talladega. Which gives him a sweep of both Talladega races this year, the last time that was done was in 1999 by Junior's late father Big E. The third win in a row for Dale at Talladega is only the second time a driver has won three in a row at Talladega, Buddy Baker did it in 1976. Junior's win was from the 13th starting spot, after qualifying was rained out forcing the lineup to be decided by owner's points.
2003 Winston Cup Victories
(Non-Points) Dale Jr. outruns Gordon and wins the first Budweiser Shootout under the lights!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. started dead last in the 19 car Budweiser shootout, and rocketed to the lead for the first time on lap 16. Dale Jr. would lead the Shootout 4 times for 13 laps, while Jeff Gordon led twice for 31 laps and at times looked like the man to beat. With two laps to go Junior, courtesy of a shove from Ryan Newman, found himself passing Gordon on the outside to take the lead and his first win in the Budweiser Shootout which his legendary father won a record six times! Dale Jr. finished second in the 2002 Budweiser Shootout, in what was his first try in the race. This year NASCAR changed the Bud Shootout from a daytime race to a night time race and Dale Junior won at Daytona for the third time in his career, the late Dale Earnhardt won at Daytona International Speedway a record 34 times.
(Non-Points) Earnhardt outdistances the field to take his first ever Twin 125 victory!
Dale Jr. led early and often at in the second Twin 125, leading for 38 laps in the 50 lap race on his way to an easy victory. Earnhardt qualified second for the 2003 Daytona 500 on Bud Pole Qualifying day and did not have to race in the Twin 125's, but he used the race for a practice session and easily outdistanced the field while his DEI teammate Michael Waltrip finished second and earned the fourth place starting spot for the Daytona 500. The victory was Dale Jr's 4th at Daytona, putting the Earnhardt name in the Daytona International Speedway record books for the 38th time. RCR drivers Robby Gordon and Jeff Green dominated the first Twin 125, with Robby Gordon winning the race and earing a third place starting spot in the Great American Race while Jeff Green finished second but earlier in the week had qualified on the Bud Pole for the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Inc has teamed up to take six of the last eight restrictor plate point races, plus Waltrip won a Twin 125 in 2002 and Junior has added both a Bud Shootout and a Twin 125 win this week. This win is Dale Jr's third career Winston Cup non-points win and it sets the tone for the rest of the week as he tries to become the first man ever to win the Bud Shootout, a Twin 125, the Busch race, and the Daytona 500 in the same year. The next stop for him is the Busch Series Koolerz 300, where he will start second in his quest to repeat as that race's champion!
Win #8 : Dale Jr. makes it 4 straight at Talladega!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead at Talladega Superspeedway with three laps to go in the Aaron's 499 and held on to claim his fourth straight victory at Talladega and to sweep the weekend as he'd won the Aaron's 312 Busch Series race the day before. Junior was forced to start dead last in the 43 car field after his team changed the engine in the car the morning of the race. The sweep of the weekend is the first time he's ever won the Busch Race and the Cup Race in the same weekend, and his fourth straight win at Talladega is a record at the 2.66 mile Alabama track. Dale Jr. got caught up in a 27 car wreck on lap 4 of the race but his team was able to tape up the front of the car and it was a tough day from then on for Junior who once fell over 22 seconds behind the leader before a caution caught him back up to the pack where he slowly worked his way to the front. Dale Junior led 34 laps during the day, and the win moved him up one spot to second in the Winston Cup point standings. RCR driver Kevin Harvick, a close friend of Dale Jr's, crossed the finish line in second while Elliot Sadler, Ricky Craven, and Terry Labonte rounded out the top five.
Win #9 : Dale Earnhardt Jr leads 'em to the checkers at PIR!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead for the final time today on lap 262 of the 312 lap Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix by sweeping under Jimmie Johnson, and fifty laps later Junior swept under the checkered flag for the second victory of the season for he and the Bud team and the ninth of his four year Winston Cup Series career. The win was the first win on a downforce track for Dale Earnhardt Inc. since Junior won at Dover in the fall of 2001, and it was the most rewarding victory in quite some time for Dale Jr. as he grinned from ear to ear in PIR's victory lane. The 8 team came very close to victory lane last year at Phoenix, but settled for a fifth place finish after the car ran out of gas midway through the race. Earnhardt Jr. and the Bud team came to Phoenix this weekend with victory lane on their minds, and an engine in the car that was built to last and down on rpms to help protect their second spot in NASCAR Winston Cup Series points. Junior led three times for a total of 87 laps in the race, while Kurt Busch led the most laps. Jimmie Johnson held on for second as Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Junior's DEI partner Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.
2004 Nextel Cup Victories
(Non-Points) Dale Jr. wins the Gatorade Twin 125's Again!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won race number one of the Gatorade Twin 125's today, claiming the third spot in the Daytona 500 starting lineup. Junior rooted DEI partner Michael Waltrip out of the top spot on lap 36 while the duo was lapping a slow Jeff Gordon, and then went on to win by leading the rest of the way. When Junior took the lead on lap 36 it was the first time he had led today. The win is Junior's seventh at Daytona International Speedway, his second win the Gatorade Twin 125's, and his first win of the 2004 edition of speedweeks. Tony Stewart took second in the race and will start fifth in the Daytona 500.
Win #10 : JR. WINS THE DAYTONA 500!
Dale Earnhardt Junior won NASCAR's biggest event today, taking the lead the for the final time with 19 laps to go with a daring move to overtake Tony Stewart all by himself. Stewart led 97 of the 200 laps in the Daytona 500, but Junior set the pace for 59 laps including the most important one. The win was the 10th of Junior's Nextel Cup Series career, and his eighth overall win at Daytona International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 for the first and only time on February 15th, 1998 while Dale Junior's first 500 win came on the same date just six years later. The Earnhardt's became just the third father/son combo to win the Daytona 500. Tony Stewart held on to finish second, and was almost as happy as if he'd won the race himself. Junior also won the raindelayed Busch Series Hershey's Kisses 300 the day after the Daytona 500 to sweep the weekend. This was just the fourth time this weekend was swept by a single driver and the first since 1989.
Win #11 : Dale Jr. Wins in Hot'lanta!
Dale Earnhardt Junior won the Golden Corral 500 today at Atlanta Motor Speedway, race number four of the 2004 Nascar Nextel Cup season, for his second win of the season joining his buddy Matt Kenseth as multiple time winners this season and moving up to third in the point standings. The race marks the sixth straight top seven finish at Atlanta for Dale Junior and his first win there in either a Busch or Cup car. Juniors car stuck around the top fifteen for most of the day after starting seventh and seemed to come on late in the race. Junior led for the first time during a round of pit stops early in the race but took the lead on the track for the first time with sixty to go and led the rest of the drivers as they made their final pit stops. Due to staying on the track longer than some of the other drivers Junior came out in third but quickly dispatched of Jimmie Johnson and Jeremy Mayfield to take the lead for the final time with fourteen laps remaining and he pulled away from there for his eleventh career win. Mayfield held on to finish second while Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.
Win #12 : Dale Jr streaks to the win at RIR!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead for the final time Saturday night when Tony Stewart and many of the other leaders decided to pit under caution with just 45 laps to go. Junior led every lap from there in the Chevy American Revolution 400 to claim his third victory of the season, tying his single season career high, and his second career Nextel Cup victory at Richmond International Raceway. Earlier in the weekend Junior had said that the low groove was the way to go at the newly repaved track but Earnhardt then proceeded to use the high line to pull away from Jimmie Johnson on the final restart. Junior led five times for a race high 115 laps and beat Johnson to the checkered flag by just over 1.4 seconds after leading by over three seconds in the final laps. Bobby Labonte finished third, Tony Stewart fourth, and Matt Kenseth fifth while Junior's DEI teammate Michael Waltrip finished a career best tenth at RIR. Junior became the first driver to win three times in '04 and increased his points lead slightly over Jimmie Johnson.
Win #13 : Junior sweeps the weekend at Bristol!
Dale Jr. led 295 of 500 laps this Saturday night to take a convincing win in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, backing up his win in the Food City 250 Busch Series race the previous night and making him the first man to sweep the Busch and Cup races at Bristol during the same weekend. Junior started 30th in the 43 car field made a pitstop on lap 37 under caution which allowed him to be one of just two cars to stay on the track twelve laps later when the rest of the field pitted for fuel and tires. Junior would pass Rusty Wallace for the lead for the first time in the race just a few laps later and he and Wallace would combine to dominate the next 200 laps which were run caution free causing green flag pitstops to be made by the whole field. At the time of the pistops Junior led by about three seconds and after the field was through with pitstops his lead had more than doubled as other competitors like Rusty Wallace and Jeff Gordon had problems in the pits. Junior pitted for the final time just prior to lap 400 while Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman stayed on the track, causing Junior to line up third when the race went back green. It took Earnhardt no time to fly by Newman and he passed Burton for the lead on lap 416. He wasn't seriously challenged again. The win was Dale Jr's thirteenth career Nextel Cup Series victory, his fourth this season which is a single season career high for Dale Jr., and his first career Nextel Cup victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. Newman held on to finish second some 4.39 seconds, or a full straight away at the .533 mile bullring, behind Dale Jr. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton, Elliot Sadler, Sterling Marlin, and Jamie McMurray rounded out the seven cars that finished the race on the lead lap.
Win #14 : The Pied Piper Plays 5 at Sweet Home Alabama
Dale Earnhardt Jr restarted in 11th with five laps to go after a late caution and took the lead three laps later to hold off Kevin Harvick and win the E.A. Sports 500 at Talladega Alabama today. The win was Junior's 14th career win, his fifth win of the season, his fifth Nextel Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway, and his seventh straight top two finish at the 2.66 mile oval. Junior started tenth in the 43 car field and took the lead for the first time just four laps later, showing early on that the car was ripe and the Pied Piper was tuning up to play number five at Talladega. Junior would go on to lead 78 laps out of 188 on his way to the victory. Everybody had to pit late in the race for a splash of gas and Junior and crew pitted with eleven laps to go, and the caution came out just as they were hitting pit road. This lucky break allowed the eight team to take two tires and fuel and be out in front of all the teams that would have to stop under caution. It was still a rough row to hoe for Junior though as he restarted eleventh in the field with five laps to go, but the new tires allowed him to make short work of those in front of him and claim an enormously important victory. The win was Junior's first in the 10 race Chase for the Championship, of which this race was round three, and propelled him back into the points lead with seven races to go in the season. The win also makes Dale Junior the second winningest driver in the history of the speedway, behind only his legendary father and his ten career victories at 'Dega. Kevin Harvick finished second while Dale Jarrett, Brendan Gaughan, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.
Win #15 : Sweet Repeat at PIR for Junior!
Dale Eanhardt Jr. passed Jeff Gordon for the lead for the final time on lap 303 of the race that went 315 laps due to an end of the race green, white, checkered finish and rode off to victory in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Junior led for a total of 118 laps after starting fourteenth in the 43 car field, and took the lead for the first time on lap sixty by passing pole-sitter Ryan Newman. The win marked the second year in a row where Junior drove to victory lane at PIR, both times fairly convincingly. The victory marked Dale Junior's sixth trip to victory lane during the 2004 season, his second since the Chase for the Nextel Cup started, and the fifteenth Nextel Cup victory of his career. The win also movied Junior up two sports to third in points, and with two races left he trails point leader Kurt Busch by only 47 points. Ryan Newman rebounded from a hard afternoon to finish second, while Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five.
2005 Nextel Cup Victories
Win #16 : Junior blows away '05 drought in the Windy City!
Dale Earnhardt Jr passed Scott Wimmer with eleven laps to go today in the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicacoland Speedway to get his first win of '05 and break a twenty race winless drought. Junior took two tires on his last pit stop and beat Matt Kenseth, who dominated the race, by just over a quarter of a second. Jimmie Johnson finished third followed by Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart. The win moved Junior into 13th in points, and gives him 8 races to make up a 113 point gap between himself and the top ten in the points.
Fast Facts about Dale Jr. (Part of my Site)
Dale Jr Winston Cup Pictures(Part of my Site)
Dale Jr Busch Series Pictures(Part of my Site)
Dale Jr Pit Stop
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