The first words out of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s mouth into the microphone during Friday’s NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony were: “My eyes are already watering, gosh!”
That’s probably how all his many fans in JR Nation felt as the NASCAR world celebrated one of the faces of the sport.
Earnhardt — along with Red Farmer and the late Mike Stefanik — was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as the class of 2021 with the ceremony coming a year late because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was introduced and officially inducted by his wife, Amy Earnhardt, and shared some funny and touching words about what that honor meant to him.
If you missed the ceremony or Earnhardt’s speech, that’s OK because you can catch the replay — plus some highlights — right here.
“I was a mechanic at a dealership. That was my destiny — or so I thought,” Earnhardt continued after congratulating Farmer and the Stefanik family.
“You guys remember at all the Chevrolet dealerships, if you drove a GM product, you’d go to the 29 minutes or less quick lube? Y’all remember that? Well I could do it in eight. …
“And I think I only forgot to put the oil filter on one. That was funny when I drove it back out into the lot, all the oil poured out of it. And that’s not why I got fired from that job. We’ll talk about that another day.”
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While the jokes continued, Earnhardt acknowledged that throughout his life and two decades in NASCAR, there are countless people and moments that contributed to him being on that stage and becoming a Hall of Famer. There’s literally no way he could have named them all and kept his speech to less than 15 minutes, so he didn’t try.
But he did highlight a particularly special moments in his career and the people who were part of them, including Rick Hendrick, sister, Kelley Earnhardt, Steve Letarte, Tony Eury Sr. and Amy.
And, of course, he gave a special shoutout to JR Nation: “When I stumbled, you guys were right there ready to lift me back up. Man, there were times when I absolutely needed you, and you never let me down. You were always there.”
"JR Nation's always had my back!"@DaleJr thanked the fans that stuck with him throughout his @NASCAR career. #NASCARHOF pic.twitter.com/hNuIAPjSu2
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) January 22, 2022
Dale Earnhardt and his son, @DaleJr.
Now, both members of the @NASCARHall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/VGeoNQmu82
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) January 22, 2022
And as the NASCAR world celebrated Dale Jr. at the Hall of Fame, the congratulations poured in.