By Rick Houston
Dale Earnhardt Jr. coveted his father’s approval, on the track or off.
Going into the 1998 Busch Series season finale, in fact, Dale Jr. admitted that he was looking forward to seeing the look in his daddy’s eyes once he’d clinched the championship. All he had to do, basically, was to start the engine on pit road and the title would be his.
He would be able to see the pride … the relief … the love. Afterward, Dale Jr. could finally allow himself to celebrate with his team … and his father. Then, he would try his best to figure out what he could possibly do next to make Dale Sr. happy.
Dale Sr. was sometimes … often times … quite hard to please. Dale Jr. knew it to be true, because he’d experienced such lofty expectations firsthand.
This is Dale Jr.’s story.
For more than 32 years, Grand National/Winston Cup/NASCAR Scene writers and photographers were there to record NASCAR history as it was being made. Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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