Original subtitles

[race car engines]

[delicate piano music]

[Dale Jr.] You spend your whole life living

without no consideration for how fragile your existence is.

[engine revs]

We all just live like hell, wide open.

And there's a point, I think, where we all get to the crest of that hill

and we go, shit, the end's right over there.

[interviewer] As you look back on your career,

you said in one of your first interviews

that what you want to do in your career is make your daddy proud of you.

You think you've done that?

I think he'd be proud of our accomplishments.

My dad taught me the foundation of racing

and taught me pretty much everything I know

that I haven't learnt on my own.

But what I learnt on my own, he told me. I just didn't hear it.

Dad gave me a lot of good advice. But really, it was being a good person.

When you're gone, all you're gonna have left is your reputation and your name,

so you want to have a good one.

[director] Mark Earnhardt one.

Okay, here we go. Dolly. And action.

Families are real important in NASCAR.

My father got me into it, and now it's my turn.

Hey, can I borrow the keys to your car this weekend?

-No way. -C'mon, Dad.

No way, man.

You're gonna go ride Smash Mouth around that race track in my car? No way.

[director] Cut.

[Dale Jr.] I was getting everything that I ever wanted out of my childhood.

I was getting this badass relationship with Dad.

He's a teddy bear.

Nah, polar bear.

-You're a teddy bear. -Polar bear.

What do you call him?

[Dale Jr.] Dad, most of the time.

[reporter] Kerry's gonna come on out in just a second here.

Get a little help from Papa Dad.

What about these kids, Earnhardt?

Kids are getting better and better, aren't they? I'm pretty proud of 'em.

[Dale Jr.] It was fun to see Dad enjoy that.

All we'd ever seen him do was enjoy himself,

his own wins, his own achievements. So, in our minds,

man, this is just gettin' started.

[Kelley] Dale was doing great, but my dad and I weren't speaking…

and…

we just had a really rough time.

When I had Carson, it kind of gave us a reason to connect and talk.

But it was just short-lived.

You know, I'm knee-deep in figuring out how to raise a baby.

My mom moved to North Carolina to help take care of Carson.

So, I leaned on her a lot for help and guidance.

But there was nothing I could do

in my mom's eyes that she would ever…

not support me. I mean, she was my biggest cheerleader.

And it's like, what you wanted…

It's what I wanted from my dad.

[unsettling music]

[whistle blows]

[Darrell Waltrip] In 2001, at Daytona,

I did an interview with Dale. And uh, I was very blunt.

How do you see yourself?

How do you feel about Dale Earnhardt?

A lot better today than I did several years ago.

Uh, because of family, because of my life.

Because I think I'm a better person than I used to be.

I got a great wife, a great family.

I'm proud of my kids.

Racing and enjoying it. I win, I'm competitive.

So, you know, I'm having a good time. I got it all right now, Darrell.

[Darrell] No, you really do.

Really, I'm a lucky man. I have it all, I mean…

[Darrell] I think he had finally realized what he had accomplished.

Seventy-six wins, seven championships.

One of the greatest drivers of all time.

He wasn't, but they said he was.

Is that part of your plan with your company, your Garage Mahal?

Quit callin' it that. It's a damn race shop.

[Darrell laughs]

I don't know, I mean, I just…

What's the plan for that company?

The plan was to have a race team. Then, all of a sudden,

it became a Winston Cup Team. And then, it's two, now it's three.

And I feel like, when I get out of the race car

in three, four, five, ten years down the road, whenever it is,

you know, I'll have a good business to look back,

and Dale Jr. and I can be involved with. Hopefully Michael will still be there

because I like a long-term commitment.

[reporter] Michael Waltrip's off season jump

to join the Intimidator at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

I don't know this for a fact,

but I think Dale did that because he knew it'd make me mad.

[laughing]

I love my brother to death. I'd do anything in the world for him.

But he was 0 for like 365 or…

462

Four sixty-two, whatever it was.

And you're gonna hire him to be your driver?

Michael is here, we're ready to go.

Honestly, we've seen multi-car teams where they work in a spectacular way,

and we've seen 'em been a dismal failure.

Now, I have not asked the question: win number one.

Oh, yeah. It'd be so cool to write one for four, whatever it's gonna be.

Um, I'm lookin' forward to that.

But, you know, that's not gonna be a record to be very proud of.

That's still not very good.

This was my first race for DEI.

Dale told me the plan.

He went into this speech about how we were gonna win the race.

He's like, me, you, and Dale Jr., we're gonna work together,

and we're gonna be in a position to win this race.

I'm like, I'd never heard anything like that before.

[Dale Jr.] He's like, if you guys just stay and work together.

Like, yeah, whatever. You can't predict who's gonna win this race.

Anybody can win this race.

[Michael] He had won Talladega

when he went from 18th to the win in three laps.

You saw what I did, how I drove through the field.

I couldn't have done that if I hadn't been the push I was getting from Kenny Wallace.

That's what we gotta do.

Whoever gets to the front first, the other two have to shove.

Push hard. We'll decide who's gonna win on the last lap.

[commentator] We're expecting one of the biggest crowds ever.

Nearly a quarter of a million people packing this legendary speedway.

In the end, we'll have one champion, one driver,

who will make his way through 42 other cars and 500 miles of track

to decide who will win the Daytona 500.

[announcer] Almighty God, we pause today

with all of this excitement in this beautiful setting

to give thanks to You, our God.

And may your blessings abound with us all this day. Shalom and amen.

As a young race driver, I dreamed about racing at Daytona.

And then, I dreamed about winning at Daytona.

It took a long time.

[jets whooshing]

Some dreams turn into nightmares,

like some of these guys have had happen to them.

Here we go!

But there's no greater feeling, no greater accomplishment,

than driving your car through those pearly gates into that holy ground.

[announcer] Gentlemen,

start your engines!

[engines roar]

[upbeat drumming music]

[commentator] Dale Earnhardt is the most prolific restrictor plate driver

in NASCAR history.

He's chasing his second 500 victory,

looking to bookend what's been a legendary Daytona career.

[upbeat music continues]

[commentator 2] Terry Bradshaw waves the green flag. We're racing.

[commentator 2] Dale Earnhardt will start in seventh position today.

He'll be turning 50 years old in April.

He's looking for his second win at the Daytona 500.

[commentator] Three wide in the back straightaway.

[commentator 2] They're battling back around the fifth spot.

Something's gotta give. It all settles down.

Atwood sees an opening in the middle.

[commentator] Now, here's Dale Earnhardt getting restless,

two cars stacked up behind him.

Trying to pick off yet another spot,

but having to wait and find the right time to make the move.

Dale Earnhardt dives down low as they head into turn one.

[commentator 2] Here's Earnhardt, goes inside to Jeff Gordon.

[Darrell] Gordo doesn't want to let him go, but…

[commentator 2] Did you see him work that wheel?

[Darrell] Oh, yeah, he was a busy man in there.

[commentator] Michael Waltrip up to ninth spot.

Darrell's younger brother.

[man] I think about 43 cars, and his plan…

First of all, you're trying to survive.

Then, ya gotta get to the front.

[commentator 2] Here comes Earnhardt, all the way to the bottom,

trying to run to take the lead. Sterling Marlin moved over to block.

Look at Earnhardt!

[commentator] Right down to the apron to take the lead.

[Darrell] Jeff Gordon pushed him in the 24 car.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the red car, the 8 car pushing with it.

[commentator 2] Here comes Michael Waltrip up the middle.

[Darrell] We hadn't talked about Uncle Mike all day,

and there he is. Come on, buddy.

Pretty impressive, all three of them DEI cars up there in the lead.

[commentator] Here's Earnhardt Jr., working the inside lane.

It's a tight squeeze off of turn two.

Skinner's still in the middle.

[commentator 2] Now trouble.

Stewart is in trouble on the back stretch.

Stewart's car up in the air and over.

It's a big wreck on the back straightaway.

At least six, seven, eight, maybe a dozen,

maybe a dozen and a half cars.

[Michael] The red flag came out. Everybody stopped.

We stopped on the front straightaway.

And I look in my mirror…

And Dale Jr.'s second, and Dale's third.

The three of us, one, two, three.

Just like he said we would be.

I'm like, well, damn.

Not only is he… Not only is he an amazing racer,

but he can see the future. Like, that's wild.

And I just thought, I did my job.

I did just what I was hired to do. I put myself in a position

to get through that wreck, as did Dale Jr.

I couldn't believe it.

This is what you race your whole life for.

There's 30 laps to go, and you're leading the Daytona 500.

[commentator] Michael Waltrip leads the Daytona 500,

and those two Earnhardts are right behind him.

[Michael] We've already decided, we're gonna push each other to the very end.

It's time to drive the best 30 laps of my life.

[crowd cheers]

[Darrell] You gotta have nerves of steel, folks,

to see what these guys saw just now,

these cars all flippin' and flyin' through the air.

Pop right back out there just like it never happened.

[Dale Jr.] So, we come down to the end, and it's us.

And I'm sitting there between Dad and Michael.

And man, I'm thinkin', this is what we talked about.

[commentator] Michael Waltrip, 0 for 462.

Right now, the car behind him is his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

[Darrell] Let me tell ya, that's the best thing Mikey's got goin' for him,

is those two cars behind him, Dale Jr. and Dale Sr.

You gotta pass two cars to get to him.

But they're gettin' heat from the back.

Sterling's all over Dale Sr.

Dale Sr.'s trying to keep him back,

so he can't get to the two team cars in the front.

This is a chess match at high speed.

[commentator] At the front of the field, Michael Waltrip by himself.

The battle's on for second place.

Whoa! Look at Earnhardt! Sterling got into Earnhardt.

[Darrell] Dale is doing everything he can to keep Sterling behind him,

because Dale knows that Sterling's got a fast car.

[commentator] And the laps wind down. Ten to go.

It was like the last ten laps of the race. It was getting really close.

All the DEI cars was up front. Dale was up front.

I want to be at Mama's, you know.

So, I flew over there in the car.

[light guitar music]

I was at Mother's. I always went to Mom's on Sunday to watch the race with her.

Kelley was there with Carson.

I mean, we were just watchin' the race as normal.

But then…

[commentator] There is some damage to the front end of Earnhardt's car.

Could affect the aerodynamics. It's like runnin' against a brick wall.

[Darrell] I don't know if I can stand this or not.

Come on, buddy, you got two to go.

[Michael] I'm workin' my ass off, drivin' my car,

holding the proper line.

[Darrell] Just stay under him, Dale Jr. Just stay under him, buddy.

[Michael] I was clean because Dale Jr. was pushing me.

Dale Jr. was clean, because Dale was pushin' him.

And Dale had the whole world after him.

[Darrell] Come on, buddy. One to go.

[commentator] The last lap.

[Darrell] Come on, man. He's gonna make a run on the inside.

Block him, block him.

You got him, Mikey. You got him, man. You got him!

[man over radio] Inside. Three wide, inside.

Inside, inside.

[commentator] The 3 car-- Oh!

Big trouble. Big wreck behind him.

-To the flag. -[Darrell] C'mon, Mikey, you got it, man.

You got it, you got it, you got it!

Mikey! Oh, Mike!

[commentator] Michael Waltrip wins…

[Michael] Whoo!

[commentator] Darrell? Is this better than winning it?

Oh, it's much better.

[sniffs]

This is great.

I just hope Dale's okay...

I guess he's all right, isn't he?

[Michael] When we came off turn four,

the spotter says, they're wrecking behind you.

And I took the checkered, and that was it.

If I didn't have blinders on, I would've went over there

just to celebrate with him.

[Kaye] When the wreck happened, Mother just started crying.

[announcer speaking indistinctly]

[cheering]

I said, Mother, it's gon' be okay, but she didn't say anything.

She just kept crying.

[Chocolate Myers] I remember being on Pit Road

and some of the guys walkin' by there and puttin' their equipment together,

and they're tellin' how bad it is.

We've done this before. I saw the crash.

[Hank Parker] It did not look that bad. It didn't look that bad to me.

But then I watched him roll down the racetrack.

Well, that tells me he's unconscious.

Because he woulda locked his brakes.

There's no way he'd have came down that racetrack. No way.

[metal crunching]

[Darrell] The TV does not do that justice.

That is an incredible impact head on.

Those are the kind of accidents that absolutely are frightening.

I mean, we were really at the mercy of sittin' there, watching it unfold on TV.

And I mean, at this point, we still weren't in communication with anybody.

Just watching my brother, you know, get out and run.

[Kaye] They kept saying, they've taken him to a local hospital.

And of course, they showed the ambulance slowly drivin' out.

[Dale Jr.] I'm hustling through the halls, you know, looking in every room.

And I look over, and there's Dad on a table.

Seemed like eight or 10 doctors surrounding that table,

and they're all working.

[reporter] Kenny, let me ask you.

I know you're just getting out of the care center.

You made your way over to Dale's situation. What's going on there?

I don't really know. I'm not a doctor.

I mean, I got the heck out of the way as soon as they got there.

[cheering]

[Michael] You know, I'm celebrating with my team and my family.

And I got my trophy.

And I'm just livin' it up. Everything was perfect in my world.

[announcer] On behalf of Dale Earnhardt, the owner of the winning Daytona 500 car.

[Ty Norris] So, they asked me to accept the owner's trophy.

And we're sitting there, and we're still celebratory,

and then Ken Schrader shows up.

Kenny walked into Victory Lane and…

gave me a hug and told me,

It's not good.

And it was like a light switch.

It just changed Michael's demeanor.

[sirens blare]

Finally, somebody grabbed me and told me that Dad was gone,

or Dad passed away, or Dad didn't make it.

And I could go back into this room.

And so, I go back to the room, and there's no doctors, there's just Dad.

[soft music]

And Teresa was standing over Dad, and she is just so sad.

You know, as sad as you can imagine somebody in that moment being

losing their spouse.

I didn't want to go any closer.

I stood at the door and again, Dad's 15 feet away.

And I…

didn't want to, um, remember him that way.

And so, I just left.

[Darrell] We went to the hospital, and they weren't gonna let me in.

They said, you can't go in there. You're not family.

I said, I am, too.

Teresa said, you want to go see Dale?

I said, can I?

And I walked in the room, and he's laying on the stretcher, dead.

And, uh, I kissed him on his forehead.

That was the end of the day.

[Kerry] I was on the lawnmower mowing.

Wife, René, come out, wanting to know if I've talked to Kelley.

And I hadn't, so I called her, and she's bawlin'.

I remember, we always thought he was invincible.

You know, just never thought that a race would take his life like it did.

[Kelley] That whole night, more and more family just kept comin'.

You know, tons of crying, tons of disbelief.

And the news started showing up, you know,

with the news vans around my grandmother's house.

We just all were shocked and wondering what was next.

Sad news this morning. Dale Earnhardt was killed in a high-speed crash…

The death of race car driver…

Dale Earnhardt.

[Tom Brokaw] For millions of Americans,

the grief is as great as when Elvis or Diana died.

[Bryant Gumbel] And in Morrisville, North Carolina, fans are creating a shrine

outside the shop where the seven-time Winston Cup winner created his legacy.

[Dale Jr.] Every hour, his face would be on the screen.

It would say 1951 to 2001.

Everybody was recognizing that he had passed.

And you're thinkin', damn, dude,

he was farther out there in the stratosphere

and into the mainstream than I ever even thought.

[reporter] President Bush is among those mourning the loss of legendary racer…

(overlapping) …Dale Earnhardt…

…the greatest race car driver ever.

[man] When Dale died, you could not open up the funeral.

It was a zoo. It was thousands of people there.

And there were thousands of people outside, all over the street.

[reporter 2] So, how long was the trip?

Oh, I would say eight hours.

[fan] To us, he'll always be the greatest driver there is.

There'll never be another Dale Earnhardt.

[Dale Jr.] We were standing there at the church, and I'm like, holy shit.

All these people want to be here for this.

[reporter 3] Sixty-two hundred seats are filling with Dale's NASCAR family.

The florists in the surrounding areas say they have orders

they will not be able to fill for more than three weeks.

[Dale Jr.] In a weird way, that gave you some kind of a good feeling

that he was so appreciated,

that people would want to be there for that moment.

I thought he was just ours. I thought he was just this NASCAR icon.

And in that moment, I just remember thinkin',

I feel so lucky that I got to be his son.

A lot of people will never get to have the moments I had with him.

And Kelley certainly doesn't look at it that way.

She's going to miss him terribly, every day.

And uh, my heart breaks for her.

[Kelley] It was three weeks,

the last time I had talked to my dad before he died.

Three weeks.

I mean, there's nothing I can do about it, you know.

There's not a conversation that I can have

to have that closure with my dad on what I felt like

I was missing in that relationship.

You know, listening to stories of, oh, your dad was so proud of you.

Your dad was so this, your dad was so that, your dad is like…

I didn't feel that way.

You know, there's a lot of hurt and, um,

things that needed to be healed and overcome.

The next morning, Monday morning, got up and went to work.

Like I always do.

Kinda quiet in the garage area.

Couldn't talk to each other.

We just lost, not only our best friend,

but we lost the guy that we make a living with.

Everybody was in limbo. What are we gonna do?

I told my wife, I said, "Honey, we're gonna sell everything and close it down."

I was ready to quit, ready to leave.

It was hard on everybody.

Teresa had tough decisions to make for DEI.

I had tough decisions at RCR.

But I, uh, made the decision that we were going forward.

Because I think that's what Dale wanted us to do.

[Chocolate] We realized, if we were gonna race, we gotta have a car ready.

Then we find out, it's not gonna be number 3.

So, we start taking those numbers off of everything.

And when I say everything, you have no idea.

Every piece of equipment we got,

every jack stand, every wheel has a number 3 on it.

And we're taking those 3s off.

We'd take a 3 off, and we'd cry for a while.

And I'm sure that we are doing exactly what he would want us to do.

We're racers. This is our life.

This is what we do.

Once all of the tears were dried up,

Friday, we have a press conference

because we had a business to run.

As cold as that sounds, what do you do?

Tell 200 people, "Go home, we don't race anymore"?

Tell sponsors with millions of dollars committed,

"We don't need your money anymore"?

I mean, I miss my father. I've cried for him,

but out of my own selfish pity

is the reason for those emotions. And, uh,

our main focus is to progress with the vision my father had

with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated to the best of our ability.

That's really all I have to say.

[reporter] Drivers return today for their first race

since the death last Sunday of stock car racing legend Dale Earnhardt.

[newscaster] Dale Earnhardt's son will race again today.

One week after the crash that killed his father at the Daytona 500.

[commentator] Kevin Harvick tapped to drive the Richard Childress car.

Richard has said the number 3 will never be raced again

out of the Childress racing shop.

So, here this car is in white with the number 29.

[Dale Jr.] I wanted to be at the track.

'Cause I didn't want to have to be in my thoughts about Dad.

My mind was in a really bad place.

Dale was not the kind of guy that would walk around cryin' or complainin'.

He would say, boys, we got a job to do. Let's get goin'.

When you get in that race car and you put that helmet on,

you wipe away the tears. You start to focus and concentrate.

Because every lap that you run,

you gotta have your mind on what you're doin'.

And it's not about Dale. It's about you today.

I'd like to ask you to do something. I'd like you to take the hand

of the person beside you.

And let's all take a few moments to remember Dale

as we deal with this loss. We pray for Teresa,

Dale Jr., the entire Earnhardt family.

Comfort them, Lord.

Amen.

[crowd cheers]

[engine revs]

[commentator] Lights are out atop the safety car.

This will be the start of 400 miles from Rockingham.

Green flag, we're racing.

Steve Park dropped right in single file, but Tony Stewart challenged…

Oh, we got trouble, trouble already.

-Three cars, four cars… -[commentator 2] Dale Jr., Dale Jr.

[commentator] And it is Earnhardt Jr.'s car

who comes to rest against the outside wall.

[Darrell] This cannot be happening to that young man.

From the last lap of last Sunday to the first lap of this.

[Kelley] I didn't go to the race,

but I remember feeling really sorry for my brother.

I could just see the sadness on his face.

Just still in shock, you know.

[commentator] And there is the result.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car is going home without completing a lap.

It was just defeat. You know,

like, is this how it's gonna go from here, right?

[cashier] Can I help someone?

[man] You got any visors?

Like this one? Is that it?

Thank you, sir. You have a good day.

[Kelley] At that time, I was on the side of the business and licensing

where everybody was fiending for product.

So, you couldn't make enough stuff.

You couldn't have enough t-shirts and die casts,

and anything that anybody wanted with my dad's name or face on it.

[newscaster] Sales of NASCAR merchandise growing to a whopping $1.2 billion.

At one point, for auction today on eBay, 61,000 Earnhardt items.

[Ty] Everywhere you looked, there's a 3, 3, 3.

They just couldn't stop coming after it.

[cashier] Twenty-five.

[Ty] So, they started creating new Earnhardt designs.

And let's go find anything that we didn't do before.

[Joe Mattes] It just went through the roof.

It was major. It was everywhere.

And Kelley's in the middle of, "I'm grieving for my dad,

and I got this business that's exploding."

[Kelley] It just put me in a really awkward spot,

because you're still trying to figure out

where's my passion to continue to work there.

And what it means to you, you know, for Dad to be gone.

[announcer over PA] The Budweiser car number 8,

how about a nice, warm round of applause for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.!

[cheers and applause]

[Jade Gurss] When his dad died, a lot of tracks would say,

we're gonna give you an award before the race

that we want to give, recognizing your father.

And it would kind of take Junior out of his, you know, his race mode,

or his game face.

At the same time,

his father had this long list of appearances for his sponsors.

So, suddenly, Teresa and others are saying,

Dale Jr., you have to go do this.

And that really bothered him,

because he didn't want to do appearances that his father was meant to do.

[newscaster] There is growing controversy in Florida

over the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.

Lawyers for a college newspaper and a website

have been trying to gain access to photos taken after his death,

but they're facing staunch opposition from Earnhardt's widow.

[Dale Jr.] When all this went down, Teresa was in protect mode.

She's consumed, doing what she thinks is right.

And what we all thought was right.

[Teresa] This is the first time I've spoken in public since we've lost Dale.

I am here to tell you that the trauma we have suffered has only grown,

because we have been caught up in an unexpected whirlwind

of efforts to gain access to the autopsy photographs of Dale.

We can't believe that anyone

would invade our privacy during this time of grief.

[Dale Jr.] When Dad died, that first month or that first two months,

there was so much going on.

You just couldn't believe that this was real.

[newscaster] An independent medical expert who reviewed the autopsy photographs

says that Earnhardt died when his head whipped violently forward

as his car crashed into a wall.

He had what I feel were life-ending-type injuries at the time of impact.

And really, nothing could be done.

It is a nightmare.

That you don't wake up from.

[lawyer] If someone was able to view these autopsy photographs,

how does that viewing violate your privacy?

Because it would be of me. Dale was a part of me.

He was half of me.

And the thought that at any time, for the rest of our lives,

they could pop up, I just can't imagine.

[Kelley] There was so much goin' on with Teresa and the autopsy photos,

I knew that Teresa would not have my brother's best interests in mind.

That was like back burner for them.

[reporter] Dale, is this whole thing like a business to you,

or is it just like, hey, this is pretty fun?

[Dale Jr.] I don't really see much of the business side of it.

I just handle the personality side of it.

And then, we got people behind the scenes that work the calculator.

[Kelley] Again, we were raised all those years

that you just let Dad handle it, let Dad control it, let Dad do it.

So, Dad had it all in place.

And then you lose your dad.

So, who's gonna take care of Dale Jr.?

[fan] Junior!

[crowd cheering]

So, what do you gotta do to get a hug?

I know you hear this all the time, but I love you, so…

[fan] Junior!

Breathe, man, breathe.

[man] One at a time.

[Kelley] With my dad's death, my brother was just thrust into a limelight.

And he had this legion of fans that wanted him

to win 76 races and seven championships just like Dad.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. inherited Dale Sr.'s fan base.

He didn't ask for it.

But I cannot imagine the pressure to become what his dad was.

The first half of the year, you were just goin' through the motions.

Like, you'd just go to the track…

go to the next track…

And you didn't even know if you really wanted to be doing what you were doing.

[Dale Jr.] When I didn't run good, I was a miserable person.

It was this cycle, week after week.

[Tony] He enjoyed racing,

but his whole drive was to get his dad's attention.

Well, he's gone.

So, who's gonna pat me on the back?

[Dale Jr.] Everybody has their own opinion

about how you need to be, and how you need to live your life.

My father was in the same situation.

I mean, he lost his father at about the same age.

And I still ain't really got it figured out.

Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn't get off the merry-go-round.

You just don't get off this machine.

There's too much at stake. There's too many responsibilities,

too many obligations, partners, people that are depending on this.

[Jade] Everyone in that first six months

was so full of loss and grief

that they just did what needed to happen

to get through that time.

But behind the scenes, there were some cracks.

And you could kinda see that Dale's leadership was missing.

[Wesley Sherrill] If you had a problem, there was nobody to go to.

We couldn't walk in Teresa's office.

You've been left with all these people, this huge company.

But at the same time, she only has so much power.

She's Teresa Earnhardt, she's not Dale Earnhardt.

[Tony] You know, it's not one person's fault.

It was just a matter of not having a leader.

[Teresa] Just to continue building what we have started,

I couldn't do it all without him, and he couldn't do it all without me.

It takes two of us. So, uh, you know,

just real dedicated and committed to the cause.

[Kelley] So, being the kind of mother-figure for Dale all of my years,

I just begged and begged Dale, like, let me come work for you.

You know, it's just kind of always unwritten that…

we take care of each other.

Whatever it was, I mean, it was me and him lookin' out for each other.

[Dale Jr.] Of course, Kelley dives in and wants to help.

Because I think she saw that I was ill-equipped

to handle my future without Dad's direction.

And so, Kelley took a 50% pay cut

to come and work in a little office out of my house.

You know, she was always lookin' out for me.

[soft music]

[birdsong]

[Dale Jr.] Before Daytona, there was a week off.

You could spend that however you wanted.

It was a great pause or half-time in the year.

Eury started kickin' it around, "Hey, we ought to go to Daytona.

This is a weekend with the boys, you're gonna have some fun.

We're gonna blow off some steam."

[laughing]

So, we got a crew of us, and we got a Suburban.

We put some 20-inch wheels on that thing. We thought we were big shit.

'Cause 20-inch wheels was a big deal back in 2001.

We were so pumped. Rollin' on DUBs down to Daytona!

So, the whole damn trip kicked off right.

You want a piece of pizza? [laughs]

[Dale Jr.] And so, we drive down there, we're jammin' out.

And we get to Daytona.

It's afternoon, sun's out, it's a beautiful day.

And I got it in my head, I was like hey,

I want to go see if we can go inside the track.

Because I couldn't drive past that track and go into town,

and hang out, just knowing what had happened there.

[Josh] So, he just rolls that old Suburban on in there.

Then there was a little gate opened and we kinda just got on the track.

We were out there, we rode around it, and we stopped at turn four.

[Dale Jr.] I don't know exactly where Daddy hit the wall.

I don't know exactly where his car came to rest.

But I kinda came to that general area, and I just got out.

My buddies, they all kinda got out for a second,

but I just walked off by myself

and stood around a little bit and just looked around.

Just didn't even really think, I just was just there.

And I wanted, I think, really to see how I would feel.

Would I get emotional? Would it be too much? Would it feel too heavy?

Would I have a problem with it? I didn't know.

If I was gonna have some kind of a reaction,

I didn't want to have it in front of everybody.

And I thought about it in that moment. I was like, you know…

my dad loved racing here.

He loved Daytona.

And he loved winning there. He was proud of it.

And I just had this feeling that I shouldn't be mad at it.

You know, I shouldn't dread going to Daytona.

But at the same time, there was this weird…

feeling. Oh, man, I almost hesitate to say this,

because it isn't gonna make any sense to anybody.

But there was this really strange feeling of freedom.

And I felt guilty, even about feeling that way at all.

I felt so guilty.

I mean, I'm still in the very beginning of my, hopefully, a long career.

And so, I kind of decided then and there

that I wasn't gonna hold anything against the track.

And if anything, Daytona was maybe even more special,

because it's where Dad had passed away.

[orchestral music rises]

[commentator] Watch that circle.

[commentator 2] There goes the grass.

[crowd cheers]

[soft orchestra music continues]

[seagulls squawking]

[reporter] The Winston Cup series returns to Daytona.

Most of the drivers don't want to talk about Dale Earnhardt this weekend,

but they will certainly have the late seven-time champion on their mind.

[commentator] Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the track.

What must he be thinking right now?

I kinda had this really, like, "I don't care" attitude.

What are they gonna say, what are they gonna do?

What are they gonna do to me? I don't give a fuck.

[upbeat drumming music]

In this moment, I'm like, this car is amazing.

[Tony] I worked on that Speedway car for a long time.

I mean, that was everything that we had.

It was one of them deals where, like he went there with such an attitude

and such a drive.

We were gonna go to Daytona and just take back what was ours.

[drumming music continues]

[crowd cheering]

[Michael Waltrip] Returning to Daytona as a winner of the 500,

as a guy that needed to get his shit together,

I had only one thought in mind, and that was to win the race.

[jet engines roar]

[announcer over PA] And now, for the most famous words in motorsports,

Miss Britney Spears.

Gentlemen…

start your engines!

[crowd cheering]

[Michael] When the race started, I had a pretty strong car.

Dale was really fast.

[commentator] And check out the battle for second spot,

and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip.

[commentator 2] Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes for the lead.

Out front, Earnhardt leads at Daytona.

The fans all jump to their feet.

[commentator 3] This young man, Allen, wants this race

as badly as he's ever wanted anything in his life. He wants this one today.

[commentator] Lead change. Mike Skinner out front.

And look at Junior go by on the outside of Skinner.

Is he going to take the lead back? Yes, he is.

Oh! Trouble off the corner.

Several cars involved. Three, four, five, six, seven.

Sterling Marlin, Mike Skinner. Jeff Gordon's in it. Bobby Hamilton.

Caution's out.

But it all happened behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.

We had a caution.

And now I gotta come down pit road.

And so, we come down and put four tires on.

Some people didn't take any tires.

But we're shuffled back in like sixth spot.

[engine revs]

And Tony Sr. gives this interview.

[interviewer] Tony Eury, Sr., as the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr.,

you've led 111 laps tonight, but it seems like time might be running out.

[Tony Sr.] You don't have no control over your own destiny.

Ain't no tellin' what's gonna happen.

[commentator 2] Oh, man, six laps to go, and they throw the green flag.

We've seen cars unable to pass him all night long.

But we haven't seen how easily he can pass.

[Tony Sr.] We definitely got the car to pass 'em.

If we can get there, we'll get there. If we can't, hey…

we know who had the fastest car tonight.

[commentator] Seven laps left.

Now it'll be six as they come to the start/finish line.

Time to settle the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is sixth in line

and Benson leads on the restart.

[commentator 2] All right, it's free game. Let's go.

Earnhardt Jr. lying back, trying to get him to run.

He has that run, but Tony Stewart moves up in front of him.

Look at Junior go!

[commentator] Up to fourth.

Junior to the outside of Mayfield for third.

Here's Dale Jr. to the outside for second spot.

[commentator] To the outside for the lead in turn four.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. rockets to the front at Daytona! Listen to the crowd!

[commentator 2] And look at this crowd!

[cheering]

Tony Eury's clapping, said, "Come on, Junior, come on!"

[commentator] Two to go.

Michael Waltrip dives underneath Bobby Labonte.

They bump on the back stretch.

Waltrip in second. Elliott Sadler and Rusty Wallace with him.

[Michael] I think I drove the best seven laps of my life

to get right there, and I had a split-second decision,

because I was going way faster than Dale Jr.

So, when it was time to turn the wheel to the right to go up beside him,

I don't know what happened. I just went right behind him.

I'm right behind you.

I gave him a shove, just like he'd given me in the 500.

[commentator] White flag is out. Final lap at Daytona.

180,000 on their feet screaming wildly. Two and a half miles to go.

[crowd cheering, shouting]

[commentator 2] Just exactly the opposite of the Daytona 500.

It was 15 and 8.

[commentator] Here they come, turn four. Final lap of the Pepsi 400.

Michael Waltrip in second, but it's going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr.,

using lessons learned from his father to go from sixth to first, and score

-the victory in the Pepsi 400. -[Dale Jr. cheering]

[all cheering]

[man on radio] That's unbelievable.

Love you, man. You did it.

-[cheering] -Yeah! Hey!

[shouting indistinctly]

[commentator 2] I am speechless.

[orchestral music rises]

I see Dale Jr. win that race…

and I can't take it anymore.

And I was able to run out there and congratulate him.

It shows me-- open my uniform up, and I've got a number 3 t-shirt.

I'm kind of an emotional guy.

And that was one of the most emotional things

that's happened in my racing career.

[commentator] All right, Mikey, you celebrate, too.

He never got to celebrate your win in February. You celebrate now.

[Michael] You know, it was magical.

You know, I get back to my camper after all the crazy celebration and all that,

and I'm sittin' on the bed thinkin', now, why didn't I do that?

Why didn't I try to pass Dale Jr. and win this race?

And then I just laughed, because I think, maybe if I had did it and screwed it up,

I knew how pissed Dale would be.

You never know. Maybe I don't make the move and we don't run one, two.

Maybe I don't have the greatest memory of my career.

[cheering]

When he jumped up on my car and gave me a hug,

I thought, everything's going to be okay now.

And I'll have that in my heart forever.

[cheering]

[popping]

[Dale Jr.] Up until that moment, I didn't care about nothin'.

The most important thing in my life was gone.

But it flipped that night.

When we won that race, stuff mattered.

Friends mattered, my future mattered,

my existence, my team.

A lot of people said that was kind of like closure for them,

but for me, it was like the very beginning of healing.

He was with me tonight. I don't know how I did it.

And he was there.

I mean, ain't nobody else I could dedicate it to,

that it would mean more to me.

I dedicate this win to him.

[interviewer] One last question.

What do you think your dad would say?

Well, I feel like he would be proud of us.

Uh, me and the family and everybody that is involved.

I think he would be proud. He's a pretty independent-type guy.

He'd probably been pretty hard on me, the way we, you know, raced,

and to get to where we've gotten.

You know, he'd probably crack the whip a little bit on me,

but I think he'd be proud of us.

On this day, the 23rd of May 2010,

it's truly my honor and privilege

to induct Dale Earnhardt into the Hall of Fame.

[Teresa] This is an achievement of a lifetime.

And to be able to celebrate it is a moment of pride for Dale

I just can't put into words.

Some call him legend.

Some call him hero.

Some simply call him Dad, or son.

Or to me…

He was the love of my life.

[Kelley] My dad achieved what he wanted to achieve.

You know, what he dreamed about.

He was great.

And with greatness comes sacrifice.

Do I wish that things would've been different?

Absolutely.

But a lot of that made me who I am.

And I like who I am.

Who's in that picture with Mamaw? In the blue shirt.

Um, Papa Dale.

[Kelley] Who's with Papa Dale in that picture?

Uncle Junior, look, you're in the picture, too.

I mean, it's still there a little bit today,

it's like, you just can't believe that he can't be here.

He deserves to be here, he deserves to see all this.

He deserves to see what Kelley did with her life,

and what Kerry did with his, and what Taylor's doing with hers.

And what I did with mine.

[commentator] Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the Daytona 500 champion of 2004.

[Kelley] You sit there and you talk about the Earnhardt family,

and how joined to racing and what this family does.

I mean, we do it because we don't know any better.

This is what we do.

I would be lost without racing.

[Dale] You know, I've made mistakes, and I've paid dues,

and I went through life as it is,

and you can't go back and change your life.

So, I have to go on and be happy with what I've got

and be ashamed of my mistakes, and say I'm sorry and go on.

["Hands on the Wheel" by Willie Nelson]

♪At a time when the world♪

♪Seems to be spinnin'♪

♪Hopelessly out of control♪

♪There's deceivers and believers♪

♪And old in-betweeners♪

♪That seem to have no place to go♪

♪Well, it's the same old song♪

♪It's right and it's wrong♪

♪And livin' is just somethin' that I do♪

♪And with no place to hide♪

♪I looked in your eyes♪

♪And I've found myself in you♪

♪I looked to the stars♪

♪Tried all of the bars♪

♪And I've nearly gone up in smoke♪

♪Now my hand's on the wheel♪

♪I've something that's real♪

♪And I feel like I'm goin' home.♪