From Tragedy To Triumph: Junior Exorcises The Demons of Daytona in 2001

Imagine coming back to the track when, only five months before his death, your father was one of NASCAR's greatest drivers of all time. All the pressures, expectations, sorrow, and anguish had to weigh heavily on then 26-year-old Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was having a tumultuous season in 2001 with more hardships than successes on and off the track. Immediately inheriting his famous father's fans and expectations, "Little E" had little room for solace and comfort to even fathom what happened in his life and as a driver, what he had to do at each race besides driving the wheels off his car. Following his runner-up finish to teammate Michael Waltrip in the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. had to carry on, not only for the remainder of the season, but for the rest of his life, without the voice and guidance of his father. There would no longer a proud "Papa" in Victory Lane praising him on a great race, or for advice if he sought for it. During the early segments of the 2001 campaign, Junior struggled ... (link)