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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Dale Earnhardt Jr. achieved one of his career goals earlier this year when he captured the 2004 Daytona 500, the biggest, richest and most prestigious race of the year.
On his fifth career start in “The Great American Race,” Earnhardt Jr. slipped past Tony Stewart in the final laps of the race to claim victory in NASCAR’s signature event.
Earnhardt Jr.’s victory was part of the historic day that featured NASCAR’s first race with sponsor Nextel and a visit from the President of the United States George W. Bush, who gave the starting command “Drivers, start your engines.”
“This has to be the greatest day of my life,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the race, which was voted by fans as the most dramatic moment of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season on www.NASCAR.com during the recent awards banquet in New York City.
Earnhardt Jr. will shoot for back-to-back victories in the 47th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005 at the historic Daytona International Speedway. It’ll be the first Daytona 500 with the newly renovated infield, which includes new garages, new Gatorade Victory Lane and Daytona 500 Club, new massive Turn 1, waterfront specialty vehicle parking and an uniquely designed infield.
Earnhardt Jr.’s attempt at back-to-back Daytona 500 wins will not be an easy feat as only Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95) have been able to pull off consecutive triumphs in “The Great American Race.”
While he wouldn’t mind a second Harley J. Earl trophy on his mantle, he’s happy to have won his first Daytona 500 in the early stages of his career. His legendary father Dale Earnhardt needed 20 attempts to win his first Daytona 500 in 1998.
“I'm just real excited to have won this race,” said Earnhardt Jr., whose winning No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet has been on display for the past year at DAYTONA USA – “The Official Attraction of NASCAR.” “It's really hard to win it. Some of our greatest competitors come in and out of this sport without taking this trophy home. I'm glad I can say I've accomplished it and I can put the ongoing strive to win it behind me because we really wanted to win it so bad.”
Earnhardt Jr.’s Daytona 500 victory was part of a dominating performance from the North Carolina native during Speedweeks 2004. Other highlights include:
Nearly winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona with co-drivers Andy Wallace and Tony Stewart.
Finishing second to Dale Jarrett in the Budweiser Shootout, a non-points All-Star event that features previous year’s pole winners and past Budweiser Shootout champions.
Winning both a Gatorade Duel and the Hershey’s Take 5 300 NASCAR Busch Series race.
“I feel like we earned every victory and feel like we worked for it and just didn’t come down here with a blistering fast car in every race and walk away from everybody,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We feel pretty good at what we achieved and the matter in which we did it and the manual labor involved in it.”
The 47th annual Daytona 500 will also feature the final starts in “The Great American Race” for NASCAR veterans Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. Wallace has made 22 starts in the “Great American Race” but is still winless with eight top-10 finishes. The 1989 NASCAR champion’s only victories at Daytona International Speedway are a Crown Royal IROC Series race in 1989 and the 1998 Budweiser Shootout.
Martin, who has 19 starts in the Daytona 500 without a victory, has four class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona as well as the 1999 Budweiser Shootout and a Crown Royal IROC race in 2003.
"I've got one more shot,” Wallace said. “I've tried my whole life. I've told my crew when I get back here (to Daytona) I better have the best car I've ever had in my life. We've tried but we're going to have to try harder than I've ever tried. We're going to have the best engine, the best car because I want to win it before it's all over.
“The Daytona 500 is still the granddaddy of them all. It's a race that I haven't won and I'm going to try my darndest to win that one."
While Wallace and Martin will be making their final Daytona 500 starts, the field will feature several up and coming rookies making their first starts such as 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch, 2004 Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil.
“I’ve always told myself that it would be great to be able to win the big race of the NEXTEL Cup Series,” Busch said. “Even if I was never able to win a championship, you just want to say you won a big race and Daytona is one of those. To be able to participate for the first time this year is going to be great. I’m looking forward to it.”
On his fifth career start in “The Great American Race,” Earnhardt Jr. slipped past Tony Stewart in the final laps of the race to claim victory in NASCAR’s signature event.
Earnhardt Jr.’s victory was part of the historic day that featured NASCAR’s first race with sponsor Nextel and a visit from the President of the United States George W. Bush, who gave the starting command “Drivers, start your engines.”
“This has to be the greatest day of my life,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the race, which was voted by fans as the most dramatic moment of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season on www.NASCAR.com during the recent awards banquet in New York City.
Earnhardt Jr. will shoot for back-to-back victories in the 47th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005 at the historic Daytona International Speedway. It’ll be the first Daytona 500 with the newly renovated infield, which includes new garages, new Gatorade Victory Lane and Daytona 500 Club, new massive Turn 1, waterfront specialty vehicle parking and an uniquely designed infield.
Earnhardt Jr.’s attempt at back-to-back Daytona 500 wins will not be an easy feat as only Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84) and Sterling Marlin (1994-95) have been able to pull off consecutive triumphs in “The Great American Race.”
While he wouldn’t mind a second Harley J. Earl trophy on his mantle, he’s happy to have won his first Daytona 500 in the early stages of his career. His legendary father Dale Earnhardt needed 20 attempts to win his first Daytona 500 in 1998.
“I'm just real excited to have won this race,” said Earnhardt Jr., whose winning No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet has been on display for the past year at DAYTONA USA – “The Official Attraction of NASCAR.” “It's really hard to win it. Some of our greatest competitors come in and out of this sport without taking this trophy home. I'm glad I can say I've accomplished it and I can put the ongoing strive to win it behind me because we really wanted to win it so bad.”
Earnhardt Jr.’s Daytona 500 victory was part of a dominating performance from the North Carolina native during Speedweeks 2004. Other highlights include:
Nearly winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona with co-drivers Andy Wallace and Tony Stewart.
Finishing second to Dale Jarrett in the Budweiser Shootout, a non-points All-Star event that features previous year’s pole winners and past Budweiser Shootout champions.
Winning both a Gatorade Duel and the Hershey’s Take 5 300 NASCAR Busch Series race.
“I feel like we earned every victory and feel like we worked for it and just didn’t come down here with a blistering fast car in every race and walk away from everybody,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We feel pretty good at what we achieved and the matter in which we did it and the manual labor involved in it.”
The 47th annual Daytona 500 will also feature the final starts in “The Great American Race” for NASCAR veterans Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. Wallace has made 22 starts in the “Great American Race” but is still winless with eight top-10 finishes. The 1989 NASCAR champion’s only victories at Daytona International Speedway are a Crown Royal IROC Series race in 1989 and the 1998 Budweiser Shootout.
Martin, who has 19 starts in the Daytona 500 without a victory, has four class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona as well as the 1999 Budweiser Shootout and a Crown Royal IROC race in 2003.
"I've got one more shot,” Wallace said. “I've tried my whole life. I've told my crew when I get back here (to Daytona) I better have the best car I've ever had in my life. We've tried but we're going to have to try harder than I've ever tried. We're going to have the best engine, the best car because I want to win it before it's all over.
“The Daytona 500 is still the granddaddy of them all. It's a race that I haven't won and I'm going to try my darndest to win that one."
While Wallace and Martin will be making their final Daytona 500 starts, the field will feature several up and coming rookies making their first starts such as 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch, 2004 Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil.
“I’ve always told myself that it would be great to be able to win the big race of the NEXTEL Cup Series,” Busch said. “Even if I was never able to win a championship, you just want to say you won a big race and Daytona is one of those. To be able to participate for the first time this year is going to be great. I’m looking forward to it.”
