Dale Earnhardt's Greatest Moment

Friday is the tenth anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt. That moment -- during the 2001 Daytona 500's final turn -- shocked the sports world, and it helped bring on some serious changes to improve safety in stock car racing.

The fact that Earnhardt's death spurred those types of changes is interesting when you think about the fact that Earnhardt said something had to change during the very race where he lost his life.

(This was something noted during an amazing Earnhardt documentary on SPEED Sunday night. If it re-runs this week, DVR it. Very well done.)

Instead of looking back to the 2001 race, here's a peek back three years earlier, to Earnhardt's greatest moment as a driver.

For the longest time, he couldn't win the Daytona 500, which is the pinnacle event in the sport. That was until 1998.

And when he won, the NASCAR world celebrated. Even competing pit crews went crazy and wanted to congratulate the sport's biggest name on his biggest win.



The celebration finally made its way to Victory Lane, and it didn't slow down there.



Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500. Expect the crowd to go crazy, especially if he's got the lead for more than just the race start.

ADMIT IT, JUNIOR NATION: BUSCH IS RIGHT

It's okay. I know it kills you. It probably kills three-fourths of NASCAR fans, none of whom are capable of admitting when Kyle Busch does something awesome on the racetrack. They're sure as hell not going to admit when he's right about something off the racetrack.

It's a tough argument to back Busch on something. He is probably the most talented race-car driver on the planet, but he also has many faults. Among them is his obvious immaturity, a trait that sends him scurrying away from the cameras whenever something goes wrong, and has led him to making dumb remarks over the radio when things aren't happening the right way for the 18.

Busch also has a penchant for only talking to reporters when he feels like it. He felt like it Friday, and he now has millions of fans who back Dale Earnhardt, Jr., wishing he (Busch, that is) would suffer a debilitating injury or worse.

"It's never Junior; it's always the crew chief," said Busch, who fired the opening shots when asked about team owner Rick Hendrick's dismissal of Tony Eury Jr. as Earnhardt's crew chief a day earlier.

... "He's [interim crew chief Lance McGrew] got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what's going on," Busch said. "And if Junior doesn't run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the 'problem' again."

A somber Junior himself addressed Busch's comments, starting with a bit of a defensive tone, but later seeming to admit that Busch has a point.

"Like Kyle said, most people have always been on Tony Jr.'s case and never really pointed the finger at me …"

I know it probably sucks to admit it, but Busch has more than a point.

I understand the frustrations of Junior and all his supporters. After all, none of this is any of Kyle Busch's business. He probably shouldn't have said anything.

That's not Kyle Busch. Like him or not, he's going to be honest. He felt like talking Friday, a reporter asked him a question, and he was honest in his assessments.

Earnhardt has never been blamed for his problems behind the wheel. When he struggled at DEI and missed the chase, it was his evil stepmother's fault for not giving him anything to run competitively with. Upon signing with Hendrick Motorsports, he persuaded the boss to bring Tony Eury, Jr., with. They could no longer blame a lack of success on the equipment, as Hendrick has some of the best stuff in the business.

When the pair ran out of excuses, someone had to go. For now, it's easier to fire the crew chief. However, Junior has to be careful, because there will come a time where owner Rick Hendrick gets sick and tired of blaming the crew chief.

Surely, this tickles Kyle Busch, even if only a little. After all, he was the guy Hendrick dumped to bring in Junior. He has an 11-1 lead in race wins since, and there's no reason to think the gap won't widen as the season wears on.

Junior lovers will certainly bring more Kyle Busch venom to the racetrack. But are they mad at Busch for taking a cheap shot at their favorite driver, or are they mad at him for telling the truth?

NASCAR HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

As I develop my NASCAR fandom, I freely admit that I have some biases when it comes to drivers.

I really like Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth. I'm okay with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, and Michael Waltrip. I can't stand Kyle Busch. I'm not a big fan of Jimmie Johnson (though I respect the hell out of him and his team) or Denny Hamlin.

There are a bunch of drivers I don't care much about one way or the other.

I'm just enjoying the races, and I'm trying not to force myself to be a fan of one single guy.

Anyway, I've always liked Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He understands the pressure he's under to win because of his name. He understands what it takes to win, and he's never given up no matter the bad luck he's been dealt.

Sunday at Daytona, the bad luck was his own doing. He couldn't find his pit stall to save his life. He tried his damndest to drive back into contention, but he got caught up in a pack near the "end" of the race. When that happened, a frustrated Junior caused "The Big One".



I know he defended himself afterward, but there is no defense. Junior caused the wreck by driving too aggressively in his effort to get around Brian Vickers. If this had been any other driver on the grid for Sunday's race, there's no question what would have happened.

In fact, if you want proof, just ask Nationwide driver Jason Leffler.



If Leffler was "driving aggressively" and deserved a five-lap penalty, what the hell was Junior doing?

The bottom line is that people are going to accuse NASCAR of treating Earnhardt differently than other drivers.

It might not be a correct statement, but it's a defensible one, and NASCAR will have a hard time refuting the argument given the evidence presented from this weekend's races.