Dale Earnhardt Jr. Calls NASCAR Hall of Fame Ceremony 'As Good As It's Ever Gonna Get'

Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose racing career was tied to his father in so many ways, joined him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Friday night.

Dale Earnhardt Sr., a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, was inducted in the hall’s first class in 2010. Junior, twice a Daytona 500 winner and for much of his career a driver for his father’s team, was one of three drivers inducted Friday night in a ceremony in Charlotte, N.C.

Also inducted were Alabama short-track veteran Red Farmer and seven-time NASCAR Modified champion Mike Stefanik. Farmer, who still races at the age of 89, has won more than 700 races and is legendary at short tracks across the country. Stefanik was a dominant force in NASCAR Modified ranks and also raced in the Camping World Truck Series. He died in the crash of a private plane in 2019 at the age of 61.

The two Earnhardts became the seventh father-son duo in the hall, following Lee and Richard Petty, Lee and Maurice Petty, Bobby and Davey Allison, Buck and Buddy Baker, Bill France Sr. and Jr., and Ned and Dale Jarrett.

Although Earnhardt Jr. never won a Cup championship, he scored 26 Cup victories and two Xfinity Series titles. He won 15 consecutive Most Popular Driver awards and is considered one of racing’s leading ambassadors.

“Nothing that racing has ever given me will top tonight,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “This place has all my heroes, including my dad. To join Dad in the Hall of Fame is probably as good as it’s ever gonna get.”

Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt’s car owner for his final years in the Cup series, was among those in attendance. He said Junior was the ultimate team player, even going so far as to offer to use $1 million of his salary to pay members of his team one season when economic conditions were tight.

Friday’s inductions bring the total Hall membership to 58.