Who Is Dale Earnhardt Jr.? (Who Was?) Paperback – January 4, 2022 by David Stabler

Description

Author: Stabler David

Color: Multicolor

Package Dimensions: 6x194x122

Number Of Pages: 112

Release Date: 04-01-2022

Details: Product Description Rev your engines and get ready for this exciting look at how Dale Earnhardt Jr. lived up to his family legacy and became one of the greatest professional stock car racing drivers in the world.No one was surpised when Dale Earnhardt Jr. began his racing career at age seventeen. His father and grandfather were professional racers, and he spent most of his childhood servicing cars at his dad’s dealership. Now Dale was ready for his own turn in the driver’s seat. He started out racing in the Street Stock division but would go on to win several NASCAR championships before retiring from driving fulltime in 2017. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s passion and dedication to the sport he loves is why he is considered the most popular professional driver in the world. About the Author David Stabler is the author of several books, including Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Who Is Dale Earnhardt Jr.?     “Gentlemen, start your engines!”   With those four words, the 2004 Daytona 500 was underway. The five-­hundred-­mile auto race is one of the biggest events in sports, attracting drivers from all over the world. Among those revving their motors at the starting grid was twenty-­nine-­year-­old Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR.   Dale had never won the Daytona 500. But he had an extra-special reason to want to win this one. Exactly six years earlier, on February 15, 1998, Dale’s father had won his first Daytona 500 on this very track. Now it was “Junior’s” turn. Dale even had the date stamped on the hood of his car to inspire him to victory: 15 FEB 2004.   After a few practice laps to get the cars revved up and ready, actress Whoopi Goldberg dropped the green flag—­and the race was on!   From the start, it was a close one. Dale took the early lead, his white car emblazoned with a red #8 zipping around the track. A crowd of nearly two hundred thousand cheered him on through every tight turn. But the other drivers would not let up the chase. They had victory on their minds as well. Jeff Gordon surged into the lead at one point. Then Tony Stewart passed them both. It was going to be a fight to the finish.   With just under thirty laps to go, Dale decided it was time to make his move. For the next eight trips around the track, he tried every trick he knew to edge Tony Stewart out of the top spot. But Stewart blocked him every time. At last, Dale saw an opening. He dropped back behind Stewart, sneaked around the side, then gunned his engine. In one burst, #8 surged to the head of the pack.   With only a few laps to go, all Dale had to do was hold on to his lead. Tony Stewart did all he could to keep up, but Junior kept him from pulling ahead. He crossed the finish line, taking first place by less than one second. The winner’s trophy—­and a prize of more than $1 million—­belonged to him.   After the race, Dale headed to a special part of the track called Victory Lane to celebrate with the fans. Along the way, he leaned out of the driver’s side window, punching his fist in the air and whooping with joy. “This has got to be the greatest day of my life!” he told the cheering crowd. It was his fifth try at winning the Daytona 500. His dad had also lost there many times before finally winning the “Great American Race.”   Dale was filled with pride as he left the track that afternoon. He had finally achieved his number one goal in racing. And though he was sad that his father was not there to see it, he believed that he had done his family proud. Most NASCAR fans would agree. Dale Sr. had always been a favorite with the crowds at Daytona. Now they had a new hero named Earnhardt to cheer for.   Dale Earnhardt Jr. would go on to win many more races after that one. He was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver fifteen years in a row—­a record streak. He would even return to Victory