Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: ‘Little E’ beginning to take steps in his father’s shoes

Friday, Feb. 20, 2004 | 10:27 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

As the NASCAR community was reeling from the death of Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, many observers wondered how the sport would ever replace its biggest star.

In the three years since Earnhardt's death, it has become increasingly clear that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has gained the megastar status his father once had. In fact, Junior just may become an even bigger star than his father because of what advertisers call his "cross-over appeal" to portions of the public that do not follow stock-car racing.

Earnhardt Jr., 29, takes his rock-star-like popularity in stride and doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. He also doesn't mind the comparisons to his legendary father, which were abundant after his victories Sunday in the Daytona 500 and Monday in the Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

The Busch Series victory was Junior's ninth career win at Daytona since 2001; his father won a record 34 races (including 125-mile qualifying races, IROC and Budweiser Shootout races) at the historic 2.5-mile oval.

"I feel like you can compare me to (my father) today; we've done so much over the last three years (at Daytona) and won nine races here since 2001," Earnhardt said after Monday's Busch Series race. "I just want to keep adding to what he did. One side of me wants to add to his total of wins and make it a big whole pot of wins but, at the same time, I feel like I do a real good job of drafting and I know what I'm doing out there."

In the Earnhardts' case, the apple clearly didn't fall too far from the tree.

"Everything that I know I really learned it from him," Junior said of his father, "but there's some things happening today that didn't happen when he was driving -- some things you don't know about that you just learn as you go.

"All the wins I've got come from either the confidence of being an Earnhardt when you pull out on track or just knowing what your dad was able to accomplish and feeling like you might have that inside you, as well."

Even though Junior may have inherited much of his talent for driving a racecar, he made it clear that nobody ever will be as a good as Dale Earnhardt Sr., who was famous for his aggressive driving and hard-nosed attitude on the track.

"People obviously, even today, still try to race like (he did) but nobody could ever do it as good," Junior said. "I can't sit here and tell you I didn't enjoy watching him spin Geoff Bodine out at Charlotte every time they ran there, but that was a great rivalry they had and those are great days and I think Geoff Bodine would even tell you he had a blast during them times because the racing was different and the people were different.

"Those type of things were a big part of the sport every week and now -- due to more things than I care to mention -- we can't really act like that anymore. I don't think people can drive like that -- I don't think the sport can carry on week in and week out with that type of mentality; it just doesn't fit in the world we race in today."

The race was watched by 33.5 million viewers and earned a 10.6 national rating. NBC's 2002 telecast of the Daytona 500 attracted 35 million viewers and a 10.9 rating.

Busch said he plans to drive in the Super Late Models and Legends Car races during the Southern Nevada Dodge Dealers Showdown on Saturday night, March 6 at The Bullring.

"Racing is what I do," Busch said when asked about his full plate for that weekend. "I love to race. I grew up on The Bullring and won a lot of races there. I'm looking forward to a really big weekend."

Busch, who suffered an engine failure and finished 24th in Monday's Busch Series season opener at Daytona, will drive the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet in the March 6 Sam's Town 300 and will attempt to make his Nextel Cup Series debut in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 in the No. 25 Carquest Chevrolet. Team owner Rick Hendrick fields both cars.

Burton does not yet have a full-time sponsor for the 2004 Nextel Cup season; at Daytona, cable network TNT and the NBA All-Star Game sponsored his car. Burton won back-to-back Cup races in Las Vegas in 1999 and 2000.

Fisher and the team still are trying to secure sponsorship for the car and would not say when Fisher would make her first start with the team.

Brack suffered fractures to his back, breastbone, ribs, right leg and both ankles and later had his gall bladder removed as a result of the crash. Brack has said he hopes to return to racing sometime this season.

Under the terms of the purchase, Paul Kruger, chairman of the board and CEO of Boundless, will serve as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series. WoO founder Ted Johnson will continue as president of the series until a 1-year promissory note has been paid off. At that time, Johnson will become a consultant to the WoO.