Junior’s Breakthrough Texas Triumph
by Tom Jensen April 28, 2026
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory came when he needed it most.
For car owner Dale Earnhardt (left), his team’s first victory was delivered by his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Photo courtesy of NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images
Adulting is hard. Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
In 1998, Earnhardt clinched the NASCAR Busch Series (now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) championship just by taking the green flag to start the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida. A year later, Earnhardt drubbed the Busch field again, this time clinching his second consecutive series title before the final race of the year.
As much fun as Earnhardt had beating up on his Busch Series competition for two years, the start of his rookie season in the hyper-competitive NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Cup Series) was a painful reminder of how much he still had to learn to race with the big dogs of NASCAR.
In the first six Cup races of 2000, Earnhardt’s best finish of the season was a so-so 10th-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Worse yet, heading into the seventh race of the season, the DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his prior three races resulted in a pair of DNFs, with finishes of 29th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 40th at Darlington Raceway and 38th at Bristol Motor Speedway.
On top of that, Earnhardt drove for the team founded by his legendary father, Dale Earnhardt, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010. And all the younger Earnhardt had to show for the start of the season was a handful of mid-pack to poor finishes and the burden of his legacy.
For Dale Earnhardt Jr., his first NASCAR Cup Series race victory came after weeks of struggle, which made it that much more satisfying. NASCAR Hall of Fame Collection, gift of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Not an ideal situation for a 25-year-old racer.
But at Texas Motor Speedway, things suddenly turned around for the younger Earnhardt.
Before the race, he met with Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson, a veteran racer who won a championship as crew chief for Bobby Allison (Class of 2011) in 1983. “He (Nelson) told me he knew I was going to be able to make it and be a good race-car driver,” Earnhardt told reporters at Texas. “I just needed to calm down before I made a fool of myself.”
The encouragement from Nelson is exactly what the younger Earnhardt needed. “It was good to hear,” said Earnhardt. “… Even though a lot of good things have happened in my career, I still sometimes need to be told I’m a good race-car driver.”
Two other factors buoyed Earnhardt’s confidence.
First, he was comfortable at Texas Motor Speedway, where two years earlier almost to the day he won his first Busch Series race.
Second, but equally important, crew chief Tony Eury Sr. prepared a blazing fast No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet for the race. Armed with a fast car, Earnhardt dominated the Texas race, leading 68 of the final 74 laps to score his first career Cup Series victory. “They dropped the green (flag) and that thing was just crazy fast,” Earnhardt said after the race. “It was easy as pie to drive.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (right) and crew chief Tony Eury Sr. led the celebration in Victory Lane after Earnhardt’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 2000 DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR Hall of Fame Collection, gift of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
In Victory Lane, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was both the proud father and the happy car owner, although he did not linger long because he wanted the spotlight to stay focused on his son. “I’m really proud of him,” Dale Sr. said after the victory, the first for his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team. “He’s just done a great job. He’s worked hard. It’s just amazing.”
The crew of the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet joined the party after Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2000 DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR Hall of Fame Collection, gift of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Before leaving the attention to his son, Earnhardt, the father and team owner, said, “I’m just glad to be there with them. It’s his (moment) now. It’s his. That’s his race. He won it and they need to enjoy it.”
After his win at Texas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave post-race media interviews from Victory Lane. NASCAR Hall of Fame Collection, gift of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
The younger Earnhardt cherished the moment with his famous father.
“He just told me he loved me and he wanted to make sure that I took the time to enjoy and realize what we had accomplished.”
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