Dale Earnhardt Jr. has paid tribute to his father on several occasions during his racing career. Now, the torch passes once more, as the fourth generation of the Earnhardt family steps into the spotlight with Bobby Dale Earnhardt paying tribute to his grandfather this weekend.
Bobby Dale, the eldest son of former driver Kerry Earnhardt and the eldest grandson of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt, is set for his first start at Talladega during his first full-time season in the ARCA Menards Series.
For his first start at a track that means so much to the family, Earnhardt will roll out a throwback that pays tribute to his grandfather, sporting a look similar to the Winston No-Bull design from the final race Dale Earnhardt won at Talladega in 2000.
Earnhardt unveiled the new look on X, saying, “First Talladega start this weekend. Rolling out a throwback-inspired scheme. Really thankful for Circle S Gelbvieh and Rancher’s Choice Netwrap and everything they continue to do to support me. Grateful to have Yulee BBQ Sauce Company and Zeb’s Bar-B-Q riding with us again too!”
In the same post, he shared the official press release from Earnhardt-Shearer Racing.
Speaking on his first Talladega run and calling it a full-circle moment, Earnhardt said, “This race has been circled on my calendar for a long time. Making my first start at Talladega is already special, but to do it with this paint scheme takes it to another level. Knowing this was the last scheme my grandpa won with, at this same track, it carries a lot of meaning for me and my family.”
Overall, the Earnhardt family has 21 wins at Talladega across IROC, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts, and the NASCAR Cup Series. But, no member of the family, including Bobby Dale’s father, Kerry, nor his brother, Jeffery, has won an ARCA race at the superspeedway.
“There’s a lot to learn, and you have to be smart all day,” Earnhardt added. “But we’ve shown we can run up front on these superspeedways, and I’m looking forward to putting ourselves in position when it matters most.”
Heading into Talladega, Earnhardt and his team carry momentum from a superspeedway showing earlier this season at Daytona. So far this season, across three starts, Bobby has logged one top-10 finish, which came in the opening race at Daytona, alongside a 37th-place finish at Phoenix and a 13th-place finish at Kansas.
A reliable run at Talladega could continue their momentum from Kansas, but taking the win on Saturday, however, will be a tall order, as the series is mostly dominated by teams like Nitro Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Pinnacle Racing Group.
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