Success at Martinsville Speedway meant a lot to Dale Earnhardt Sr. After all, he had six victories at the Virginian Paperclip. Therefore, when his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. picked his first and only win the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville, Larry McReynolds, Dale Sr.’s crew chief back in 1997, praised the then-Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Martinsville Speedway is a special place for Hendrick Motorsports as well. The team’s first-ever victory came there in 1984 through the hands of Geoff Bodine. As of today, the Chevy team flaunts 29 victories at Martinsville, the most number of wins for the team at any racetrack.
Speaking of how much Dale Earnhardt Sr. loved racing at the 0.526-mile racetrack, McReynolds said in an interview (via Hendrick Motorsports),
“I think he knew how much that race meant to his dad. His dad had a lot of success there. Also with Dale Earnhardt Jr., even if you watch and listen to him today, he’s all about the short tracks and there’s not a more famous short track than Bristol and Martinsville on our schedule.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had already amassed 12 top-5s and five top-10s at Martinsville before his 2014 win. Paired with Steve Letarte as his crew chief, who already had two wins at Martinsville (2005) Dale Jr. knew he had to overcome his rather disappointing P23 qualification.
By lap 87, Dale Jr. made the top 10, and with 13 to go, he was contending for the win. The NASCAR Hall of Famer capitalized on the last restart and held off fellow drivers David Ragan and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
As he continued darting toward the finishing line, Tony Stewart tried battling for the lead but couldn’t beat Earnhardt Jr. due to older tires. In the end, Jeff Gordon charged hard for the lead, but Dale Jr. never gave it away.
“It’s a real emotional win,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. in victory lane. “This team on pit road was great and Steve and the guys just did a good job all day. They gave me a great shot at it there with the call at the end to take tires. I just … I can’t believe we won here.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team announces major DEI return
JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., his sister Kelley Earnhardt, and Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports, recently announced the return of the font of the iconic No. 8 Budweiser Chevy in 2025.
Earnhardt Jr. used to run the same paint scheme back when he used to drive for Dale Earnhardt Inc., a race team founded by his dad and later run by his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt.
JR Motorsports has tabbed Sammy Smith to pilot the machine for the upcoming season. Announcing the return of the No. 8 car, the North Carolina-based outfit tweeted,
“Ready to make some more history… in style.”
Smith was grateful to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports for the opportunity. He shared the post with his comments that read:
“I’m honored to bring this version of the legendary 8 back to the track. Thank you @DaleJr and @JRMotorsports.”
A 20-year-old native of Johnson, Smith is already the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East champion. His most recent victory came at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2024. Smith closed this season 11th on points with seven top-5s and 16 top-10s to his credit.
Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer