Dale Earnhardt Jr. had himself a pretty good day 19 years ago — to say the least.
Tuesday marks the 19th anniversary of Earnhardt’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series win, which came at Texas Motor Speedway, the site of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. The popular driver celebrated by tweeting a picture of the check he received for the victory, which jump-started both his career, and his bank account.
Winning $50, 475 for driving a car for a few hours opens the door to any number of stereotypes, but still it’s hard not to respect Earnhardt’s humble brag. Also, 1998 was pretty to kind to the now 42-year-old driver, as he won seven total races on his way to winning the series championship.
The 2017 NASCAR season, though, hasn’t gone nearly as well for Earnhardt. The Hendrick Motorsports driver sits 25th in the Cup standings, as his return from last season’s concussion-related absence has been a struggle thus far.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
