Emotional Daytona 500 win could boost Earnhardt

EVER SINCE he started racing in NASCAR's elite series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been enormously popular. The Earnhardt name, combined with his talent and enthusiasm, had fans flocking to "Junior Nation." Winning 15 Sprint Cup races in his first five seasons enhanced his popularity.

Then the wins began occurring few and far between - only four from 2005 through 2013, and people started questioning him.

"We weren't running good; we were struggling," Earnhardt recalled Tuesday in a teleconference as he paused in a whirlwind tour of media functions marking his victory in Sunday's Daytona 500. "I think people underestimated how much I care about performance. I don't think people realized how much winning mattered to me.

"When you look at the critics and you look at their comments, aside from people saying I was overrated, they would always say I didn't have killer instinct, I didn't have the stuff that I needed to drive to win a championship, I didn't want it bad enough.

"When people really pick at your determination, your drive, your hunger, that bothered me more than anything else did, because I grew up around the sport, and I love it to death. I would do anything for NASCAR. I'd do anything for the health of the sport."

Now, following his dramatic victory in the day/night Daytona 500, Earnhardt is back at the forefront and the sport is better for his success.

"If you look at how happy I was Sunday after winning that race, you'll know how bad I want to win," he said. "You'll know how much winning means to me, and you'll know from now on that there's no questioning my killer instinct or drive.

"To come all the way back to where we are now, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am and thankful I am that Rick Hendrick didn't give up on me. I've been pretty vindicated, but I'm in a good place now. I got my priorities in better shape.

"I feel we're embarking on a season that could be something really special for me. Whether we win the championship or not remains to be seen obviously. But I had one of my greatest years last year, and I think we can top that this season."

It's early, but Earnhardt seems to sense he could be tracking his first Cup series title. And wouldn't that be the perfect way for Steve Letarte to go out as Earnhardt's crew chief? Next year, Letarte will join the NBC broadcasting crew handling NASCAR telecasts.

Those who stayed with Sunday's race, which was delayed by rain for nearly 6 1/2 hours, noticed how intense it was for the drivers. Racing close to one another at almost 200 mph creates such steering wheel-squeezing feelings.

"I could feel it; it was electric, man," Earnhardt said. "I don't know why it was like that. I wish I knew, because that's what NASCAR wants to bottle and sell.

"It felt so different than any other race I'd ever been in, any other Daytona 500 I'd been in, for sure. The intensity level was at a max. Races usually have a lull in the middle, don't get going till the end. When it's time to put money on the line, people start picking up the intensity. We sustained it from the time we started, restarted, all the way to the end. I couldn't believe it.

"I think people were enjoying themselves. I think everybody was having fun with each other, putting each other in difficult situations, bringing out the best in each other. There was really something special going on.

"I know everybody thinks it's the greatest race they ever saw because Dale Jr. won it. Taking that out of the equation, I think it really was an exciting race and one of the most exciting Daytona 500s I've ever been in and one of the most intense races I've ever been in."

While Earnhardt has been busy with media obligations, he's aware of fans' joyful reaction to his victory.

"When I sit down to all those videos, especially the kid crying, it gets me emotional seeing their emotions because I know what the win means to me," he said. "To see what it means for someone else, how it affects someone else is such a reward. It's a really awesome thing when you can do something that brings joy to someone else. There's no greater feeling for me anyway."

Earnhardt had a strong season last year, with five runner-up finishes. In the Chase, he had five top-fives. Give much credit for Earnhardt's recent performances to Letarte, a 35-year-old Maine native who has been with Hendrick Motorsports since he was 16. They are serious about having a memorable final season together.

From the hard-to-believe file: Earnhardt turns 40 on Oct. 10. That date is a little more than a month before the Chase finale in Homestead, Fla. One man's hunch is, Earnhardt will be involved in the race for the Chase.

The Profit on CNBC 500

Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

When: Sunday, 3 p.m.

TV/Radio: Fox 29/WDSD (94.7 FM), WNPV (1440 AM)

Course: 1-mile oval

Distance: 312 laps/500 kilometers

Forecast: Partly cloudy, mid-60s

Last year's winner: Carl Edwards

Last year's pole: Mark Martin, 138.074 mph

Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch, 138.766 mph (November 2012)

Track facts: Carl Edwards led the most laps, 122, including the last 78 laps to win last year's race. Martin paced the second-most laps, 75; he finished 21st. Jimmie Johnson was runner-up in the race; Denny Hamlin was third ... Kevin Harvick won the fall race at the track ... Johnson and Harvick have the most wins at Phoenix (four each). Edwards, Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton are two-time winners ... Since Daytona became the season-opening race in 1982, only two drivers have won the next race: Matt Kenseth in 2009 at Phoenix and Gordon in 1997 at Rockingham, N.C. Previously, the Cup series opened each year at Riverside, Calif.; Daytona was the second race on the schedule.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.48

2. Denny Hamlin 43

3. Brad Keselowski 42

4. Jeff Gordon 40

5. Jimmie Johnson 40

6. Matt Kenseth 38

7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 37

8. Greg Biffle 37

9. Austin Dillon 36

10. Casey Mears 34

11. Joey Logano 34

12. Kevin Harvick 31

13. Jamie McMurray 30

14. Bobby Labonte 29

15. Reed Sorenson 28

16. Carl Edwards 28

17. Marcos Ambrose 26

18. Kyle Busch 26

19. Terry Labonte 24

20. Kurt Busch 24

Up next: Kobalt 400, March 9, Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas. 3 p.m.; TV: Fox; last year's winner: Matt Kenseth.