Dale, Jr. Yearns to Return to Myrtle Beach Weekly Late Model Racing

Charlotte Observer sports columnist, Tom Sorensen did a Question & Answer session with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in which Junior expressed a desire one day to return to weekly racing. I've excerpted the last part of the column, where Dale, Jr. was telling of the brisket he'll barbecue for Memorial Day and comparing the preparation to weekly Late Model racing. There is a link at the bottom to the entire column. Sounds like car builder Rick Townsend may get an Earnhardt call again one day in the future like he did from Dale Earnhardt, Sr. to build the original Late Model Stock Cars driven by Dale, Junior and Kelley at Myrtle Beach.

Earnhardt studies brisket. He might have a brisket documentary.

Its just like working on old race cars. It reminds me of what it used to be like to work on a late model, doing things at the right time, getting things ready, kind of like loading a car up and taking it down to Myrtle Beach to race.

Earnhardt smiles when he talks about racing in Myrtle Beach .

Q. Do you ever wish you werent so well known and could just head down and race?

I think thats how Ill wind my career down. If I have the wherewithal and the financial ability Id like to go back to Nationwide then eventually back to late model and drive until Im in my 50s and 60s.

Back in the late model days you raced with your friends. Nobody had to really know anything. Nobody had to be perfect. Preparing the car was relatively simple; theyre really easy cars to work on. You take it down there, you run a feature, youre in and out and its not a whole weekend, its half a day.

You have fun. The track is kind of one big family. You see the same people every week. Its just a really simple way of doing things.

That would be the perfect way.

Sorensen: 704-358-5119; tsorensen@charlotteobserver.com; Twitter: @tomsorensen

Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2013/05/24/106684/qa-with-dale-earnhardt-jr-his.html#storylink=cpy

No matter how far up you go you allways want to go back home

I used to go to Myrtle Beach back in the '90's just to watch Dale, Jr. Honestly, he was nothing spectacular at the 'beach, 'bout a 5th place car, unless some cars fell out in front of him. At first, he ran an old Lumina bodied late model, just a plain white #3. The Lumina was eventually painted bright green and sponsored bySun Drop. But the results stayed the same. Seems like Gary Hargett was his crew chief, as he was Dale, Sr.'s, but even so, they didn't set the woods on fire. Results notwithstanding, I felt Jr. was gonna be big one day, and I wanted to witness the early days of his career. Maybe Big E wanted to make Jr. 'hungry' and did not provide him with the best of equipment. Somewhat surprisingly, when Jr. left the late models he won championships at the Bush level, and has never looked back....except maybe now.

I used to work with a guy who crewed for Jr at Myrtle Beach. He said the same thing about the cars. He said JR ran big spring cars when the technology was headed for coil-overs at the late model level. Said SR wanted it that way....possibly to more resemble the feel of cars he would be driving later in his career.

Ironically, when Jr. was at Myrtle Beach,(older brother) Kerry was a star with the oldGoody's Dashseries. The Dash cars used to run once a season at Myrtle Beach, and on "Dash" night, when Jr. was still driving the old Lumina, a big 18-wheelGoodwrench-emblazoned hauler impressively rolled into the pit area. It was Kerry's team, a Dash-clone of Big-E's car....he didn't set the woods on fire either. It's strange how their fortunes completely reversed. Kerry's now simply known as Jeffry Earnhardt's father. And Jr.'s bigger than the Beatles.

I never watched Dale, Jr. or his sister in late models, but I was told that sister Kelley was the better driver. Any truth to that?

That's always been the story-line, Dave. There was no linear connection to Dale Jr's. late model career, and his career in the Busch series. It was like two different drivers. Don't know if that's a statement of equipment, support, talent, or the level of competition that was at the Beach back in those days.