NASCAR announced its 2020 Hall of Fame Class on television Tuesday afternoon, which included Dale Earnhardt Jr. – the son of the famed driver of the No. 3 – that made a a name for himself as the most popular driver in the country during his career.
Earnhardt Jr., on top of being a 15-time Most Popular Driver Award winner, is a two-time Daytona 500 champion as well as a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Owner champion.
He is joined in the class by both Red Farmer and Mark Stefanik.
Some have doubted whether or not Earnhardt Jr. deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, due to his lack of a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Wow. I love Jr., he's a good dude. He's not a HOF race car driver
— Dave Wheeler (@DaveWheeler11) June 17, 2020
Even Earnhardt Jr. was surprised to make it in.
“It’s such a great feeling that someone feels like I made an impact on the sport,’’ Earnhardt said. “And I know my numbers, the wins, the lack of a championship, I know what my numbers are. And I feel like I was chosen based on that but also based on the impact off the race track and being an ambassador for the sport.”
Although, it seems that the overwhelming majority recognizes was Earnhardt Jr. brought to the sport.
The passion and dedication to NASCAR, and pure transparency over his career is what won him the popularity awards – not his father’s last name.
Now, after Tuesday’s announcement, his name will go down in NASCAR history books, right next to his father’s.