It won’t be wrong to say that the darling driver of America, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has achieved more than most people do in their lifetimes. From being a great driver to being a philanthropist, and a progressive voice in the sport, he has done it all. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has a huge fan base. But, what surprised the driver was the extent of their love and loyalty, which was witnessed in Florence Speedway last Friday.

A wave of red engulfed the grandstands to watch Dale Jr. back in action but the veteran didn’t have a great start to the weekend. Heck, he didn’t even qualify well, starting at the 40th position. But, he was cheered for the fighter he is and the difference he made to the race that day and the sport every day. The overwhelming fan response to Dale Jr. reviving his iconic Budweiser #8 livery after 17 years was a sight to behold.

The unprecedented fan presence in Florence: A tribute to Dale Jr.’s legacy

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the 2007 season, the memories of his successful stint in the No. 8 car continued to resonate. Nearly two decades later, NASCAR events still attract crowds of fans proudly wearing the famous No. 8. During his time with DEI, one of his most significant achievements was claiming his first Daytona 500 victory in 2004 while driving the iconic Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet.

So, when Dale Jr. reunited with Budweiser for racing, we knew a storm was building up. But, who knew it would engulf everything that comes in its way, and in a good way? From his merchandise to the grandstand, everything was full. Imagine having to send back fans!

As per NASCAR, there were fans like David Faulkner, a lifelong follower of the Earnhardt family, who traveled five hours from Virginia, to see the Budweiser No. 8 for at least one final time. Since the 1970s, Faulkner admitted seeing Earnhardt Jr. pilot a red No. 8 again evoked memories of the victories he got to witness in person.

And you know what, when Dale Jr. got out of his red car in his red livery, some people wept. And one of them is no other than the outspoken insider Kenny Wallace.

“Just watching Dale Jr. get out of the car and seeing that Budweiser the B, the letter B, that style on the back of his firesuit – man, I had to wipe my eyes. I thought it was a time warp. I’m like, is it 1990 something all over again? Because he had that same walk, he had that same talk,” Wallace said on his YouTube channel.

And, that’s the power of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his iconic #8 that had been parked for 17 years before this race. Who could have even imagined that the same automobile would struggle to get itself heard amid the roar of the fans?

And, that’s what Dale Jr. said on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, “I knew people were gonna like it. I loved all the excitement around it and all the stuff that I saw from fans on social media as we made the announcement. But, as we got to the race track. Man, I kind of got an overwhelming sense of pressure. lots and lots of pressure. The response far exceeded what I probably thought was gonna happen. I was taken aback by the reaction and the weekend and how it all kind of built.”

The race was on Friday. On Thursday, as per Dale, the situation was like this: “On Thursday, We were all kind of practicing. There were no fans allowed, and no tickets were sold. And so it was relatively calm. You didn’t get a gist of what was coming.”

The situation changed on Friday. “We had some practice before the race. The track was open to fans. Bud gear starts showing up. Fans started showing up, which was great. On race day you are hearing, that they are turning people away. No more room for people to come, and watch the race. I don’t know, who might have had that experience and what that experience was like for people who might have shown up but couldn’t get a ticket, or didn’t have anywhere to be. But it was packed. There were a lot of folks. I anticipated that. But, just the energy from it was overwhelming.”

It might be worth noting here that JR Motorsports has already sold the reunion merchandise to the tune of about a million. Power of fans, we tell you!

Throwback to the race car and Dale Jr.’s performance

So, this has been established: Iconic driver, legendary reunion, powerful marketing force. What about the car? Well, fans loved the car. And, this is what Dale Jr. feels about it.

“I felt great about the car. Picked them off as I could. The car was excellent and a lot of guys were starting to struggle with the balance of their car. For the second half, we were going to sit there in second. When it was time to start pressuring (leader Treyten Lapcevich), I could probably get him loose, drive off the corner, and beat him. It was about time to turn it on and then the fuel pump broke.”

Starting from 40th place, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made an impressive march through the pack, reaching second place by the halfway point of the race, all while being supported by his enthusiastic fans. He maintained that position until a broken fuel pump took him out of the race with 31 laps to go, ultimately finishing in 28th place—a disappointing result for many in Junior Nation. However, the South Carolina 400 was more about the experience for Earnhardt Jr.’s fans than the outcome.

Wallace said that he showed a fighting spirit. “He’s in fighter mode. He took that race car last night and showed how smart he is. Starting 40th, most likely you’re going to wreck getting to the front at those types of races. And, boy did they wreck their a– off. Dale Jr. started on the outside, harder to make things happen, went to the bottom, and started slicing and dicing. And, I’m going to tell you what that crowd roared when everybody realized, holy crap, this is a Cinderella story.”

How did you feel about the revival of the number 8 on track?