Skip to main content
Join Now
NASCAR Logo

Dale Earnhardt Jr. responds to 'overwhelming' fan reaction to return of Budweiser No. 8 car at Florence Motor Speedway

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•11/26/24•

brianjones_93

Dale Earnhardt Jr (13)
Apr 28, 2006; Talladega, AL, USA; Nascar Nextel Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. of the (8) Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo during practice for the Aarons 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE Copyright © 2006 Mark J. Rebilas

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is speaking out on bringing back the Budweiser No. 8 car at Florence Motor Speedway this past weekend. On Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt talked about the fan reaction to the car competing in the South Carolina 400.

“We brought the Bud car back. I thought the idea to bring the Bud car and the No. 8 back was really a great idea,” Earnhardt said. “Beautiful looking car. I was excited about all of that stuff. One of the things that I didn’t think about and I don’t think you can prep for is what kind of reaction that other people will have to it.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

“I knew people were going to like it, I loved all the excitement around it and all of the stuff that I saw from fans on social media when we did the announcement. But as we got to the racetrack, I kind of got overwhelming sense of pressure, lots and lots of pressure. The response far exceeded what I probably thought was going to happen. I was really taken aback by the reaction and the weekend and how it all kind of built.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. came close to winning Florence race with Budweiser car

It was an up-and-down weekend for Dale Jr. as he needed the promoter’s provisional to qualify for the finale. Earnhardt was in second at the halfway point of the race, but with 30 laps remaining, Earnhardt earned a DNF because his fuel pump failed.

“I felt great about the car,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the race, per NASCAR.com. “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.”

The No. 8 Budweiser car made Earnhardt a star during the early stages of his NASCAR Cup Series career. While driving the car, Earnhardt was part of the team Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and won multiple races, including the 2004 Daytona 500.