Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows what it takes to win — and that’s a fast car. Earnhardt won his second race of the year at Daytona on Sunday, beating Jimmie Johnson (second) and the rain. It was a race filled with big name drivers all finishing high, with Denny Hamlin 3rd, and Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch 4th and 5th.
[Dale Earnhardt Jr. Proposes But Won’t Wear Wedding Ring]
Asked what made the difference, Earnhardt Jr. said: “Just great motors. The guys in the engine shops do such a good job… they put together such good cars. This car is the one we won Talladega with. It’s going to get retired one of these days. Hopefully, we get to keep using it… the boss man doesn’t put it in the barn yet.” That horse barn sentiment sounds like jockey Victor Espinoza after American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown. “The way he runs,” Espinoza said, “you don’t even feel it when he goes that fast.” Both Espinoza and Earnhardt Jr. appreciate horsepower.