TIMMONSVILLE, SC — For a moment to Florence Motor CircuitNASCAR fans were thrown back to the mid-2000s with the return of one of the sport’s most recognizable programs.
Among the 41 cars in the South Carolina 400 was the iconic Chevrolet Budweiser #8 that NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. popularized during the early years of his career. Accompanying Earnhardt Jr. to Florence was his devoted fan base who enveloped the stands in a sea of red once commonplace at NASCAR races across the country.
Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t help but immerse himself in the atmosphere generated by the first race of the No. 8 Budweiser since 2007. The tribute almost ended with Earnhardt Jr. taking the beloved project to Victory Lane, but he found satisfaction in what the weekend meant to himself and those who were invested in his storied career.
“I felt good with the car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I picked them as best I could. The car was excellent and many drivers were starting to struggle with the balance of their cars. For the second half, we were going to stay in second position. When it was time to start putting pressure on (leader Treyten Lapcevich), I could probably free him, come out of the corner and beat him.
“It was time to turn it on, then the fuel pump broke.”
A 40th-place starting position didn’t deter Earnhardt Jr., who moved through the field with relative ease to move into second position at the halfway mark, all the while being cheered on by his exuberant fans. Earnhardt Jr. remained second the rest of the evening until a broken fuel pump took him out of the race with 31 laps remaining.
The final performance of the 28th was not the result most of Junior Nation had anticipated, but the South Carolina 400 proved to be more about the journey for Earnhardt Jr. supporters than the destination.
Although Earnhardt Jr. spent more time in a No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during his Cup Series tenure, Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet is where he built his identity for the first time.
During his eight years full-time at DEI, Earnhardt Jr. amassed 17 wins, 76 top fives and led more than 5,000 laps. Earnhardt Jr.’s most notable accomplishment behind the wheel of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet was his first of two victories in the 2004 Daytona 500.
BACK IN BUTTON: Photos of Dale Jr. in Florence
Earnhardt Jr. parted ways with DEI at the end of the 2007 season, but the memories of his success in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet never faded. Nearly two decades after Earnhardt Jr.’s last outing with DEI and NASCAR events are still packed with spectators gracing the iconic No. 8.
One of those fans is David Faulkner, who traveled five hours from Hampton, Virginia, to see Budweiser No. 8 at least one last time. A longtime follower of the Earnhardt family since the 1970s, Faulkner admitted seeing Earnhardt Jr. pilot a red No. 8 again evoking memories of the victories he had witnessed in person.
“I remember the wins at Richmond, because Richmond is my home track about an hour (from Hampton),” Faulkner said. “Just watching the Budweiser car drive brings back a lot of memories.”
Many stories like Faulkner’s awaited Earnhardt Jr. as he greeted fans throughout the afternoon in Florence. A woman Earnhardt Jr. interacted with has been waiting to get his autograph since the No. 8 Budweiser made its official Cup Series debut at the 1999 Coca-Cola 600.
Earnhardt Jr.’s impact on NASCAR extends far beyond spectators. Since returning to his Late Model Stock origins in 2022, Earnhardt Jr. has been approached by countless competitors, young and old, with each conversation providing Earnhardt Jr. with a healthy perspective on how he has shaped the world that l ‘surrounded.
“I qualified really poorly and I was pretty mad at myself,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I finished, I stopped and one of the other drivers (Gary Greenwood) who was misqualified came out and said, “Keep your head up.” I run because of you. I lost my father and listening to your podcast really helped me. That’s why I bought this car.
“I was so upset about qualifying, but sometimes it’s nice to remember it’s not that important.”
For Dylan Braswell, who ventured to Florence from the small town of Nashville, North Carolina, he never saw Earnhardt Jr. drive the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, but he had long known about the Earnhardts and NASCAR through his late grandmother Dianne.
The two were able to attend Earnhardt Jr.’s final Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017, a few months before Dianne’s death. Braswell attended her trip to the South Carolina 400 to honor Dianne’s love of racing and to understand why the No. 8 was so special to so many people.
“My grandmother got me into NASCAR and she was always passionate about Earnhardt Jr.,” Braswell said. “I was able to watch the video tapes and stuff back then, so that’s kind of where Car No. 8 is for me, watching it on TV.
“I bought tickets instantly as soon as I heard about it.”
Braswell and the rest of the Earnhardt Jr. fans, familiarly known as Junior Nation, were treated to a thrilling performance from their favorite driver as he fought to make his own history in the South Carolina 400.
Until a few months ago, few people in the NASCAR industry would have expected to see Earnhardt Jr. bring back the project that launched his career, for whatever reason. Circumstances brought Budweiser No. 8 back to life, an opportunity few Earnhardt Jr. fans were willing to pass up, as the packed South Carolina 400 witnessed.
Saturday was perfect for people like Faulkner because it allowed him and others to reflect on pleasant memories and cherish the rebirth of a part of the past in the present.
“I’ve been waiting for this since I saw a little hint in April when (Earnhardt Jr.) launched a bunch of Budweiser stuff on the Internet,” Faulkner said. “I thought he was going to bring back the Budweiser car and now here I am.
“It’s iconic.”
RELATED: Dale Jr. through the years
Besides the broken fuel pump and poor qualifying effort, Earnhardt Jr. got everything he wanted by bringing the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet to the South Carolina 400. The goal of the initiative was to give back to the fans, including many descended on Florence to see what Earnhardt Jr. could do in his iconic project.
The performance Earnhardt Jr. turned in Saturday gave him a much-needed boost ahead of the four Late Model Stock debuts scheduled for 2025. Although he’s not sure when this Budweiser project will next see the track, Earnhardt Jr. intends to bring him back. before inevitably deciding to withdraw from racing altogether.
“At some point you’re going to get old,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don’t know why or how it happens, but I don’t know when it happens. Maybe I still have three, four, five years left. If I have anything to do with it, they’ll see that car again Bud.
Every time Earnhardt Jr. next unloads the No. 8 Budweiser, the stands will be red and black, filled with loyal spectators eager to see if the famous car will find its way to Victory Lane, as it did in the 2000s .
