Governor Ivey Declares This Sunday ‘Dale Earnhardt Jr. Day’ in Alabama
It's race week at Talladega, with the Alabama 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday and Governor Kay Ivey has declared this Sunday, Oct. 15th as ‘Dale Earnhardt Jr. Day’ in the state of Alabama. The governor will also serve as Grand Marshal for the race that gets underway at 1 p.m.
Talladega Superspeedway says Sunday will be an emotional one for Dale Jr., who will make his final start at the track he calls a “second home.” He won his first Talladega race in October 2001, kicking off a seven-race stretch that is unprecedented in the history of the track. Between the fall of 2001 and fall of 2004, Dale Jr. won five out of seven races, including a record four straight. The other two races ended in runner-up finishes. His most recent win came in the 2015 GEICO 500.
A victory in the Alabama 500 would move Dale Jr. into 2nd place on the all-time Talladega wins list wins list with 7, trailing only his father – Dale Earnhardt Sr. – who had 10.