"I'm comfortable thinking about it": When Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared how he came to peace with his father's passing

In 2014, Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about his late father, Dale Earnhardt, and revealed how he made peace with his father's passing. Speaking about this in an interview, the former Cup Series driver stated that Earnhardt's memory was something he could not help thinking about, but then got comfortable as time went by.

Earnhardt Jr. lost his father in 2001 during the Daytona 500, the inaugural race of that season, at the Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt was racing in the final lap of the race, and this was when a three-car crash killed him.

Earnhardt was immediately taken to the Halifax Medical Center, but was pronounced dead. The seven-time world champion's death not only shook NASCAR at the time, but also sent a ripple across the motorsport fraternity. 13 years down, his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., misses him but has made peace with his absence.

“That’s a memory that, I can’t help but not think about it,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in an interview with CNN. “I think about it, and I’m comfortable thinking about it. I’m comfortable with how things went down. I believe that things happen for a reason, and that was his – that was his deal. That was his time."

“And as upset as I was, you know, how am I going to live without my daddy, you know? What am I going to do? How am I going to make these decisions? I stopped and I said, you know, ‘I’ve got to feel lucky that he’s put me in this position that I’m in,'" he added.

Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was competing in the same race (the Daytona 500) when his father died after a head-on collision with Ken Schrader. Earnhardt Jr. finished the race in second place behind Michael Waltrip.

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Dale Earnhardt's racing career in a nutshell

Dale Earnhardt is regarded as one of the most successful NASCAR Cup Series drivers. With 76 wins and 22 poles to his name in 676 races, the driver from Kannapolis, North Carolina, claimed seven Cup Series titles. He is the only third driver to have this exclusive feat alongside Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Sr (3) during the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway - Source: Imagn

Known as the Intimidator, he is renowned as one of NASCAR's 50 and 75 Drivers and a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Earnhardt also raced in the Xfinity Series, where he racked up 136 races to his name, picking up 21 wins, seven poles, and 75 Top 10s.

Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has 26 wins, 15 poles, and 260 Top 10s to his name in 631 races over 19 years in the Cup Series. He retired from the Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season. Currently, he co-owns and co-operates the NASCAR team, JR Motorsports, along with his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller.