"I felt guilty": Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls emotional return to the racetrack that claimed his father's life

Amazon Prime recently posted the first look of Episode 4 of the documentary on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s father on Instagram. In the post, Dale Jr. opened up about the mixed emotions he felt after visiting the Daytona International Speedway for the first time since his father, Dale Sr.'s, tragic death.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. passed away at the Daytona International Speedway at the age of 49. He was driving the #3 Richard Childress Racing's Chevy Monte Carlo when he crashed in Turn 4 during the last lap of the Daytona 500. His son Dale Jr. was also competing in the race and finished as the runner-up in the crown jewel event.

Reflecting on the tragic episode of his life, Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed he didn't know where the crash happened, but he walked to the general area to see how he would feel. He got emotionally overwhelmed and revealed he felt "guilty." Dale Jr. further backed his statement, saying (via Instagram):

"I just had this feeling that I shouldn't be mad at I shouldn't dread going to Daytona, but at the same time, there was this weird feeling. I almost hesitate to say this, because it isn't going to make any sense to anybody, but there was this really strange feeling of freedom. And I felt guilty even about feeling that way at all. I felt so guilty. I mean, I'm still in the very beginning of my hopefully long career."

"And so I kind of decided then there that I wasn't gonna hold anything against the track. And if anything. Daytona was maybe even more special because Dad passed away there," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s father had a successful career in the stock car racing series. He secured 76 races, 281 top-five, 428 top-10 finishes, and 28 pole positions in 676 starts. Additionally, he won the Cup Series championship title seven times, making him one of the three drivers to achieve the feat.

---

“I feel like it was a great opportunity to introduce him to people”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about approving the 'Earnhardt' project

Earlier this month, former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, told the media why they allowed Prime to work on a documentary on their father. The seven-time Cup Series champion passed away over two decades ago, and Dale Jr. wanted to introduce new stock car racing fans to his father's legacy.

The former Hendrick Motorsports driver told NBC Sports:

“I see a lot of people ask the question, new fans that are coming in saying, ‘Why is this person so respected, appreciated? Why was he so loved? Help me understand.’ And so I feel like it was a great opportunity to introduce him to people that maybe don’t know him that well, or don’t know much about his career.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't win a single NASCAR Cup Series championship title. But he secured 26 wins, 149 top-five finishes, and 260 top-10 finishes in 631 starts. Additionally, he won the Most Popular Driver award 15 times in his Cup Series stint.