Return of iconic Budweiser No. 8 unites Junior Nation at Florence Motor Speedway
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — For a moment in time at Florence Motor Speedway, NASCAR fans were thrust back into the mid-2000s with the return of one of the sport’s most recognizable schemes.
Among the 41-car field for the South Carolina 400 was the iconic No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet that NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. popularized during the early years of his career. Accompanying Earnhardt Jr. at Florence was his devoted fanbase that enveloped the grandstands with a sea of red once commonplace at NASCAR races around the country.
Earnhardt Jr. could not help but get immersed in the atmosphere generated by the Budweiser No. 8’s first race since 2007. The tribute nearly ended with Earnhardt Jr. taking the beloved scheme to Victory Lane, but he found satisfaction in what the weekend meant to himself and those who have been invested in his storied career.
“I felt great about the car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Picked them off as I could. The car was excellent and a lot of guys were starting to struggle with the balance of their car. For the second half, we were going to sit there in second. When it was time to start pressuring (leader Treyten Lapcevich), I could probably get him loose, drive off the corner and beat him.
“It was about time to turn it on and then the fuel pump broke.”
A 40th-place starting position did little to stymie Earnhardt Jr., who carved through the field with relative ease to nestle himself into the second position at the halfway break, all while being cheered on by his exuberant fans. Earnhardt Jr. stayed in second the rest of the evening until a broken fuel pump knocked him out of the race with 31 laps remaining.
The final showing of 28th was not the outcome most members of Junior Nation had anticipated, yet the South Carolina 400 proved to be more about the journey for Earnhardt Jr.’s followers instead of the destination.
Although Earnhardt Jr. spent more time in a Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet during his Cup Series tenure, the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. is where he first built his identity.
During his eight full-time years with DEI, Earnhardt Jr. amassed 17 victories, 76 top fives and led over 5,000 laps. The most notable of Earnhardt Jr.’s accomplishments in the Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet was his first of two Daytona 500 victories in 2004.
BACK IN BUD: Photos of Dale Jr. at 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 on from Earnhardt Jr.’s final outing with DEI and NASCAR events are still filled with spectators who adorn the iconic No. 8.
One of those fans is David Faulkner, who traveled five hours from Hampton, Virginia, to see the Budweiser No. 8 for at least one final time. A lifelong follower of the Earnhardt family since the 1970s, Faulkner admitted seeing Earnhardt Jr. pilot a red No. 8 again evoked memories of the victories he got to witness in person.
“I remember the wins at Richmond, because Richmond is my home track about an hour away [from Hampton],” Faulkner said. “Just watching the Budweiser car running around brings back a lot of memories.”
