Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings home the win for Junior Nation

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”244″][/media-credit]Sometimes it is fun to step out of the shadows of media objectivity and tell it like it is.

I don’t just enjoy writing about NASCAR, I’m a fan of the sport.

I love the smell of exhaust fumes mingled with gas, the noise that makes the casual observer resort to ear protection, the drivers with all their idiosyncrasies and the zealous fans.  The intensity of 43 cars roaring around the tracks at speeds of over 200 mph is an excitement no other sport can provide.

There’s one other thing you should know.  I’ve always had a soft spot for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

When Earnhardt Jr. won the Quicken Loan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, the fans of NASCAR’s most popular driver were ecstatic. He broke a four year winless streak and also came one step closer to proving he is a viable contender to win a Sprint Cup Championship.

I was a little surprised at my reaction. There was a big grin on my face but I wasn’t on my feet screaming as he crossed the finish line in first place like most of his fans.  It was more a moment of quiet satisfaction. Maybe it’s because I knew the win was coming sooner rather than later.

I’ve had the opportunity to see Earnhardt Jr. a few times this season during sessions with the media and there has been something different about him.  He seemed more relaxed, his confidence was apparent and there was an eagerness about him that I had not seen in a while. His smile was bigger and his gaze was more direct as he answered questions.

After the win, Earnhardt Jr. was asked about the significance of winning on Father’s Day and he admitted that he had not even thought about it.

This was just another indicator of what I have come to believe. For perhaps the first time in his career, Earnhardt Jr. is finally coming to terms with the fact that he is more than Dale Earnhardt’s son.  Perhaps he has finally realized what his fans knew all along. Earnhardt Jr. belongs in the sport, not because of who his father was, but because he has the talent to back it up.