Guest Column by Cathy Elliott

There are many things I like and admire about Dale Earnhardt Jr., but one particular item that keeps popping up is the fact that just when you’re a little bit tempted to give up on the guy, he saves it. Junior definitely knows how to come through in the clutch.

The ability to be productive in a “clutch” situation is one of the characteristics that sets a good athlete apart in his or her individual sports. The term is generally applied to someone who succeeds in pressure situations, who does well with the game on the line.

It can also refer to someone who, when it really counts, manages to overcome any related stress and live up to his own hype. At Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. put to rest once and for all any doubt about his ability to rise to an occasion.

And what an occasion it was.

The decision for Junior to drive the No. 3 Chevrolet, complete with a retro Wrangler paint scheme made famous by his father, wasn’t exactly a publicity stunt; he’s driven the “3” a couple of times before. It was more of a marketing promotion, a cooperative effort between Richard Childress Racing, which holds the rights to the No. 3, JR Motorsports, the company owned by Earnhardt Jr., and Dale Sr.’s widow, Teresa Earnhardt.

The collaboration celebrated the new NASCAR Hall of Fame’s May 2010 induction ceremony and served as a tribute to Earnhardt Sr., a member of the HOF’s inaugural class.

Fans didn’t care too terribly much about the many wonderful reasons why the No. 3 would be competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. They just rejoiced in the fact that the car, a beloved and even revered NASCAR icon in its own right, would once again be making its way around DIS.

After the initial hype settled down, the speculative frenzy began. Surely, Junior would win the race; he HAD to win the race. This is no mean feat at Daytona, where the smallest ill-timed movement can result in a double-digit attrition rate. On-track incidents don’t discriminate. Last names or car numbers doesn’t impress them. To them, all drivers are created equal.

Stories of celebrities’ kids who have tried without much success to follow in their famous parents’ footsteps aren’t uncommon. Can you even begin to imagine being the son of Joe Montana? Or Michael Jordan? Or Dale Earnhardt?

It’s hard to go out and make a name for yourself in the world when someone else has already spectacularly done that for you. In fact, it’s close to impossible. Even if his blood is running through your own veins, how can you compete with a legend?

The answer, of course, is that you can’t. All you can do is try your hardest, and be yourself. That, or move to South America and change your name, which seems to be a much less popular option. Why these guys don’t all have ulcers is beyond me.

Back to Daytona. On the plus side we had Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming to race at a track where he performs exceptionally well, driving some of the sport’s best equipment.

On the minus side we had the inherent vagaries of a NASCAR race, 42 other drivers all anxious to get to Victory Lane, and millions of fans not only hoping for, but actually expecting, the driver of the No. 3 Wrangler car to bring it home.

How did Dale Earnhardt Jr. respond?

He hit it out of the park. For the first time in over two years, he won a points-paying race. In the No. 3 Wrangler car. At Daytona. On the Fourth of July weekend. With his father’s dear friend and car owner Richard Childress standing by his side, telling him his dad would be proud.

It was one of the most magnificent clutch plays I have ever witnessed, in any sport. I have never been more touched by an individual driver’s accomplishment on the track. Anyone who wants to talk about the determination, tenacity and sheer grit of Dale Sr., well, carry on, because you’re absolutely right.

But did you get a load of his kid?

Junior came back the next night and wrapped up the weekend by finishing fourth in the Coke Zero 400, racing his way into the current Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Not too shabby.

As far as the big picture goes, Junior’s Nationwide Series crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. probably said it best — “To come back with that number and do this, it means everything.”

There will be no repeat performance of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide Series triumph, at Daytona or anywhere else. “This is it. No more 3 for me,” he said in Victory Lane after the race.

Disappointing? Perhaps, but that’s OK. Because no doubt everyone would agree that on this one night, he did it all, and it was more than enough.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.