Dale Jr.. wins on 15th anniversary of father’s death

Everything happens in NASCAR for a reason

After a day of outpouring on social media remembering the legendary Dale Earnhardt on the 15th anniversary of his passing, his son provided the perfect capper.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s victory in the opening Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway assured the Hendrick Motorsports driver a starting spot up front in Sunday's 58th annual Daytona 500, a race he's won twice. But it also conjured up plenty of fond memories of racing at the track where Earnhardt lost his life in a crash on Feb. 18, 2001.

"It's real special. I was thinking about that," he said. "I try not to make too big a deal. I've told all you guys in interviews we've done how much I like people to remember Dad, talk about Dad. It really warms my heart to see the stuff on social media and so forth. That's probably my best way to gauge the reaction to a day like this. You see a lot of people mention him, even the Braves and all that stuff. It's pretty cool."