2006 Chevrolet NASCAR, Dale JR

This is a 2007 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo, built by DEI Inc., the acronym for Dale Earnhardt International, the motorsports enterprise behind one of the most famous dynasties in American motorsports. Chassis DEI 040 is finished in red with Budweiser livery, and was raced by Dale Earnhardt Junior in the 2007 season. It participated in the 2007 Pepsi 400 on Saturday, July 7th at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, where it wound up in 36th place in running condition. 

This NASCAR Chevrolet comes with full documentation and records, and is in running and driving condition. 

There are legends in motorsports, and legendary families. And then, beyond any impressive statistics from the icons of the sport, there is royalty. And this red racing Chevy is part of American racing royalty.

For fans of NASCAR, there are only a few that achieved that level of acclaim for the quintessentially American racing series. Born of illegal bootleggers outrunning the authorities during prohibition, and flat-out top speed runs right at the ocean’s edge in Daytona Beach, the drivers and families that were most admired were those that defied the odds – and the risks of bumping each other at speed – the determined few that consistently clawed, fought and knocked their way to the front for the win in many a NASCAR race. 

Next to a straight demolition derby, NASCAR is easily the most physical and confrontational racing series in the world – not just for the driver, but for the racecar. It involves the kind of contact that earns you a 10 second penalty in Formula 1, but is quickly dismissed in NASCAR, because 'rubbin’ is racin''. If you’re driving and shy away from the push, you’re quickly at the back of the pack, because the competition amongst drivers is merciless.

And so, in this environment where intimidation is the rule and not the exception, it takes a lot to legitimately earn the nickname 'The Intimidator' from your peers. Which brings us to the scion of an American racing royalty family, Dale Earnhardt Senior.

Looking at his pictures from the peak of his career, the observer can’t help but believe that he was the perfect man for his era. There is almost no fashion accessory more locked into a specific time period than mirrored wraparound sunglasses, and nobody rocked a pair of wraparounds the way Earnhardt Sr. did. Even when a picture captures him smiling in a post-victory moment, his expression exudes all the inviting warmth of a shark assessing the best way to make a quick meal of you.

Into this environment came his son Dale Junior, and nepotism be damned, his seemingly more easy going demeanor did not translate to any less of a fearsome approach to his track style. If anything, he seemed more at ease and comfortable with that, even as he acknowledged people’s assessment of him as lucky or 'privileged'.

That pressure to measure up to his father increased exponentially when Dale Senior died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, tapped at the right rear just enough to cause him to slide sideways and then grip at just the wrong moment to propel him straight into the wall. It was a seismic moment for every fan, participant, and team that had competed against him, but it left a son representing a legacy, even as the reason for that legacy was gone.

All of this makes the number 8 Chevy for auction here an even more poignant reminder. While Dale raced with DEI for the 2007 season, a dispute over ownership shares of his father’s company with his stepmother saw Dale Junior part ways with them, and head out on his own. From the outside, it’s always frustrating to watch events like these, and feel that there had to be some way to bridge the gap and find common ground. But details are best left to the people involved, and speculation set aside. But that split means that this DEI Chevy is one of the last racecars piloted by Dale Junior with his late father’s organization. 

The actual specs of the car, as heavily dictated as they are by NASCAR committees to allow participation in their series, means that it isn’t any more or less impressive compared to another racecar from the same year. But as an artifact of American racing, it’s a tipping point, and from a moment in time that can’t be recreated or duplicated.