Let Earnhardt win final Daytona race? 'Dale Yeah'

Daytona International Speedway might be the house Earnhardt built, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't have a free pass to another victory Saturday night.

With the Coke Zero 400 potentially Earnhardt's final race at the speedway, the main topic of conversation has been the possibility of one final win. And considering the No. 88 team hasn't exactly been top contenders this year, Daytona is one of the few places besides Talladega Superspeedway where he has a good shot at getting a win in his final season.

Related Stories

Unfortunately for Earnhardt, his competitors aren't willing to lay over.

"He's a teammate and a great friend, but I certainly want to out-run him," Chase Elliott said. "I'm not going to feel bad about out-running someone if I can do it. I'm sure there are a lot of fans and a lot of people who would love to see it, but as a racer, I think it's hard to pull for anybody else. I think he would say the same thing about me or anybody else.

"Earnhardts have had a lot of success here at the speedway. Dale Sr. and Jr. have won a lot of races down here and his last race at Daytona is a big deal, but I can't say that I would like to see him win over me by any means."

Elliott isn't the only one. At an event earlier this month to promote the race at Daytona, Denny Hamlin admitted he hears all the time about Earnhardt's impending retirement. It's followed by the question of whether drivers would race Earnhardt differently for a victory.

"Even though we kind of sympathize with, hey, he's going to be retiring, take it easy on the old guy, I remember a guy (Tony Stewart) that was retiring last year that took me out at Sonoma on the last lap," Hamlin said. "I don't have any remorse for the retiring drivers. They're about to go have fun and live the rest of their life, so I'm going to try to win and do everything I can."

Hamlin and Earnhardt battling at Daytona has become common the last few years.

In 2014, Earnhardt beat Hamlin in the Daytona 500. This past February, Hamlin returned the favor by overtaking Earnhardt late in the second Can-Am Duel race. It spoiled what would have been a triumphant return for Earnhardt after a concussion sidelined him for the second half of last year.

"Ideally, I'd like to beat Dale Jr. on the last lap at Daytona," Hamlin continued. "I know it might be a bad thing for the fans and they might not like it, but my fans surely will. And I know it'll be a great moment for me."

Kurt Busch acknowledged while every driver wants to win at Daytona, there might be something to the thinking that the garage will be rooting for Earnhardt.

"It's going to be a good battle," Busch said. "I guarantee [Earnhardt's] going to be elbows up, sleeves up, and he'll be the car to beat this weekend."

Naturally, Earnhardt was informed what some of his peers had said and what his ideal scenario would be coming to the finish at Daytona.

"If I'm behind the 88, I'm probably going to let him win. Dale Yeah," Earnhardt deadpanned with a fist pump. "I'm a little different than the other drivers. I won't pass him."