DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke into a big smile and sat up in his seat when discussing his interaction on Twitter during NBC’s Wednesday night re-broadcast of his emotional 2001 win in Daytona International Speedway‘s annual summer race.
Earnhardt won that July 400-miler in the series’ first return to the Daytona high banks a mere five months after his father, Dale Earnhardt, was killed on the final lap of that year’s season-opening Daytona 500.
And according to NBC Sports, Wednesday’s night’s replay of Earnhardt Jr.’s victory in the NASCAR summer classic was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter during the broadcast.
“A lot of those races when we won, Twitter and social media wasn’t around yet,” Earnhardt said from Daytona International Speedway, where he is – again – the defending winner of Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 here.
“It was pretty fun having that instant communication and dialogue. With social media platforms we have today, it felt like we were in a big room with everybody watching it together.
“It was good. I love the old stuff. The fans enjoy those iconic races in the sport and there are so many to choose from.”
And, Earnhardt conceded, it was actually a spontaneous viewing situation for himself.
“I really didn’t plan on watching the race, it just so happened I was sitting in the house with nothing to do,” Earnhardt said, grinning and suggesting the whole experience might be a positive precedent for the sport.
“If they get those drivers involved in these events to join in on social media, I think it adds to the experience of people watching. And in my case, if you won the race, it certainly was exciting to be a part of that experience.
“I thought it was great and a super-great treat for me. I was super humbled at how everybody plugged in. It’s great to be reminded of stuff like that. It was a special night and I’m glad people think it’s cool.”
RELATED: Junior live tweets watching July 2001 Daytona win
Earnhardt’s famously huge fan base certainly found it a treat — especially the continual interaction with the two-time Daytona 500 winner as he commented via Twitter throughout the telecast.
“It’s funny, even after all these years I’m still nervous watching, still leaning one way or another, telling my young self how to drive,” Earnhardt tweeted during Wednesday’s replay.
Just thinking about the whole experience was clearly positive for Earnhardt. And he’d love a rerun this weekend – the victory would essentially punch his ticket to the 2016 Chase for the NASACAR Sprint Cup.
“The throwback was a neat treat and I was really humbled by the idea of the network showing the race and appreciating what we accomplished,” he said.
“It was fun to think about and talk about what happened and see the comments. I appreciated it and I know a lot of the guys involved in that victory were watching and communicating with me. It was a special night.”