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Appreci88ion: Behind the scenes with Earnhardt Jr. in Las Vegas
By Staff Report | Published: 29 Nov, 2017 21
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A night with Dale Earnhardt Jr.? That was reality for a horde of Junior Nation's most ardent fans on Tuesday during Champion's Week in Las Vegas. 'Appreci88ion: An Evening with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Presented by Nationwide' allowed fans who purchased tickets to get up-close with Earnhardt Jr., who spent the night on stage, interviewed surprised guests and posed for pictures. Best of all? All of the proceeds went to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Scroll through to see how the night went, and who the special guests were.
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Kick us off, Junior.
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JR Motorsports' Mike Davis served as the emcee, of sorts, for the evening.
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A beautiful evening at the Cosmopolitan hotel.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. would tell story after story throughout the night.
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First surprise guest? Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
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Bring it in for a hug!
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Among the topics discussed were Jimmie getting Junior into biking ... and those spandex bike shorts.
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It appears Johnson has a good embarrassing Dale Jr. story or two.
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2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., to talk about the good old days.
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This was a familiar scene all evening: Dale Jr. laughing.
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That'd be the Dirty Mo Crew! Pals Sonny and Shawn and spotter TJ Majors.
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We feel quite confident NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton has his share of Dale Jr. memories.
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Family time: Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with former crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. Don't be fooled, these two didn't discuss what to wear beforehand.
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There's that classic 'Smoke' grin!
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Of his recent engagement, Tony Stewart said it was a good 46-year run. Maybe thats why Earnhardt Jr. is laughing so hard.
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Former driver Dale Jarrett and Earnhardt Jr.'s former crew chief Steve Letarte (not pictured) gave some advice on how to interview other drivers on NBC next year. Jarrett told Junior he'll have to wake up earlier next year.
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The Round Mound of Rebound! Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley stopped by.
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Charles Barkley is known for voicing his opinions (perhaps, shown here), and he has developed a friendship with Dale Jr. over the years. The two raced go-karts together in 2014.
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Amy Earnhardt joins her husband Dale Earnhardt Jr on stage.
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Jim McCoy of Nationwide presents a check to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy to help launch a fund to benefit Nationwide Childrens Hospital. The amount of the check was $888,000.