At the track that bursts with triumph and tragedy for his family, Earnhardt celebrated Thursday night when JR Motorsports and driver Justin Allgaier qualified for Sunday’s season-opening race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was emotional after Justin Allgaier raced the JR Motorsports car into the Daytona 500 for the first time on Feb. 13. The NASCAR legend tells why.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, it was the superspeedway where they played as children and watched their father win 34 races before he lost his life in the 2001 Daytona 500. Now, the brother and sister return to the 2.5-mile superspeedway for their first start in the Daytona 500 with their team – JR Motorsports.