15 years ago, Dale Earnhardt Sr. thrilled the crowd at the Daytona 500 when he went from 14th to 2nd during the final laps of the race. Earnhardt was known for his skills on restrictor plate tracks and given his drafting abilities he was always a force to be reckoned with at Daytona and Talladega.

During this year’s Daytona 500 on Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. demonstrated his natural abilities behind the wheel as he went from 10th to his 2nd place finishing position in only two laps.

“I don't really remember much about it. It was all a blur. I was just going wherever they weren't,” Earnhardt said of the feat. “I really don't enjoy being that aggressive. But if there was enough room for the radiator to fit, you just kind of held the gas down and prayed for the best.”

The 35-year-old third generation driver qualified 2nd for the Great American Race during the initial qualifying session on Saturday, February 6th. Jr. finished 21st in the second of the two Gatorade Duels At Daytona.

During the 500, he battled an ill-handling car on top of all the track problems.

“We ran pretty hard today, we had a car that got ill handling,” Jr. said. “We faded a bit. We worked on it. We had all kinds of messes going on there. When it got cool, everybody's car gripped up.”

The race was the first to use the newly modified green-white-checkered rule and on the first attempt Earnhardt was running 22nd. Despite the extraordinary run he made in those final restarts, the 2nd place finish was still not what he had hoped for.

“It's just frustrating coming that close,” he said. “When you're running 22nd, you're mad because you just want to get a top 10.  When you get a top 10, you're pissed off because you can't get in the top five.  Then when you're running second it gets you mad because you didn't get a win.  That's how racecar drivers are, I hope.”

Based on Earnhardt Sr.’s rumored ability to see the air which helped his drafting, his son’s effort in the 52nd Annual Daytona 500 made it seem as though the skill was not only real, but hereditary.

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