Whether it is the Duel in the Desert, the Texas Two-Step or an Alabama Slammer fans are sure to see a hard fought battle to the checkered flag. After all, the best things in life are worth fighting for. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no stranger to that philosophy although some would not count him as a fighter.

When Earnhardt battled his personal emotions over the ever-changing DEI, some fans looked the other way. It was easy to say that he gave up on family and heritage. Others were proud of how he handled his business giving him props for stepping away and proving that he could pave his own way in the business of NASCAR. There are always those that foresee change as a bad thing. But ultimately only one person had to live with the life altering decision and its repercussions, and that was Junior himself. And part of that decision was historic. Junior took the reins of the No. 88 car, a car number his grandfather made popular.

He remains the sports most popular driver and he is putting down tracks to his 300th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway this spring. A milestone of such magnitude is often overlooked. And other times it hails in comparison to those of the legends, Richard Petty, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd.

But a closer look at the number 300 tells a much different story. NASCAR is a living history lesson. Some would argue that the historic value of a bootlegging operation is not important. For others, it is more about the men and the machines that have blossomed into a business and a sport that is leading race fans into un-chartered territories and changing the automobile industry along the way.

Unlike other sports, race fans have been through the good and bad with their drivers. They shed tears over the death of the Intimidator, and they can remember exactly where they were, the day he left this world. It is personal to them. It is family. And, race day is Sunday dinner.

Older fans can explain the roots of the Alabama Gang, and how their presence in this sport could be deemed controversial. Some will name the champions and race winners like they are reading their family tree.

Others can tell what Alan Kluwicki, Davey Allison, A.J. Foyt and Janet Guthrie have in common. Not only do they have a place in the NASCAR record books, they wrote their own chapters. Better yet, they did it with less than 300 career starts in the cup series.

After looking at their careers, fans can truly appreciate the career of Dale Earnhardt Jr. It wasn’t handed to him, he fought for it. Junior is writing his own part in the series future. It may not be the preferred path, but it is his chosen path. As a third generation driver, Earnhardt is an icon in motor racing. With that family history he maintains a higher level of pressure on himself to succeed. At the track, Earnhardt is a mild-mannered competitor who shows no sense of attitude. He is focused on the job at hand, and ready to work.

Like Davey Allison before him, Junior’s career has always been held to the highest of expectations. It was over-shadowed by his father’s success. Many believe that he got to the sports highest level because of his last name and his father. Truth be told, he worked for it. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no different than any other competitor in the elite series, contrary to what other people may think.

Junior nation demands attention! He is a representative of the sports future and a link to the lasting legacies of its past. Standing before race fans in new colors with a new sponsor, Earnhardt remains prominent. Compared to golf’s Tiger Woods, and the NFL’s Brett Favre, Earnhardt has brought legions of new viewers to NASCAR’s doorstep.

He has southern roots and Hollywood ties. For years, he was the face of Budweiser and Wrangler. Now he is a recruiting tool for the National Guard. He has appeared in music videos on MTV, and he has been portrayed in film, and even voiced his own cartoon character. Earnhardt’s off track personality awards him the title of spokesman for the sports future.

His desire to succeed warrants that attention. When Earnhardt joined the Cup Series full-time in 2000, he scored two wins and announced his presence as a contender in the sport. Little did he know that a rocky start to 2001 would change his world forever. But he continued to plug on, he continued to fight. Three more victories and 15 top-10 finishes that same year.

Each season he continued to grow stronger. Laying down results on the track, daring someone to stop him. He even won the coveted Daytona 500 in his best season, 2004. Then a slow decline became the story. And by 2006, it virtually stopped. His last win came at Richmond that May.

Now, 70 races later he prepares to return to his stomping ground, Talladega. He has five victories on the famed track. His last one coming in 2004. With a renewed sense of drive, Earnhardt has been atop the speed charts in 2008. He has managed to finish in the top 5 in three events this year, with only a few races in the books, he continues to hold a top points position. With his keen drafting ability, Earnhardt will fight for the checkers at Talladega.