After Friday night's Subway Jalapeno 250, Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted that anything other than a win would have been a letdown.

And thankfully for Junior, we'll never know what that letdown would have been like as he survived a green-white-checker finish to win Friday night's Nationwide race.

"I feel lucky, I feel real lucky. I was so worried that I wasn't going to win," Earnhardt Jr. told ESPN in Victory Lane. "Because nothing but a win... for everybody in the world. If you didn't win, what a waste of time, why did you do it? I worked hard to try to win it, not only for Daddy. I'm proud of him for going into the Hall of Fame and he'd be proud of this I'm sure and, you know, just all these fans. He has so many great fans -- not just mine -- this is for his fans. Hope that they enjoyed this. This is it. No more three for me. A win and this will be it. That's it."

As cliche as the saying "it was a storybook ending" is, this really was one. Of course, conspiracy theorists will claim that Joey Logano didn't pull out of line to attempt that pass on the backstretch because NASCAR wanted Junior to win, but that's a pretty weak argument. How cool would it have been for Logano to be able to say that he beat the legendary Wrangler no. 3 car on the last lap?

Now it remains to be seen how long this win will tide over Junior Nation. Will (most) all be forgiven if Junior fails to make the Chase because of this hot July night in Daytona? Or is the pressure now ratcheted up yet another notch now that Junior has found his way back to Victory Lane?

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP)—ale Earnhardt Jr. raced to his first NASCAR victory since 2007, driving a retro paint scheme to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt entered Friday night’s Nationwide Series race in a No. 3 Chevrolet with a Wrangler paint scheme to honor his father’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Dale Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap accident in the 2001 Daytona 500.

“I was so worried that I wasn’t going to win, because nothing but winning was good enough, for everybody in the world,” Earnhardt said. “If you didn’t win, what a waste of time.”

Earnhardt, winless in any NASCAR points race since a Sprint Cup victory at Michigan in 2008, took the lead on pit road under caution with 26 laps to go Friday night in the Nationwide Series race. Running a No. 3 Chevrolet with a Wrangler paint scheme to honor his father’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Earnhardt brought his loyal fans to their feet for the final sprint to the checkered flag.

“I worked hard to try to win it, not only for Daddy, I am proud of him going into the Hall of Fame, and he would be proud of this, I’m sure,” Earnhardt said. “Just all his fans. He had so many great fans. Not just mine. This is for his fans. Hopefully, they enjoyed this.”

Paul Menard’s wreck with four laps to go put the outcome in jeopardy, and Earnhardt, the leader, decided not to pit under the caution. On old tires, he had to hold off Joey Logano and a slew of Cup regulars for his first Nationwide victory since Michigan in 2006.

Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt’s cousin and crew chief, was overcome with emotion as Earnhardt crossed the finish line.

“We lost everything here,” Eury said softly. “To come back with that number and do this, it means everything.”

Earnhardt Jr. agreed to drive the No. 3, his father’s famed number, with the Wrangler paint scheme that the elder Earnhardt made famous and drove to one of his seven Cup championships. The promotion was a collaboration with Richard Childress, who owns the rights to the No. 3 and was Earnhardt’s car owner, Earnhardt’s widow, Teresa, and JR Motorsports.

“I was so worried that I wasn’t going to win,” Earnhardt said in Victory Lane. “Nothing but a win was good enough. It’s emotional, I’m proud of myself, I’m proud of what I’ve done with this group. It was trying emotionally to put it together.”

It was Earnhardt’s third time driving the No. 3 since his father’s death, and he said this week he wouldn’t do it again—which he reiterated from Victory Lane.

“This is it. No more 3 for me,” he said.

Logano, who pushed Earnhardt on the final restart, finished second in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and considered in the closing laps how unpopular beating Earnhardt would have been.

“I probably gained a lot of fans tonight by pushing the 3 to victory, but I’d much rather be in Victory Lane,” Logano said. “It’s cool to see the 3 in Victory Lane at Daytona. It’s really neat. A lot of people thought they would never see that again.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was third in a Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing. Brad Keselowski was fourth in a revamped Dodge Challenger for Penske Racing, while Kevin Harvick—the driver who replaced Earnhardt following his death—was fifth in a Chevrolet from Kevin Harvick Inc.

Defending race winner Clint Bowyer was sixth and was followed by Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman. Brian Ickler and Steve Arpin, driving a JR Motorsports car, rounded out the top 10.

The race was the first of four this season for revamped Nationwide Series cars—NASCAR’s attempt to give the second-tier series its own identity. Ford brought back the Mustang and Dodge rolled out a Challenger, while Toyota stuck with its Camry and Chevrolet an Impala. The cars will be fully integrated in 2011.

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Yes tonight at the Subway Jalapeno 250 Dale Earnhardt Jr. won. He was driving this car. A tribute to his fathers #3 Wrangler car that he drove most of his racing career.
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Dale Jr. hasn't won a NationWide (Busch) race since 2006. He broke that record tonight.
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The car was put together by:
Hendreck Motors
Jr. Motorsports
Richard Childress Racing(RCR)
Teresa Earnhardt

honostly, all i said is that i dont like nascar, its not that i hate it, im just not into it, thats all... i tried to watch a full nascar program but i cant, was that really worth a -rep?

i didnt neg rep u