January 21, 2012
By Rebecca Gladden
"Fueled by adrenaline and sorrow."
That's how two-time New York Times best-selling author Jade Gurss describes the dramatic 2001 NASCAR season in his new book, In The Red: The 2001 Season with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The book takes readers on a chronological roller-coaster ride through the tragic and triumphant 2001 season, starting with the Winston Cup Preview in January and ending with the Cup Series Awards Banquet in November and a glimpse ahead to 2002.
By the end of 2001, Dale Jr., the son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, had endured two shocking and life-changing events: the death of his father in February’s Daytona 500, and the September 11th terrorist attacks on the U.S.
The manner in which Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 team navigated the subsequent months is chronicled by Gurss in the 304 pages of In The Red.
The year 2001 had begun with hope and optimism, as Dale Jr., then age 26, headed into his sophomore season in the elite NASCAR Cup Series. He was coming off a successful rookie year in 2000, having won two points-paying races and that year’s Winston race - the first driver ever to win the All-Star event as a rookie.
As Gurss recounts, Earnhardt Jr. rebounded from the harsh blows life dealt him in 2001 with courage and fortitude. Buoyed by his race team, particularly uncle Tony Eury Sr. and cousin Tony Eury Jr., he won NASCAR’s first return race at Daytona following his father’s death and the first Cup race after the 9-11 attacks.
In an eerie, almost psychic bit of foreshadowing in chapter 1, “the dream,” Gurss recalls Dale Earnhardt Jr. informing the media in January ‘01 about a dream he had in which he won the upcoming Daytona 500.
When someone asked where his father was in the dream, Gurss writes, “Earnhardt Jr. paused slightly, then replied, ‘He wasn’t there.’”
The story typifies the compelling and revealing recollections that can only be told by someone who had intimate access to the driver. Gurss was Earnhardt’s publicist from 1999-2007 and “kept a massive amount of detailed notes” to document behind-the-scenes conversations and in-car radio communications.
Between the book’s illuminating paragraphs on racing and related activities is a deeper look at the characteristics that form the essence of Dale Jr.: a complex concoction of self-assuredness and self-doubt, maturity and mischievousness, particularly as he struggled to define himself as a man independent of the image and influence of his powerful father.
The struggle for self was omnipresent in 2001, even as Earnhardt Jr. tried to move on from the February 18th tragedy and focus on his own fledgling career.
Having made the commitment to continue driving and support Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt Jr. set out to create his own lifepath, only to be confronted by constant, painful reminders of his father’s death.
In one of many such occurrences, Gurss writes about an incident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway just weeks after the 2001 Daytona 500.
When the time came to qualify, Dale Jr. and I walked from the driver’s motorcoach lot, located inside turn one. Slipping through a small gate, we climbed the inside wall and began walking up pit lane toward the car.
After a few yards, Dale Jr. made a stutter-step as if someone or something had hit him hard across the chest.
He pointed to the massive “3” floral arrangement near the grandstands in turn four. Many of us saw it during the first practice session, but Dale Jr. had missed it while focusing solely on the racing line through turn four. It was a rare example of Dale Jr. being caught off-guard, and it showed how difficult it was to be reminded of his father’s death wherever he went, especially when he didn’t expect it.
Even more cruel was the controversy playing out in national headlines, as debate raged regarding the possible release of Earnhardt’s autopsy photos and theories on the exact mechanism of death.
Still, through heartache and hardship, the book conveys numerous examples of Earnhardt Jr.’s quick wit and his enjoyment of the opportunities that came his way as a Cup driver - many through his sponsors, others through celebrities who were fans of the Earnhardt name.
On Easter weekend, Gurss writes, Earnhardt Jr. and family were invited to meet President George W. Bush on Air Force One, receiving a tour of the jet and meeting the plane’s crew and Air National Guard personnel. After the event, Junior mused, “I left there feeling great and really patriotic. Then, I got home and my tax bill had arrived in the mail.”
In 2001, Earnhardt Jr. represented a younger, hipper generation of NASCAR driver. He was interviewed in Playboy, appeared on MTV, took part in sniper training with the U.S. Secret Service, and got a “top-secret glimpse of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system six months before it was released.” He met and partied with many top entertainers and athletes of the day.
Seamlessly woven between such recollections are Gurss’s exacting accounts of each weekend’s racing action. Despite what often sounds like backbiting and bickering on the in-car radio, the No. 8 team finished the season with three wins, eighth in championship points.
Though Earnhardt Jr. has struggled on the track in recent years, it’s obvious the author respects Dale’s abilities behind the wheel.
Having watched Dale Jr. race in top form during the “Budweiser Years,” I asked Gurss whether he could pinpoint the cause of Earnhardt’s difficulties in the second half of the decade, particularly compared to his earlier success.
“He is a talented driver,” Gurss said. “No one wins 18 Cup races by accident. Anyone who reads the book will see how good he was during the Bud years. As for his recent struggles, I think it's unfair to pose simple answers to a complex situation. If the fix were simple or easy, the smart people at Hendrick would have done it long ago. I do think he and Steve Letarte are a great duo, and I'm optimistic he'll have a good season in '12.”
Gurss notes that Earnhardt Jr. was not involved in writing the book, though the two remain in contact on an occasional basis. “He's incredibly busy with racing, sponsor commitments and owning a race team on top of that, so he decided being an active part of writing, promoting and marketing another book didn't fit that schedule, which I respect. We occasionally exchange emails or voice mails, and I know he's been reading the book, but I haven't received his report - good or bad. He enjoyed being able to regale people with tales from Driver No. 8, [Gurss’s book about Earnhardt Jr.’s rookie season] so my guess is he will feel the same way about this book.”
In The Red does not contain a single photograph - an intriguing choice in an era when image-driven media seems to trump the written word.
But the strategy was intentional, said Gurss.
“We're trying a lot of new social media ideas with the book, which includes dozens of photos from 2001 posted on the book's Facebook page, and many more via Twitter and a Tumblr blog. The instantaneous and interactive nature of the 'net makes it easier to share many more items related to the stories in the book - including photos, videos and even music - than a few static shots in the midst of the book.”
As to the future, I wondered whether Gurss thinks Earnhardt Jr. will ever achieve a Cup championship. Pundits suggest that the likelihood of winning races and titles declines after age 40, and Dale turns 38 this year. If he never wins a Cup title, what will his racing legacy be? Does Gurss see the driver settling down someday, getting married and raising a family?
“Yes, age is a factor,” Gurss said. “The season is an immense grind that favors the young. The famous Junior Johnson quote is, ‘I want a driver in his late-29s or early-30s.’ I very much think he'll get married and have a family - the odds of that are probably higher than a Cup title, but I think he's comfortable with the legacy he will leave behind.
“Despite the immense pressure from many people who expect him to be a mirror image of his father or to achieve everything his father achieved, he has always had a realistic and level head about who he is as an individual - and I admire him very much for that."
In the book, Gurss also dishes on the drama of his own role as PR rep for one of the most famous athletes in the world, dealing with difficult and demanding media members, mostly from outside the NASCAR press corps.
In one such occurrence, Gurss describes an interview session with Scott Ross, a reporter for Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” TV show, that quickly derailed when Ross ignored the agreed-upon topics and probed Earnhardt Jr. with intrusive questions about his personal religious beliefs following his father’s death.
After cutting the segment short, Gurss relates what happened next:
While Ross led another prayer, his producer stepped outside to grab a large backpack. When she unzipped the bag, it wasn’t filled with videotapes or camera gear, but an assortment of Dale Jr. diecast cars, hats, and other merchandise for Junior to autograph.
Dale Jr. politely signed, and they were gone.
Though not specifically referencing the above incident, Gurss told me, “After a tragedy such as Dale Earnhardt's death, some acted with something less than professionalism. I firmly believe almost everyone can look good when things are going great, but true character shows brightest when things are toughest.”
Things could not have been tougher for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2001.
As In The Red reveals, true character emerged.
Learn more about In The Red:
Octane Press: octanepress.com/book/red
Twitter: @InTheRed2001
Facebook: In The Red
Tumblr: inthered2001.tumblr.com
Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @nscrwriter
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