Earnhardts helped mold Parker Jr's life, career
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
December 23, 2001
11:14 AM EST (1614 GMT)
CONCORD, N.C. -- Kicked back in a chair in his corner office at Welliver-Jesel Racing, Hank Parker Jr. is a bit fidgety. Pondering what might have been, the 27-year-old budding star is well aware that he could be outdoors on this frigid, drizzly day, digging ditches for the state of North Carolina.
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Hank Parker Jr.
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But instead, Parker is set to embark on a landmark season in his young career -- a career that likely wouldn't have come to fruition were it not for the concerted efforts of Dale Earnhardt and his namesake, Dale Jr.
Dale Earnhardt was an avid outdoorsman, making his relationship with Bassmasters champion Hank Parker a treasured one. They hunted and fished together often. So when both men had sons only three days apart in the fall of 1974, it seemed only natural that they, too, would become the best of friends.
It didn't happen quickly. Hank Jr. was truly his father's son, with a deep affection for the lakes and woodlands, while Dale Jr.'s interests were focused elsewhere. But as they entered adolescence the cornerstone for a decade-long friendship was fostered. Racing, a hobby for both, soon became a passion.
"My dad didn't really want me to race again, after I quit racing go karts," Parker Jr. said. "I was just hanging out with Dale Jr. one day and his dad wanted to show me the farm, because he knew how much I like deer hunting.
"We were talking about the deer and he started asking me if I wanted to race. He took me up there and showed me the racecars and I was telling him about how my dad wasn't sure about it. My dad loved racing and he supported me in it, but wasn't sure exactly how to go about it."
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Discussing the situation with Earnhardt was certainly a viable start.
"I told Big E about it, and he said, 'Well, I'll talk your dad into it. And if I don't talk him into it, I'll make you work here at the shop and let you drive it some,'" Parker said.
"He was going on a long trip with my dad the next week to go deer hunting. The next week when they got back, my dad bought that car for me. It was really cool to have somebody at (Earnhardt's) level helping out somebody at my level. It was just an overwhelming feeling, and is something I really treasure and appreciate."
Since that time, Junior and Junior have relied on one another through the trials and tribulations of making it big, the highs and lows of a cutthroat industry, the curveballs everyday life can throw you.
Having been friends for years, and both having driven the same racecar to respective Street Stock championships at Concord Motorsports Park, they entered the NASCAR Busch Series full time -- Junior in 1998 and Parker in '99.
Midway through Parker's freshman campaign, he was faced with the prospect that his career could be in jeopardy. Parker's father funded his team, and sponsors weren't exactly beating the door down with million-dollar offers. As the series marched to Dover Downs International Speedway, it was time either to excel or pursue other options.
That's when true friendship helped save a career. Dale Jr. was riding high as the reining Busch Series champion, and when his buddy needed help, he knew it was the least he could do to lend a hand.
"I was telling somebody the other day that Dale Jr. has done more for me in my career than any friend could ever do," Parker Jr. said. "Before we got the Team Marines sponsorship at Dover, we were running the B.A.S.S. car, and (the Marines) were gonna give us a chance and let us have that Marines sponsorship at Charlotte if we did well at Dover.
"I wasn't gonna make the race, and he went out there and coaxed his guys -- and I don't what he told them -- but somehow I ended up with the four shocks from his car on my car. I qualified really well and we raced well, and that's what got us that deal.
"If he had just said, 'hey man, you need to try this or that,' and didn't really care about it and put forth that effort for me, then I probably wouldn't have ever gotten that sponsorship and wouldn't be sitting where I am right now. I'd be out doing some manual labor somewhere. That's pretty awesome, the things he's done for me."
Parker has since returned the favor. Following Dale Earnhardt's death last February, Parker was there for his friend, with as much unbiased comfort as one could give in that situation. Earnhardt's death deeply affected everyone in the NASCAR community, and no one more than Parker Jr. Big E was his mentor, his hero. Big E was The Intimidator.
"As any young kid watching racing, being a race fan, everybody wanted to be him," Parker Jr. said. "He was the man. From that aspect, watching races and being a fan of racing, that was who I pulled for. He was the hero of all racing for me.
"I think it would have been cool to have been successful where he could have seen me, so he could say, 'Hey, I helped that kid out and here he is winning California.' I hate it mostly for Dale Jr., and Kerry and Kelly and Taylor and his wife. It's something I've never had to go through, and I can't imagine the pain they have to be going through. It didn't effect my racing, but it did change my outlook on a lot of things."
Namely, his relationship with Earnhardt Jr. -- both as a friend and a colleague.
"Just by knowing Dale Jr., I got to know (Earnhardt) on a little bit different level," Parker Jr. said. "So when Dale Jr. and I would get in trouble, he'd jump on Dale Jr. and I'd be right there beside him. It was kind of like I was in deep trouble, too.
"When he died, it made me really respect the person that Dale Jr. is, the way he's handled the media pressure and personally. He's a very strong individual. Situations like that can make or break you, and it's really shown the kind of character he has inside. It makes you really proud to say you truly know who Dale Jr. is, because I don't know if I could be as strong as he is."
Agreed. One would be hard-pressed to find another individual capable of conducting themselves the way Dale Jr. has. He recently wrote a column on NASCAR.com about Parker, who will wed longtime girlfriend Wendy Alexander on Jan. 5. In that column, Earnhardt Jr. reminisces about maturing alongside Parker, about the countless times they got into trouble, about how Parker is the poster boy for "keeping it real."
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Parker picked up his first Busch win at California Speedway in April.
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An excerpt:
"Even though we still look at the world in different ways, Hank and I still find time to chill out together, just not as often as before. Hank Jr.'s always been the one that's too busy to hang out, but he still calls me after every win. I get a lot of credit for being 'real,' but this guy takes the cake in that category."
Truer words could not be written. Parker's unyielding determination, striking good looks and easy demeanor have afforded him a life most only dream of. For that, he is infinitely thankful -- to his family as well as the Earnhardts.
"I think Big E just really like helping people out that had desire," Parker Jr. said. "You see sometimes about the people he helped out, like Ernie Irvan. People with desire, he appreciated that a lot. You just feel so overwhelmed.
"He's one of those guys where you're almost afraid to look at him because, that guy's the man, you know? So it was really neat to get to know him on a different level. I'm really fortunate for that. Without that, I'd probably be digging ditches in Denver (N.C.)."
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